CCSI employees from Promise Zone in Syracuse show us why they stand against racism for YWCA's Stand Against Racism week. See more on CCSI's Facebook page!
CCSI News and Updates



In this month’s newsletter, we bring you updates on some ongoing and expanding efforts aimed at strengthening systems and improving practice in important areas. Highlights include:

  • Taking Health Inequity Head On – A NYAPRS Conference panel discussed how racism, poverty and inequality limits access to care and how services that are culturally relevant and appropriate are needed for equitable health outcomes
  • News from MCTAC's Performance Driven Academy – Since January, agencies participating in the PDA have been learning practical strategies for implementing effective measurement practices and the culture of collaboration needed to support improved performance
  • Expanding the Consortium for Trauma, Illness, and Grief in Schools (TIG) – Building on the success demonstrated in Monroe County, learn more about plans to bring TIG’s holistic approach to meeting the emotional needs of children, teachers, and other school personnel arising from events related to trauma, violence, illness, grief and loss expand to other communities. 
  • Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA) – This training teaches adults to recognize mental health problems in youth.

As always, you’ll also find links to recent presentations and other resources we hope you’ll find helpful.
Taking Health Inequity Head On
Last week, CCSI participated as a facilitator and panelist at the NYAPRS Collective: 14th Annual Executive Seminar , “New Strategies and Partnerships to Support the Most Challenged New Yorkers: The Way Forward.” New York Association of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services, Inc. (NYAPRS) provides assistance to organizations to successfully engage in culture change in the best interest of those individuals they serve, aiding in the movement of those organizations to become “exemplary recovery-based service providers, increasing opportunities for participants to grow and recapture valued community roles.” The seminar, brought together leadership from the health and human services system across New York State.

Lenora Reid-Rose , Director of the CCSI Cultural Competence and Health Literacy (CCHL) Team facilitated a robust and engaging panel dialogue --“Taking Health Inequity Head On,” during which she framed the conversation on how the combination of public policy, institutional practices and other social and economic structures perpetuate inequity between people of different ethnic groups.  Click here to continue reading.
MCTAC’s Performance Driven Academy Helps Agencies Implement Effective Measurement Practices and Develop Cultures of Collaboration
In CCSI’s January News and Updates , we shared an overview of MCTAC’s new Performance Driven Academy (PDA), a year-long initiative involving approximately 150 provider organizations across New York State that prepares agencies for Value-Based Payment. The PDA provides participants with an immersive learning experience consisting of in-person events, webinars, tools and resources, and opportunities for office hours and small group work. Support for this capacity building initiative is provided by staff from CCSI’s Center for Collaboration in Community Health . We spoke with John Lee, Director, to learn more about how agencies are benefiting from participating in the PDA so far.

What have the participating agencies learned since January from the webinar series?
Semester 1 has focused on effective measurement practices and developing a culture of collaboration. CCSI led a series of webinars on a range of topics, answering the following questions for organizations:
  • Performance Driven Organization Culture – How does my organization develop a culture that supports performance driven principles and prioritizes data-driven decision making? 
  • Collaboration as a Tool for Success – What are the mechanisms for effective collaboration as a key to success in our changing healthcare environment? How can my organization optimize impact for the individuals receiving services?
  • Best Practices in Human Resources – What are the best practices necessary to support human resources and maximize their potential? How can accountability for performance be reinforced in a supportive, data-driven way?
  • Effective Measurement Practices – How can measurement be valuable to my organization, and what are the best practices? How can my organization move beyond basic measurement? What are some tools for supporting measurement planning? 
TIG Helps Educators Mediate the Impact of Trauma, Grief, and Illness on Students
What is TIG?  Now in its 17 th year, TIG is a unique network that provides training for member school districts, offering a holistic approach to meeting the emotional needs of children, teachers, and other school personnel arising from events related to trauma, violence, illness, grief and loss. Through participating with their colleagues in a 5-day core curriculum, educators deepen their understanding of the impact that trauma, grief, and chronic/acute illness can have on academic, behavior, social and emotional success – and how to mediate that impact. This shared training helps build capacity within TIG communities – creating a seamless back-up support network that can quickly be activated in times of crisis. TIG trained staff in every member district provide support to one another through a centralized referral number that is available 24/7. Click here to continue reading.
Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA) Teaches Adults to Recognize Mental Health Problems and Assist Youth in Accessing Support
Have you ever asked yourself ...

  • I wish I could help, but I don't know what to do?
  • Should I ask what's wrong? But what if I make her/him angry?
  • I don't understand what's going on, but I think they need help.




Delphi Drug & Alcohol Council has become a community champion in helping to decrease stigma and increase awareness of youth mental health and emotional wellness through offering Youth Mental Health First Aid classes. In 2015, Delphi was selected to be the lead agency overseeing a federal SAMHSA grant titled, Project AWARE-C, with the support of the following partners: Monroe County Probation, Office of Children and Family Services, Villa of Hope, Coordinated Care Services, Inc. and Causewave Community Partners. These partners assist in implementation of the plan to achieve the following: Reduced self-reports of teen aged depression; increase in referrals for mental health services; increase in numbers of YMHFA instructors and First Aiders; greater community awareness of the importance of early recognition of mental health problems with youth and identifying a plan for sustainability of this work beyond the grant. Click here to continue reading.
Understanding Trauma
David Eckert, LMHC, NCC, CRC, Senior Consultant from CCSI’s Center for Collaboration in Community Health , presented “Understanding Trauma” at the Annual Crime Victims’ Rights Week Breakfast sponsored by the Genesee County Criminal Justice Advisory Council. The primarily law enforcement audience learned about what trauma is, the impact of trauma and the Mind-Body Connection, how to cope with trauma, and how to help others cope with trauma. View his presentation here .

Financial Services and Fiscal Business Practices
James Monfort, Manager of Financial Services, Senior Consultant
CCSI | Center for Collaboration in Community Health
Events
12 th Annual Got Dreams Celebration
May 9th
4:30-7:30pm
Rochester Riverside Hotel

The mission of the Got Dreams event is to dispel the stigma around children’s mental health in Monroe County by bringing our youth, families, and service providers together to celebrate the accomplishments of the youth and families in our Children’s System of Care. This event aims to increase awareness of mental health resources in our community, foster connections between service providers and the youth and families they serve, and to inspire the community to continue a positive dialogue about the importance of children’s mental health.  Register here for this FREE event!
Presenter:
David Eckert, LMCH, NCC, CRC
Senior Consultant
CCSI | Center for Collaboration in Community Health
EBPs and Fidelity: Structure for Success
This webinar will focus on how effective program and agency level Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) practices can serve as a foundation for the implementation and delivery of Evidence Based Practices (EBPs) across a variety of programs and services. Participants will learn about how performance-driven organizations incorporate a CQI-friendly structure into their everyday workflows and processes in a way that facilitates the delivery of EBPs through data identification, collection, retrieval, and reporting. This webinar will also review the importance of delivering EBPs with a fidelity to practice to ensure that positive results remain consistent over time.
May 24, 2018
12:00 - 1:00 PM
April Center Webinar - Making the Most of Available Data to Drive Performance
Briannon O'Connor, PhD
Associate Director
CCSI | Center for Collaboration in Community Health


February Center Webinar -  Strategies for Success in Changing Times

John Lee. MBA
Director
CCSI | Center for Collaboration in Community Health

Civic Engagement is a Powerful Tool for Eliminating Racism

“Stand Against Racism” is a signature campaign of the YWCA USA to build community among those who work for racial justice and to raise awareness about the negative impact of institutional and structural racism in our communities. The 2018 theme is Civic Engagement , aligned with CCSI’s “Community Engagement” principle. Each of us can stand against racism by engaging in our communities in a meaningful way. In support of the Stand Against Racism, CCSI employees completed the sentence: "I stand against racism because..." We were also extremely pleased to host a lunchtime discussion session with Kevin Beckford, who shared the steps he’s taken as the first African American elected to sit on the town board in Pittsford, New York.   Check out our Facebook page to see more photos!
CCSI employees from Family Support for Student Success in Syracuse show us why they stand against racism for YWCA's Stand Against Racism week. See more on CCSI's Facebook page!
Want to hear more? If you haven’t yet had the chance, we hope you’ll check out our Facebook page for more CCSI news and resources.