CHDI NEWSLETTER
October 2024
| |
|
Treats in this month's issue:
-
Expanding access to substance use care in youth outpatient settings
- National recognition for Connecticut's expansion of evidence-based treatments
- 7 strategies states are using to address the behavioral health workforce shortage
-
No-cost behavioral health resources for providers and schools
-
Career opportunities at CHDI
Happy Halloween!
| |
CHDI Awarded $4.9 Million Federal Grant to Improve Youth Access to Care for Substance Use and Co-Occuring Disorders | |
|
CHDI was recently awarded a five-year, $4.9 million grant from the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) for a new initiative that will integrate and improve access to care for thousands of Connecticut youth with co-occurring substance use and behavioral health disorders.
The Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment Prevention and Access to Treatment Hubs and Services (SBIRT PATHS) initiative will partner with four established behavioral health providers to create regional “hubs” integrating substance use and behavioral health care for youth: Child and Family Agency, Child and Family Guidance Center, Clifford Beers Community Care Center, and Community Health Resources.
Over the next five years, SBIRT PATHS hubs will screen 7,000 youth for substance use disorder and provide integrated substance use and behavioral health services to an estimated 2,700 youth statewide.
| |
Connecticut Receives National Recognition for Collaborative Work to Expand Evidence-Based Treatments | |
|
At its national conference last month, the Society for Implementation Research Collaboration (SIRC) presented the prestigious 2024 SIRC Mission Award to the Connecticut EBT Partnership, a collaborative effort of CHDI, the Connecticut Department of Children and Families (DCF), model developers, and a statewide network of community-based providers and schools.
The award recognized the partnership's outstanding collaborative contributions to implementation research and practice through its statewide dissemination and implementation of evidence-based behavioral health treatments (EBTs) for youth.
| |
The Connecticut EBT Partnership's 2024 Evidence-Based Practice Conference brought together nearly 500 partners and providers from across CT. | |
Blog: 7 Policy Strategies States are Using to Address the Behavioral Health Workforce Shortage | | |
|
|
In our latest blog, we summarize a recent paper highlighting seven key policy strategies used by states around the country to strengthen, grow, and diversify their behavioral health workforce - and what each strategy could look like in Connecticut.
The original piece, co-authored by CHDI's Jason Lang, PhD and Aleece Kelly, MPP with lead author Michael Hoge, PhD and Manuel Paris, Jr., PsyD of the Annapolis Coalition on the Behavioral Health Workforce, was published in last month's Psychiatric Services.
| |
Training and Technical Assistance Available to Help Schools Support Student Mental Health | |
|
Want to strengthen student mental health services in your school or district this year? You don't have to figure it out alone!
Through the federally-funded CONNECTing to Care IV Students (CONNECT IV) initiative, CHDI provides training, technical assistance, and financial incentives to Connecticut schools and districts to help them strengthen student mental health services and supports - all at no cost.
| |
CHDI serves as the statewide Coordinating Center for Connecting Schools to Care IV Students (CONNECT IV), a four-year grant awarded to the Connecticut Department of Children and Families (DCF) from the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Grant partners include the Connecticut Department of Children and Families, CHDI, Carelon Behavioral Health, FAVOR, Inc., and The Consultation Center at Yale. | |
Trauma Screening Courses Now Available for Early Childhood, Pediatric Primary Care, and School Settings | | |
|
|
CHDI's Trauma ScreenTIME courses were designed to teach any child-serving professional - not just those with clinical training - about the effects of trauma, how to conduct effective trauma screenings, and how to develop a screening process for your organization.
Through funding from a SAMHSA NCTSI Category II grant, Trauma ScreenTIME courses are available nationwide at NO cost. In addition to the original core course, there are now courses specific to early childhood, school, and pediatric primary care settings. CECs/CEUs/MOU credits available!
| |
CT Insider Highlights Critical Role of School-Based Health Centers in Supporting Youth Mental Health | | |
|
|
CT Insider recently highlighted the essential role of school-based health centers (SBHCs) in meeting the behavioral health needs of children and youth in Connecticut - as well as the growing need for their services.
As the article notes, CHDI and the Connecticut Association of School Based Health Centers are in the early stages of designing a statewide data dashboard to better inform funding and quality improvement needs for SBHCs.
| |
Putting Young People First
CHDI President and CEO Jeff Vanderploeg and Board Member Fran Rabinowitz (CT Association of Public School Superintendents) attended an October 9th forum hosted by the CT Conference of Municipalities and 119K Commission for the release of their Young People First report.
The report makes recommendations for how Connecticut can reduce the number of young people who are "disconnected" from education and the workforce.
| |
|
Sharing School Mental Health Resources Across Connecticut | |
Annual CHDI Staff Pumpkin Decorating Contest
CHDI's Sunshine Committee plans fun activities throughout the year to help our growing hybrid team de-stress and reconnect.
This month, staff were invited to show off their creativity in our annual pumpkin decorating contest! Congratulations to Office Manager Lori Schon, whose beautiful spooky tree pumpkin was voted the winner.
| |
|
|
Want to join one of the "Best Places to Work in Connecticut"? We're hiring!
CHDI is seeking to fill three Project Coordinator roles to work on projects related to evidence-based practice dissemination and quality improvement initiatives in child and youth behavioral health.
Interested? Find all the details on our website:
| |
|
|
The Child Health and Development Institute (CHDI) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing effective and integrated system, practice, and policy solutions that result in equitable and optimal behavioral health and well-being for children, youth, and families in Connecticut and beyond.
Is there anything you want us to cover in future newsletters? Let us know here.
| | | | |
