|
|
January 2017 - "I think in terms of the day's resolutions, not the years."
|
|
"Elmwood Park Takes Action" Parent Leadership
Creates Change to Benefit Children in Local Community
The Bergen County Council for Young Children ("BCCYC") has been inspiring parents to be active in their local communities, including Elmwood Park Takes Action ("EPTA") - a group of parents working to create equal opportunity for the children of Elmwood Park through community education, involvement and advocacy.
The BCCYC is a grant-
 |
|
|
Elmwood Park Takes Action parent leadership participated in the
"Shared Leadership Training & Serving on Groups Webinar"
|
funded program run by project coordinator, Jenn Loaiza, at CarePlus NJ, Inc., along with
health and wellness community partners. The program started with "Parent Café" events throughout the county as a means for parents and caretakers to come together and begin to address their needs and concerns for raising children.
With time, these events evolved into advocacy groups formed by the parents that were attending. Participants attend local or general council meetings in their community to organize themselves into action.
EPTA has become cohesive in their efforts of improving the quality of life for children and families in their community. By setting SMART goals, utilizing social media, and creating engagement, EPTA is setting an example of what can be accomplished through advocacy and communication.
The group has written a letter to the board of education, attends meetings and are working to involve the parent teacher organization in their efforts. They are collaborating with the school to improve the student experience through bi-monthly meetings.
EPTA has suggested that staff be trained in Youth Mental Health First Aid so that they can implement appropriate and evidence-based strategies during crisis situations. Other requests from the group include longer recess time, increased access to extra-curricular activities, creative arts therapy, and interactive programs for children with special needs.
Awesome job, Jenn Loaiza!!
See full story here...
|
|
Staff Wellness
Engaging Youth in Yoga and Meditation
January 26, 2017 at 6:00 pm
Basic meditation training is being offered in the Conference Room at the CarePlus Headquarters in Paramus, courtesy of lululemon athletica. This is a great opportunity to learn self-care and mindfulness techniques.
Training is Free of Charge.
If you haven't already, please RSVP to
Caitlyn if you are interested in similar opportunities. You will receive updates directly to your inbox.
|
The Courage Awards is a celebratory event, during which we honor people in the community who go above and beyond to benefit those facing the life-long challenges of mental illness and substance abuse.
Staff are invited to get involved, and there are many ways you can help! If you would like volunteer to be a part of the Gala planning committee, or want more information about the event, please contact
Keri Diamond.
Gala Committee Meetings:
February 28 at 4:00 pm
March 21 at 4:30 pm
April 11 at 4:30 pm
April 26 at 4:00 pm
The event helps to raise supportive funding for those same individuals and families including housing and medication assistance, program support and education scholarships. At last year's event we awarded $66,000 to individuals receiving CarePlus services who needed financial assistance with reaching their educational goals.
Bernard Dubnick Scholarship
Every year, the Foundation awards the Bernard Dubnick Scholarship to support clients who are
pursuing their education.
If you work with someone who would like to apply for the scholarship this year, please contact Chris Puig for full instructions on how to apply and redeem scholarship funds for the 2017-2018 school year.
|
|
East Brook REACT Club
The East Brook REACT Club in Paramus were excellent volunteer helpers again this holiday season!
Visitation partners with them each year. The club comes in, donates gifts and wraps them for our visiting families.
They were nice enough to donate the funds they made from their "Candy Cane Gram" sale.
|
|
|
Congratulations All Around!
Sean Sundberg has assumed the role of Director for Care Plus Health Management Solutions (HMS), which will initially be composed of our Behavioral Health Home, Primary Care Clinic, and the SAMHSA funded initiative with Integrity, Inc.. Sean has distinguished himself for many years as Director of ICMS, and has provided exemplary services to our many clients.
Larry Allotta has assumed the role of Director of Integrated Case Management Services (ICMS). Larry has distinguished himself for many years as part of the management team at ICMS as a Clinical Manager and then Assistant Director. Larry has had many positions at CarePlus NJ over his 32 year career at the Agency and has demonstrated his commitment to the consumers that we serve and the staff who provide such valuable services.
As part of an interim re-organization of our Accounting and Billing Departments,
Stephanie Bradley is being promoted to the position Billing Supervisor and
Ron Brevard is being promoted to the position of Assistant Controller. Stephanie and Ron have demonstrated great professional skills in meeting the complex demands of our Accounting and Billing functions.
|
Employee Assistance Program
Did you know that you have access to resources pertaining to everyday life right at your fingertips? Get educated on what is available to you through the CarePlus EAP. With this Employee Assistance Program, you will have access to information and resources for family, health, money and much more.
Login: CPNJ
Password: 123
Webinar of the Month
1/17/17
"Maintaining Personal and Fiscal Resiliency During Tough Economic Times"
Available On Demand
Starting 12pm Eastern Time
Learn how to develop a "stress plan" to visualize a more positive financial future. Understand the process of prioritizing your needs and exploring the full extent of your assets.
If you have any questions, please contact Susan Bell in the Human Resources Department.
|
State Funding Transition:
Advocacy Action Steps
1. Write Letters & Make Phone Calls
You can use the following link to find your legislators. Simply enter your hometown and you will get all of the information you need: www.njleg.state.nj.us/SelectMun.asp
Please note: some letters will be more detailed than others, but short and simple contributions are important as well.
2. Story Telling Campaign
Part of our advocacy campaign is to collect written or video testimonials by clients, family, and staff. This campaign is expected to grow into a larger, more powerful storytelling campaign that will launch through a "Humans of CarePlus" Instagram account.
We need your help: if you are a staff member that would be willing to participate, or if you have a client that has a story to tell, please contact
Caitlyn
.
We will be able to work with people who would like to remain anonymous, and think that this will be a very engaging way to increase our culture of community and compassion.
3. Get Educated & Stay Up To Date
There is a Facebook page dedicated to these advocacy efforts. Created as a public group, this will be the forum for people to use with social media. This page will share resources for you to stay involved. Please "like" the page to stay up to date: Fund Mental Health In NJ 2017
|
|
|
It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year
Thank you to everyone who was involved in the decoration contest. We had a lot of fun and staff all over the agency said they were feeling the cheer of the season.
Be sure to check out all of the photos on the
Care Plus NJ Facebook Page!
A Pizza Party will be held for all participants, which will include an Awards Ceremony for all superlative winners and a vote for overall bragging rights :)
Healthy Families: Most Merry and Bright
Human Resources and Information Management: Most Elegant Craftsmanship
Visitation: Most Gifted
Jen Hoehn: Coziest Creation
Gabby Urato: Most Spirited Presentation
Admissions Hub: Most Happiness and Cheer
Psychiatric Emergency Screening Program: Most Joyful and Triumphant
Addictions Services Program: Most Heartfelt
Medical Services: Most Mele Kalikimaka
|
Program Marketing
It is important for staff to familiarize themselves with the variety of program and services offered through CarePlus so that we can make appropriate referrals for those in need. For that reason, we are working on streamlining information and materials so that they are more easily accessible.
This involves appropriately updated Program Fact Sheets, comprehensive marketing folders, social media spotlights, and up to date information on the CarePlus website.
A new folder has been added to the S Drive so that staff can quickly access Program Information Sheets. These Fact Sheets can be found in the first folder in 999 General titled _FactSheets.
If you need any materials created, revised, or printed for your program or presentations you will need to utilize the electronic request form. This new system is being used to ensure timely and effective completion of projects. You may have noticed recent Facebook posts highlighting some of our services. This is the part of our effort to market each of our programs to the community. If you would like to put your team, group or program in the spotlight, contact the ACE team to make arrangements. You can also send positive reviews and feedback for coworkers who go above and beyond. If you have anything you would like to submit for the InsideLine, email your story and information to Caitlyn Yerves.
|
|
|
|
| |
|
