Dear Stanford Sierra Colleagues,
Welcome to 2024; here we go!
Recently, Sacramento County invited the CEOs of the agencies contracted to provide mental health services to eligible youth to a three-hour meeting titled a “CEO Retreat.” At the meeting, agency leaders had an opportunity to step away from the day-to-day challenges and reflect on the purpose of our work. In the 30+ years of this work, never has a county that I have worked with offered something like this to leaders. The message at the retreat was that we are all in this together, facing challenges that we have not faced before.
Post 2020, many things have changed, some due to the pandemic, societal shifts, and economic prioritization, and some due to legislation in the name of advancement. As examples, both CalAIM (California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal) and FFPSA (Family’s First Prevention Services Act) are impacting our work in a way that we have not seen before. The intention of the initiatives as they were laid out was to advance our work.
CalAIM is a multi-year initiative by the State Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) with the intent to improve the quality of life and health outcomes of the population by implementing broad delivery system, program, and payment reform across the Medi-Cal program. The explicit intent of CalAIM is to transform and strengthen Medi-Cal, offering Californians a more equitable, coordinated, and person-centered approach to maximizing their health and life trajectory. The major components of CalAIM build upon the successful outcomes of various pilots (including, but not limited to, the Whole Person Care Pilots, Health Homes, and the Coordinated Care Initiative) with the intended result of better quality of life for Medi-Cal members, as well as long-term cost savings. CalAIM rolled out at the start of Fiscal Year 23/24. To date, there have been many challenges in the rollout across all counties, including extensive changes to documentation, billing, and rates.
As an agency that provides mental health services to the vast majority of the youth we serve, the impact of CalAIM is significant. The challenges during this Fiscal Year include revamping (with a goal of reducing) documentation and ensuring the rate covers the cost of documentation, travel, training, onboarding, and meetings. Under CalAIM, the rates charged for services must fully cover the costs of the programs, as there will be no cost settlement, and payment to agencies is only generated through the provision of direct billable services to the identified client (youth). The counties were given formulas with built-in assumptions from the State that do not match the reality of work, especially with regard to position vacancies, billable time, and program census. There is an assumption that all direct service positions are filled with fully trained staff, and all programs are running at budgeted census (youth in care). Advocacy has been the highest priority for me on multiple levels: statewide and locally, county by county, program by program. Advocacy has resulted in some county agreements to cover costs for a portion of this year, and at times to raise rates or add incentive payments. In addition, a SSYAF team – including the respective program director, the QI Director, the Chief Program Officer, the Chief Financial Officer, and I – has completed an internal programmatic analysis and then called meetings with County leadership where we make a presentation on our analysis. The intent of each meeting is to ensure that our services are sustainable during this time of change. Due to our own thorough analysis where we identify what we can improve and what we are asking from the respective County staff, we have been met with a spirit of partnership. There continues to be a considerable amount to do, but progress is always good.
The Family’s First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA), approved by Congress and signed into law on February 9, 2018, reflects a shift in the way Title IV-E agencies (Child Welfare and Probation) can serve communities. Expanding from serving families in crisis to also supporting prevention of family separation, FFPSA provides opportunities to prevent children from entering the Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice systems by encouraging community and cross systems collaborations that implement "trauma-informed" and "evidence-based" practices that keep families together. Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice agencies will be able to draw down Title IV-E funding to pay for prevention services, which has not been allowed in the past. This means that each county will be able to invest even more in prevention services that strengthen families and promote child and family well-being. FFPSA’s intent is in alignment with our work in reducing the over representation of our youth of color in child welfare and probation. The focus is on family preservation. Sacramento County was the first county to have their plan approved by the State, and SSYAF was identified as the partner for the Juvenile Justice plan. With the focus on family preservation, we are seeing a decrease in youth entering foster care, and those who are entering the system are older with more intense needs. This opens the door to innovation in how we approach our services in Pathways to Permanency.
It has never been easy to sustain a non-profit, and in these times, it is even more difficult. The big question at the CEO Retreat to all leaders was why we took this career path. For me, it never felt like a choice - it was a calling. It comes back to each young person positively impacted by SSYAF services. When we empower a young person and their caregiver to make a positive change, we impact our communities. Our mission moments continue to capture the heart of our work. Whether you are in direct service or you are supporting those providing direct services, please take a moment to reflect on your why. I also encourage everyone to review our current Strategic Plan to gain a greater understanding of our priorities. We are truly in this together.
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With gratitude,
Laura Heintz, Psy. D.
CEO
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Check out our employee spotlight on Facebook and LinkedIn
Meet Paul! Paul is a Youth Advocate with our Family and Youth Partnership program. He attended UC Merced, receiving his B.A. in Sociology in 2022. Paul has been working in social services for over a year now. Having to navigate his struggles with mental health in the past, he wants to help youth who may be facing challenges with their mental health. He wants to ensure that for every youth he serves, he can teach them the tools they can utilize to help them heal. He loves advocating for youth and their families because, every day, he is learning new techniques that will allow him to help others to the best of his ability.
Fun fact: He took an acting class his first semester of college, and his professor tried to convince him to change his major and become an actor. Ultimately, he decided not to because he didn't want to put Leonardo DiCaprio out of work.
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Employee Benefits Highlight | |
This month we are discussing the Flexible Spending Account. A Flexible Spending Account, or FSA, allows you to set aside money from each paycheck, before taxes, into a designated account to utilize to pay for out-of-pocket healthcare costs or dependent care expenses. The biggest benefit to an FSA is that because the monies are deducted before taxes it means you’re saving the amount that would have been taxed on what you’re setting aside.
The Medical FSA that SSYAF offers allows you to set aside money into a medical out-of-pocket account that can be used to buy medical supplies like over-the-counter medications and bandages; you can even use these monies for items like glasses, contact lens solutions, prescriptions, and medical or dental co-payments. If enrolled in this type of plan, you will receive a debit card that can be used to pay for these out-of-pocket expenses at the store, pharmacy, or doctor’s office. To search for eligible expenses, utilize this resource: https://learn.hellofurther.com/Individuals/Spending_Your_Account/Eligible_Expenses#.
The Dependent Care FSA is a reimbursement account that you can use for licensed day care expenses, some preschool programs, after-school programs, in-home child and dependent care services, or elder care. You can set aside a portion of your paycheck, pre-tax, into your Dependent Care FSA and after you pay for eligible expenses, you can use the funds in your DCFSA to reimburse yourself. You must wait until the money accrues in your account before you can use the funds. You can choose to reimburse yourself in one lump sum at the end of the year, or you can reimburse yourself throughout the year as you have expenses. It's your choice.
Both FSAs offered are through Further by HealthEquity. If you’re interested, they have a short intro video that will explain more about FSAs: https://vimeo.com/331839974
You can spend the money from the FSA throughout the plan year (July-June), and you’ll want to ensure you do spend it because money withheld in these accounts is considered “use it or lose it.” However, you can roll over up to $500 into the new plan year. To determine how much to contribute to your FSA, you can use Further’s FSA Worksheet to help. If you have questions about the FSA plans, or any of the other benefits SSYAF offers, please contact Sarah Wilson in HR.
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Amanda Morgan has been promoted to Clinical Practice Manager in the Sacramento Wraparound Program. Amanda joined the Wraparound team in October 2022 as a Clinical Assessment Coordinator, quickly promoted to a Program Manager position in April 2023, recently obtained her license as a Marriage and Family Therapist, and she will continue to support Wrap teams clinically when needs arise while finishing collection of additional hours for a dual licensure track as an APCC. In her previous role as Program Manager, Amanda balanced multiple leadership needs, program and training support, and direct services to clients to ensure seamless services were provided to our families. In her new role, Amanda will support clinicians and enhance clinical practices and services in Wraparound.
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| | Lonyeua Sellers has been promoted to Program Manager in the Sacramento Wraparound Program. Lonyeua started with SSYAF as a Specialist in Sacramento Wraparound in June 2018, supported with the development of the Sacramento Wraparound program as a Facilitator and clinical student intern while completing her graduate studies in Marriage and Family Therapy and pursuing certification in the TF-CBT model, and promoted to a Family Specialist II role in July 2023. In her most recent role, Lonyeua provided consistent and timely assessment, treatment planning, and individual and family therapy services to youth and caregivers, as well as provided individualized and creative clinical insight in coordination with her Wrap teams to collaboratively support and empower youth and families in their journeys toward healing, mental and behavioral wellness, and permanency. In her new role, Lonyeua will continue serving families directly and will also capitalize on the clinical and leadership skills she has developed during her tenure serving families.
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Employee Handbook Updates
Our Employee Handbook contains the employment policies and practices of the agency. We regularly update our Employee Handbook to ensure that we are aligned with best practices to serve our mission and our staff. On an annual basis we consult with legal counsel and make updates to ensure we are in compliance with all applicable employment laws. The Handbook has been designed to help clarify expectations and policies of the agency during employment with Stanford Sierra Youth & Families.
On January 16th, our updated Employee Handbook rolled out to all staff in UKG. If you haven’t done so already, you should log into the desktop version of UKG, review the Summary of Changes, Updated Handbook, and available resources, and sign the two Document Acknowledgements in UKG. The Summary of Changes provides a brief overview and reference to the policies that were updated, added, or removed from the Handbook.
The acknowledgements you will sign have been updated. We have removed the Arbitration Agreement, as we will be sending that out separately. You will still have two acknowledgements to complete, one is an Acknowledgement of Receipt, and the second is a new acknowledgement regarding the At-Will Employment relationship between you and SSYAF. If you have any questions, please contact Kimberly Woods-Burch or Holly Hoppman in Human Resources.
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Finance
2024 for Finance is an ongoing blur of financial activity! Finance Audit was completed in December 2023, and the team is happy to put that in the rearview mirror until later this year when we start all over with the audit of FY 23/24 in September!
This month, the Open Hour for Finance covered Accounts Receivable. Look out for the calendar invite for next month's Open Hour and stop in to listen and get your questions answered!
Data
Do you have an upcoming test or certification that would change your County Credentialling? Are you scheduled to work on-call and are unsure if you are credentialed in that county to be available to clients? Maybe you have received a request for documentation from Finance-Data that is urgent and requires immediate attention? Our data personnel are actively working to ensure program staff credentialling is up to date and current within all the counties in which we have a presence. With your help, we can ensure you are up to date with credentialling and documentation so that you can continue providing services to your clients without lapses due to county non-compliance. Reach out to Finance-Data@ssyaf.org if you have any questions.
Accounts Payable
We have wrapped up the HGC distribution for 2023. Thank you everyone for getting those holiday gift cards to our youth and families this holiday season!
As a reminder, once you have any Flex Funds and/or credit card advances open, please be sure to upload your receipts and have managers approve them in a timely manner. It is important to have these funds available for the families; however, we do need receipts back to be reimbursed by our county partners, which then allows us to continue to serve the families in our community.
Accounts Receivable
Can you believe we’re already six months into the year? As we settle in after the holiday season (hopefully with some well-deserved rest and relaxation) we’re looking forward to things picking back up in 2024! For AR that means a renewed focus on tightening up processes to streamline invoicing and finding ways to build efficiencies. Undoubtedly, we will continue to rely on all of you and our county partners to accomplish these goals. It’s important to mention that 2024 will also bring its own set of unique challenges. One challenge we anticipate will take the form of changes that are due to CalAIM and because that affects how the county pays, we will continue to rely on your continued support with all things related to progress notes. Thank you all so much and cheers to a great 2024!
Payroll
As the agency transitions into 2024, the payroll team would like to remind everyone that submitting Vacation in advance and Sick Leave upon immediate return to work is best practice and ensures proper lead times for staff to submit timecards to managers. Remember, if you have a question about anything ON your staff paycheck through UKG, reach out to us at finance-payroll@ssyaf.org. Look out for the newly published calendar from HR that shows our payroll schedule. You can find this calendar in UKG once it’s published.
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Farewell to Debbie Wender | |
It is a bittersweet end to an era as our Wonder Coach, Debbie Wender, has officially retired. Debbie joined the Wonder team in March of 2018 and coached approximately 40 Guides as they navigated the highlights and challenges that come with every Wonder journey.
She has been a consistent source of encouragement to each Guide she has coached. Many people may not know that Debbie was a Wonder Guide herself in 2011 until her Explorer moved out of the county. This experience gave her a unique ability to identify with first-time mentors.
In 2013, Debbie became a staff member at Sierra Forever Families and made a name for herself with her experience in post-adoption. Our tight-knit Wonder team is sad to say goodbye to Debbie as she retires, but she has left an enormous imprint on each of us. She has an exciting future ahead of her with her family, specifically her adult children, as they navigate new life events and milestones. Debbie also really looks forward to having more time to take art classes. We wish her the most joy-filled life possible!
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Training Compliance
The Training team continues to evaluate our training plans and look for ways to increase training compliance across the agency. As of 01/08/24, our agency training compliance rate is 97.04%. A learner is considered compliant if they are not yet past their due date for a given enrollment. Learners are considered non-compliant if they have passed their due date without completing their requirement. Thank you all for your continued attention to training and many thanks to everyone for ensuring that we remain compliant.
As a reminder, if you are unable to attend a “live training,” you must have permission from your supervisor, and when emailing agencytraining@ssyaf.org, your supervisor needs to be included in the email. We are committed to responding in a timely manner. The agencytraining@ssyaf.org inbox is monitored daily, and you can expect a response to your inquiry within 48 hours. We are also committed to having Relias transcripts updated within 5 days of trainings being completed, or training certificates being received.
Relias Course Updates
Periodically, Relias updates their library of available content. The Agency Training team keeps catalogues of available content and a list of recent and upcoming course changes to the Relias content library as a resource for staff and supervisors. This information can be accessed from the I: drive (copy and paste into a folder address bar to access the location): I:\Training\Course Content\Course Catalog. If you come across a Relias course that you feel would be beneficial for your team(s), please let your supervisor know, and share with agencytraining@ssyaf.org. Thank you!
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Message from Pathways to Permanency | |
We are pleased to tell you that the number of young people in foster care has been decreasing over the past few years. It is our goal to eventually have no need for out-of-home placement. Unfortunately, we are not there yet though, and the need for resource families continues - especially those who have the resources, willingness, and ability to care for youth with higher needs such as our Intensive Service Foster Care clients and our Home-Based Shelter Care youth. We have a continued great need for Resource Families. Families referred to us by someone already connected to our mission, vision, and values have a higher likelihood of following through on the approval process, are more likely to take young people into their homes, and are more likely to accept coaching and guidance on their journey in supporting permanency.
To celebrate your help when you refer a family to us, we have a referral bonus system which some of our colleagues have already received. If you refer a family, you will receive a bonus at the time of their first placement - either a $200 bonus for a respite (short-term care) home or a $500 bonus for a resource family home.
A few other guidelines: referred families can’t be those you meet during your role at Stanford Sierra Youth & Families. For instance, if you are a therapist it can’t be a family to whom you are providing services. If you depart from the agency prior to their approval you are no longer eligible for the referral bonus.
Thank you all for everything you do to support young people and families we serve. If you know any great people who would be willing to step forward to support older youth in foster care, please have them give us a call at 916-344-0199 to sign up for orientation.
Call to Action: Please scan the QR code below and share the information with anyone wanting to find out more about our permanency programs. The QR code will take you directly to the inquiry form, our program, our video, and our podcast.
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Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Corner | |
The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Corner highlights
cultural observances, shares resources, and celebrates the diversity of our agency.
If there is something you would like to see in the DEI Corner, connect with Erin Reynolds.
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Join an Affinity Group
Affinity Groups, also known as Employee Resource Groups, are one of the many ways SSYAF practices and promotes our values of diversity, equity, and inclusion. They support us in fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace, and create a space where employees can bring their authentic selves to the table. We currently have several Affinity groups, and if you see a gap it doesn’t mean there isn’t a need, it just hasn’t been started yet. If you haven’t done so, consider joining an affinity group or starting one!
If you are interested in joining one of our current affinity groups, connect with one of our amazing and fearless group leaders. Looking to start a new affinity group? Connect with Erin Reynolds.
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Who’s words are these?
"Make a career of humanity. Commit yourself to the noble struggle for equal rights. You will make a better person of yourself, a greater nation of your country, and a finer world to live in."
The first employee to reach out to bhoneyman@ssyaf.org with the correct answer will receive a gift card!
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Do you have exciting news about the agency? Do you want to share team kudos or provide an acknowledgement of work well done? Have you heard about a community event happening that you think your colleagues might benefit from? Send your news to Brittany Honeyman at bhoneyman@ssyaf.org to be featured in the next edition of Employee News & Updates. | |
Staff Milestones & Updates | |
Birthdays - January
01/01 Kennedy Bradley
01/01 Laura Contreras
01/01 Tamieka Hilliard
01/02 Alicia Cortez
01/02 Amanda Hail
01/02 Jerone Morgan
01/03 Molly Howard
01/03 Terrell Thomas
01/04 Carlee Johnson
01/05 Jennifer Quady
01/06 Sarah Wilson
01/07 Kameron White
01/08 Kelsey Smith
01/08 Michaella Stokes
01/10 Jovina Neves
01/14 Brandon McCord
01/15 Karla Zaragoza
01/16 Anna Salatlam
01/16 Laura Shephard
01/16 Tye Cooper
01/17 Brittany Smith
01/17 Elizabeth Schomburg
01/18 Tinki Hardy Castillo
01/19 Yesi Lopez-Ambriz
01/20 Christina Sunthonlap
01/22 Tamara Saylar
01/28 Melody Alvarez
01/29 Cassandra Martin
01/31 Michael Campuzano Bautista
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Anniversaries - January
() = Years of Service
01/02 Tiffany Peterson (6)
01/04 Karina Orduna Rodriguez (2)
01/05 James Thyssen (8)
01/15 Garrett Davis (20)
01/27 Michelle Young (13)
01/29 Angela Miller (6)
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Greetings!! December New Hires
Cassandra Martin - Admin Assistant II, Facilities-Administration
Christian Luna - Admin Assistant II, Facilities-Administration
Brandon McCord - Clinical Student Intern, Yolo CBFS
Danielle Taylor - Social Worker I, Pathways to Permanency
Michael Campuzano Bautista - Program Admin Coordinator, All Programs
Jamie Lindsay - Youth Advocate, Family & Youth Partnership
Rachael Logan - Youth Permanency Worker I, Destination Family
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Mission
Transforming lives by nurturing permanent connections and empowering families to solve challenges together, so every young person can thrive.
Vision
We envision our communities with safe, lifelong connections for all young people, built and strengthened through generations of empowered families.
Values
Compassion
Equity
Excellence
Honor
Integrity
Partnership
Please see the full list of value definitions here or on the I: drive at the following pathway (copy and paste into a folder address bar to access):
I:\Agency At-A-Glance\Agency Culture\Our Values
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Executive Leadership Team
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- Laura Heintz, Psy.D., Chief Executive Officer
- Jovina Neves, Chief Financial Officer
- Ontson Placide, Chief Program Officer
- Brittany Honeyman, Executive Assistant
- Christie Shorrock, Director of Development
- Christina Cagle, Director of Family and Youth Partnership
- Christine Stanescu, Controller
- Danielle Paminto, Program Director, Pathways to Permanency & Destination Family
- Danielle Vanaman, Program Director, Family Preservation
- Deborah Bennett, Clinical Director, FIT, RYSE Above, Clinical Supervision
- Gibrán Méndez, Director of Quality Improvement
- Jacquenette Michael, Program Director, Yolo CBFS, Napa CBFS
- Kimberly Woods-Burch, Director of Human Resources
- Richelle Whiteford, Director of Administrative Services
- Sara DeCoursey, Program Director, TBS, School Based Services, EDC Programs
- Terrell Thomas, Strategic Initiative Officer
- Tonya Bauhofer, Clinical Director, JJIS, Wraparound Services, Kaiser Managed Care
- Beatriz Lodia, FYP Manager, Family and Youth Partnership
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