October 2016
October Edition at a Glance
In this month’s edition, we highlight John Lee as the recipient of the 2016 Friend of MHA Award, our Poverty Simulations, and information on our upcoming webinars.  As always, you’ll also find links to helpful resources and selected project updates.  

Congratulations to John Lee, Director of CCSI’s Center for Collaboration in Community Health!
John has been selected by the Board of Directors of the Mental Health Association of New York State ( MHANYS ) as the recipient of the  2016 Friend of MHA Award . 
He was nominated for this award by the Executive Directors of three regional MHAs (the MHA of Niagara County, the MHA of Genesee and Orleans counties, and the MHA of Rochester / Monroe County) for his “commitment, honesty, compassion, and true caring for the MHAs.”  Those of us who have worked with John through the years will agree that this award is reflective of his strong commitment to MHAs and the important work they do.  John will be presented with this award at an Awards Dinner scheduled as part of the MHANYS annual conference on Thursday October 27th.    

If you want to learn more about John and the work of CCSI’s Center for Collaboration in Community Health, check out our latest videos!

Upcoming Center Webinars

Swimming Through Alphabet Soup – Communication Practices to Navigate any Acronym
 DSRIP, OASAS, ACA, OMH, OCFS – no matter which acronym you’re working under, chances are you’re being asked to communicate differently to meet the needs of the people you serve. Wouldn’t it be nice if there were a couple of simple practices you could use that would work in any system? This webinar will touch on some key elements common amongst the best practices identified by multiple systems. Information from Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT), Motivational Interviewing (MI), Nonviolent Communication (NVC), Restorative Practices (RP), and more will be gathered and simplified by the presenters in an accessible and engaging manner.

Presenters: 
Gwen Olton, MA, BSN, RN - Senior Consultant, CCSI
Cheryl Martin, MA, RN, CASAC - Integrated Health Trainer, CCSI

Date and Time:
October 27, 2016 from noon–1:00
Navigating the New Behavioral Health Care Environment – Creating the Roadmap

As everyone knows the Behavioral Health Care Environment is changing in ways and at speeds that are unprecedented. In this presentation we will discuss how we got here and provide some practical suggestions on what you can do today to better position your organization for tomorrow. 

Presenter: David Wawrzynek, MS, MBA, Senior Consultant, Center for Collaboration in Community Health 

Date: November 4, 2016 noon-1:00

"Walk in my Shoes" Poverty Simulation Workshops held in Lewis and Wayne counties
Earlier this month, community leaders, provider agencies, and other key stakeholders came together in Lewis and Wayne counties to take part in a half-day Poverty Simulation Workshop facilitated by CCSI.  The “Walk in my Shoes” simulation is an interactive and powerful experience designed to help participants begin to understand what a typical low-income family experiences as they try to survive from month to month with limited resources. Simulation participants assume the roles of family members in living in poverty and attempt to navigate our system of services and supports for a one month period, while dealing with many of the common challenges faced by individuals and families trying to manage with limited resources.  The simulation was followed by a facilitated debriefing session designed to explore how the experience may have changed perceptions about living in poverty – and more importantly – how everyone can be more effectively engaged in efforts to combat poverty at the individual, organizational and community level .   If your organization is interested in hosting a simulation workshop for staff, board members, or other community partners, we’d love to work with you.  Just contact Nancy Shelton .

Broome County Receives Grant to Support Efforts to Fight Prescription Drug and Heroin Abuse

The Broome Opioid Abuse Council (BOAC) was recently awarded a $625K grant from the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).  Under the grant, students will fill out anonymous surveys about their substance use, risk factors and protective factors. BOAC will offer Naloxone trainings, create a Parent Awareness Campaign and develop programs that also focus on binge drinking and recreational marijuana use.  BOAC will receive $125,000 annually over a period of five years to support this important work.  More information about this new initiative is provided in this recent press release

Congratulations to members of the CCSI team based in Broome County and to BOAC on this new initiative!

It Takes More than Just Training

 In the last issue of CIT Happenings, Dr. Don Kamin – Director of the Institute for Police, Mental Health & Community Collaboration shared an article that recently appeared in Psychiatric Services, highlighting the importance of going beyond CIT Training for programs to be effective.

 A brief video synopsis of the article can be viewed here.  For more information about the work of the Institute, please contact Don Kamin, PhD


Congratulation to Monroe County’s Family Access and Connection Team (FACT)!

FACT was featured in yesterday’s Democrat and Chronicle as an example of a program that is having a positive impact on local efforts to improve school attendance. A program of the Monroe County Department of Human Services, FACT is a strength-based assessment and referral program designed to address the specialized needs of children and families experiencing significant challenges with a targeted, multi-faceted approach that is trauma informed, culturally competent, activates authentic youth/family voice, and engages family systems. To learn more about FACT, as well as ROC the Future’s report to the community, click here.

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