We come to this last newsletter of the year with gratitude and admiration for the organizations we have partnered with to meet the challenges of 2020, and with hope for all that lies ahead in 2021. It’s been a long and complicated year, and we know that there will be continued hard work and uncertainty in the months to come. However, it feels like we’re on a path forward – not “back to normal” but toward something better. In CCSI’s final newsletter of 2020, we invite you to:

Urban League of Rochester hosted their inaugural Interrupt Racism Summit in October, providing a terrific opportunity for the community to come together to share the work that has been done around dismantling racism in workplaces and in the community. As an organization, CCSI has worked for nearly 30 years to eliminate systemic and institutional inequities across our community, so we were honored to be invited to present at the summit. Check out the key takeaways from our panel on how CCSI builds a more equitable workplace from the perspective of five different organizational standpoints.

CCSI's Deb Salamone, MS Ed, Senior Consultant recently contributed to a discussion webinar from Children's Institute titled "Fostering Positive Connection Among Students, Families, and School Staff" as a part of their Coming Back From COVID Discussion Series. In this webinar, Deb, along with community experts Erick Stephens, Common Ground Health, and Children's Institute's Sierra Fisher and Caitlin Orbanek, shared strategies on how they work to cultivate positive relationships with young people, families, educators, and child-serving adults.

Last month, CCSI’s Deb Salamone, MS Ed, Senior Consultant and Amy Scheel-Jones, MS Ed, Senior Consultant, presented a new webinar, Engaging Students: Applying What We Know About Brain Science. Now more than ever, educators are seeking enhanced ways to meaningfully engage with students across multiple modalities from in-person to hybrid, or even fully remote learning environments. To respond to the challenges of the current environment, this webinar integrates established educational best practices with the fields of racial equity, trauma, grief, and crisis response.

As part of the Mental Health Association in New York State (MHANYS) family-focused, virtual learning communities, CCSI's Amy Scheel-Jones, MS Ed, Senior Consultant presented a webinar titled "Breathing Room: Creating Capacity to Cope with Stress and Adversity." Amy's session gave participants a deeper understanding of the continuum of stress, adversity and trauma and the impact it has on our brains, bodies, and behaviors. Amy offered participants the opportunity to connect their experiences with the topic, and she also discussed how participants can incorporate strategies to improve coping and foster resilience for themselves, their families and their communities, utilizing a strength-based, engaging, and action-oriented approach.

Last year, the New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports (NYS OASAS) worked with CCSI in revising their 2015 Cultural Competency in Substance Abuse and Prevention training curriculum Cultural Competence: A Journey to Improved Outcomes. This work has continued into 2020 with CCSI offering a second, no-cost Train-the-Trainer series with a cohort of 30 trainers from various community-based organizations across New York State that serve individuals seeking help for substance use disorders. The latest cohort of trainers are now certified by OASAS to provide this training to community members, and they are each able to offer their first two trainings at no cost! If you are interested in learning more about the training and get connected with a trainer, please contact CCSI at askccsi@ccsi.org. Due to COVID precautions, virtual trainings are available.

2020 has been a year of challenges and change, so it should be no surprise that even the process and timeframe for certifying your organization’s Mandatory Medicaid Compliance Program falls under the 2020 spell! Click below to learn more about these changes and what organizations need to do to be prepared.

Positive outcomes occur most times that police interact with individuals with mental illness or related disorders, but there are times, however, when tragedy occurs. As a result, many communities re-evaluate the role of police as first responders to individuals in emotional distress. CCSI's Don Kamin, Ph.D., Director, Institute for Police, Mental Health, and Community Collaboration presented a webinar titled "Should Police Respond to Mental Health Emergencies?" This webinar explains the Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) program model, which has been adopted by many communities in the aftermath of adverse incidents between law enforcement and individuals in crisis. Alternative models of responding to mental health emergencies in the community are also addressed. 

You can view the PowerPoint here, the Q&A here, or click the button below if you'd like to watch the full webinar.

CCSI’s Amy Scheel-Jones, MS Ed, Senior Consultant, recently co-presented at the Connecticut Women’s Consortium’s Annual Trauma and Recovery Conference alongside Tamaé Memole, Program Development Director at Prevent Child Abuse New York. They reviewed the basics about Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), along with the framework around protective factors, then focused on the community impact of understanding ACEs, using the 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS)/ACEs analysis completed by CCSI and Monroe County Office of Mental Health (MCOMH) as a real-life example. Learn more about what they found, including the three core assets that foster resilience in kids.

CCSI is pleased to have begun working with the following customers:

DePaul Community Services, Inc.

Fairport Central School District

ITT Gould Pumps

Jewish Family Service of Rochester

Eugenio Maria De Hostos Charter School

Solano County, California, Office of Education

Pearls of Nutrition

Person Centered Housing Options, Inc.

Rockland County Department of Mental Health

Onondaga County Health Department

CCSI is pleased to welcome Alison Bottone to our team as the new Executive Director of New York Care Coordination Program (NYCCP) and Health Homes of Upstate New York (HHUNY). Alison is responsible for providing leadership, driving strategic planning, and advancing innovative growth initiatives. She also provides oversight and leadership of HHUNY while ensuring fiscal stewardship, management, and coordination of day-to-day operations. Alison has significant experience creating positive transformation through the design of initiatives that support strategic, operational, and organizational objectives. Prior to joining NYCCP/HHUNY, Alison held several senior leadership roles at Hillside that spanned over a 25-year period. Alison holds a master’s degree in Public Administration from the College at Brockport, State University of New York.

Betty García Mathewson

We are happy to welcome Betty García Mathewson to CCSI! As a Senior Consultant, Betty leads projects and develops relationships with provider organizations and other CCSI customers seeking support in understanding and improving the quality, value, and impact of programs and services. Betty previously worked as the Director of Health Center Operations for Planned Parenthood of Central and Western New York. Betty has a Master of Arts in Organizational Development from The Union Institute and University, Vermont College.

Three CCSI staff members recently graduated from, the 2020 Healthcare Business Academy (HBA) Fellowship Program through NorthStar Network. The HBA Fellowship Program is a year-long intensive leadership development program that consists of monthly workshops, on-line learning, self-assessments, and hearing from national and local thought leaders and healthcare industry experts.

Congratulations to Pam Ayers, MSW, Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives and Project Development, Becky Maynard, MA, LMHC, Chief of Priority Services, Monroe County Office of Mental Health (MCOMH), and Dianne Neufville, Manager, Marketing and Strategic Initiatives, Health Homes of Upstate New York (HHUNY) on their graduation!

CCSI has a need for talented professionals looking to contribute their expertise, expand their influence, and manage their careers to meet personal aspirations. We offer opportunities across different service lines, geographies, and functions.