June 2017
June Edition at a Glance

In this month’s edition, we share some good news about CCSI’s recent recognition as “Wealth of Health Employer of the Year” for employers with 200-499 employees!  You'll learn more about a recent three-day training for Early Intervention Providers in New York City where our Cultural Competency team provided a comprehensive introduction to cultural competence and health literacy -- and its implications for how practitioners in the Early Intervention field engage with children and families.  We’ve also included information about upcoming training opportunities from our Training and Practice Transformation Team, as well as the latest updates from our Financial Services Team, and highlights from recent CCSI staff conference presentations on Performance Measurement and Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI).  We also share news about a new two-year training initiative recently launched by Health Homes of Upstate New York (HHUNY), and as always, you'll also find links to webinars, project / program news, and other resources. 
CCSI Awarded Wealth of Health Employer of the Year
We're extremely excited to be the recipient of the Excellus / RBJ 2017 Wealth of Health Employer of the Year award for companies with 200 – 499 employees! Nominees were judged on the creativity of their wellness initiatives, active participation among staff, the ability to affect measurable improvements, sustainability, and program outcomes. Awards were announced at the Wealth of Health Breakfast last week.

We appreciate the Rochester Business Journal and Excellus BlueCross BlueShield for their sponsorship of this annual event, which underscores the value that our community places on supporting wellness in the workplace and provides a terrific opportunity to learn what other organizations are doing – both in and outside of work!  We came away inspired by some of the exciting things that other employers are doing – and with some new ideas for CCSI.  Thanks so much to all of the staff who have been working to develop, implement and participate in our Wellness@Work program. We look forward to continuing to build on these efforts across all of our CCSI locations!
Syracuse Open House and 25 Year Anniversary

This week, our staff celebrated the opening of our new Syracuse location and honored our 25 year anniversary with an open house. We had a great day learning about CCSI programs and seeing the newly renovated space at 600 West Genesee Street.  We’re excited to mark this significant milestone! 

 
Welcome to our new Financial Services Customers, Onondaga Community Living, Inc. and Friends of Recovery of Delaware and Otsego Counties Inc.!

We are delighted to begin working with Onondaga Community Living, Inc. and Friends of Recovery of  Delaware and Otsego Counties, Inc. as our Financial Services Team provides specialized financial business practices and solutions.


OCL’s mission is to empower and individually support people with developmental disabilities in the efforts to live fulfilling lives as integral respected members of their community. They achieve this by:

  • Listening to and focusing on each person
  • Helping each individual to build positive relationships with others
  • Supporting each individual’s efforts to achieve personal fulfillment
  • Exploring and developing ways to support each individual in his or her personal pursuits
FOR-DO affirms the power and possibility of recovery

Friends of Recovery of Delaware and Otsego Counties (FOR-DO) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting addiction recovery through every available means, including advocacy, education and peer support.

  • Providing education and awareness active in an effort to reduce stigma and discrimination related to addiction 
  • Advocating for legislation and services that support recovery from addiction
  • Operating community recovery centers for those in recovery from addiction and their families, thereby improving quality of life, reducing the risk of relapse and,  assisting the development of a sustained recovery through the provision of peer-based support, life skills education and other programs, social activities, informational resources and a place for mutual support meetings.  



Cultural Competency and Health Literacy


Developing Cultural Competency to Enhance Communication and Collaboration with Early Intervention Families

This week members of the CCHL team, led by Lenora Reid-Rose, presented a 3 day training to more than 300  Early Intervention providers in New York City.  This curriculum, Developing Cultural Competency to Enhance Communication and Collaboration with Early Intervention Families, was prepared by CCSI in partnership with the NYC Early Intervention Program. and provided a comprehensive introduction to cultural competence and health literacy and its implications in the Early Intervention field. 


The NYC Early Intervention Program strives to address the child’s development within the family context because “families play a crucial role in optimizing their children’s development and aims to enhance the capacity of families to meet the special needs of their infants and toddlers.” Working in a supportive environment, a trained and well-informed workforce is paramount in supporting our families and caregivers in using everyday routines to promote development. NYC Early Intervention wanted not only for their direct staff to benefit from this curriculum, but the NYC children and families impacted by our work and passion every day. Over 300 clinicians participated consisting of social workers, occupational therapists, physical therapists, speech language pathologists, audiologists, service coordinators, supervisors and administrators as well as the Bureau of Early Intervention (BEI) staff. 
Front Row: Diana Girhotra – BEI Intervention Quality Initiatives Unit Project Coordinator, Raisa Alam – BEI Intervention Quality Initatives Unit Project Manager, Beverly Samuels – BEI Director of Consumer Affairs, Dr. Marie Casalino – BEI Assistant Commissioner, Dr. Jeanette Gong – BEI Director of Intervention Quality Initatives Unit
Back Row: Nancy Sung Shelton – Senior Consultant (CCSI), Lenora Reid-Rose – Director, Cultural Competence and Diversity Initiatives (CCSI), Neville Morris – Consultant (CCSI), A’isha Ajay – Training Specialist (CCSI), Stanley Byrd – Senior Consultant (CCSI)
 

System Transformation




Center for Collaboration In Community Health Webinar Series

June Webinar - Supporting Utilization Management with Quality Clinical Documentation 
CCSI’s Center for Collaboration in Community Health is hosting a webinar series developed to share insight about approaches for succeeding in the new Medicaid Managed Care service delivery system. We invite you to join us! 

This webinar helped participants understand how the behavioral health care system is moving from a Utilization Review (UR) to a Utilization Management (UM) model in our Medicaid Managed Care environment. The essentials of a UM process will be outlined and the counselor’s role in understanding and supporting UM will be emphasized. The webinar also highlighted how clinicians can infuse measurability into the Assessment, Treatment Planning, Treatment Plan Review and Discharge Planning processes. All staff may benefit from the general content and direct care clinical staff and supervisors should invite their friends in Billing and Finance.

Presenter:  David Eckert, LMHC, NCC, CRC - Senior Consultant | CCSI, The Center for Collaboration in Community Health
    To view any archived webinar, visit:

Trauma Informed Systems and Other Practice Transformations
The Skills of Motivational Interviewing
Spend a Day to Strengthen Your Motivational Interviewing Skills
Over the past few years there has been increased attention on MI as an evidenced-based practice that supports both engagement and change. MI is a “way of being with others” that can strengthen relationships and open the door to behavior change. MI is collaborative and empathic, while recognizing and honoring the autonomy of each individual. The person is viewed as the expert about her/himself and it is the coach’s responsibility to evoke and listen deeply to the ideas and beliefs of that individual, because it is that person’s perspective and values that will support the change that is being sought.

This workshop will build upon the Day 1 of Motivational Interviewing presented in April. This day is ideal for those who completed Day 1 or have basic knowledge of MI.   The workshop provides learners an opportunity to analyze practice. There will be demonstration and practice that enhances the ability to differentiate between change talk and commitment language. There will be a focus on strengthening the skills of eliciting and shaping change/commitment talk.  Topics include: Evoking, Planning, and MI in everyday practice.   
A Day of Wellness and Self Care
CCSI's Training and Practice Transformation Team will be offering a full-day wellness and self-care experience featuring the NEW wellness retreat modules aimed at helping staff reduce stress, gain tools for Self-Care, increase mental clarity, and boost physical and mental well-being.  


Featured Wellness & Self-Care Modules: 

Elizabeth Meeker PsyD - Director 
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MSBR)

MBSR, developed by Jon Kabat-Zinnin1979, is based on the practice of paying attention, on purpose, non-judgmentally and in the present moment.


Compassion Fatigue Talking Circle

Talking circles can be used as powerful tools for having difficult conversations or exploring challenging topics.
Gwen Olton, MA, BSN, RN -  Senior Consultant
Cheryl Martin, MA, RN, CASAC - Integrated Health Trainer & Clinical Consultant 

It’s Up to You: Making Decisions About Self-Care Practices  

Most of us understand what practices, strategies, or changes would be helpful in our lives.  What stops us from making these changes?


Compassionate Yoga

Compassionate yoga encourages participants to explore their sense of compassion for themselves and others through the use of yoga practices.
Heather Starks, LCSW - Consultant



Performance Measurement

On June 1st, John Lee, Director of the CCSI Center for Collaboration in Community Health, presented as a part of a panel during the Community Integration Leadership Institute co-hosted by NYSRA, NYSACRA and NYSARC. The panel focused on initiatives underway to make data more accessible. During the panel, John provided an overview of the work being done by the Center to support agency performance measurement readiness through the use of the CCSI Measuring What Matters Tool Kit. 
Shifting Course Mid-Waiver Using Continuous Quality Improvement 
Tabitha Gerwitz-Dilugio, Consultant in CCSI's Center for  Collaboration in Community Health, recently presented at the Children’s Bureau 19th Annual Waiver Demonstration Project Meeting in Washington, DC.  The title of the presentation was “Shifting Course Mid-Waiver Using Continuous Quality Improvement.” 

Child and Family Service Agency (CFSA - DC’s Child Welfare Agency) used their Waiver to implement two new evidence-based intensive family preservation models: 1) Project Connect and 2) Homebuilders.  In addition to the implementation of these new models, CFSA expanded the eligibility of existing prevention services to provide early intervention services to families involved with Family Assessment or In-Home services who have been assessed to be at low to moderate risk for future maltreatment.  The service array has changed since implementation of the Waiver.  Discussion included how and why services changed and how CQI practices helped in shifting course.
Center for Collaboration In Community Health Webinar Series

July Webinar - Quality Matters: Making Data Work For You

This webinar will discuss key elements of quality assurance and quality improvement, answering questions such as:

–What is quality? 

–How do we know we are delivering quality? 

–How can we improve the quality of our services and streamline internal processes? 


Specific strategies for making the most of the data you have will also be described.


Presenter:  Briannon O'Connor, Ph.D. - Associate Director | CCSI, The Center for Collaboration in Community Health


Date and Time: July 20th, noon-1:00pm
   

Financial Services and Fiscal Business Practices

  Social Determinants of Health



What's the Buzz? Health Home Care Management Training Initiative is Underway

Health Homes of Upstate New York (HHUNY)  is embarking on a two-year initiative in support of educating, motivating and empowering care managers, care manager supervisors and outreach specialists through the delivery of multiple professional development opportunities throughout the HHUNY network with special emphasis on:

  • Person-Centered Best Practices
  • Developing a Person-Centered Plan of Care
  • Workload Time Management in the Practice of Care Management
  • Effective Uses of Peer Supports in Health Home Care Management
  • Quality Measures - "How To Move the Needle on Patient Health Outcomes Through Health Home Care Management"
  • And more.....
HHUNY is excited to announce that Diane Grieder, M.Ed., internationally recognized expert in the field of person-centered planning, is delivering two-day in-person training focused on Person-Centered Best Practices and Developing a Person-Centered Plan of Care.  Click the button above for more information or email hhunytraininginstitute@hhuny.org.
CCSI Board Spotlight
CCSI is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors comprised of 18 community members with a broad range of expertise in key areas including: behavioral health and healthcare, financial management, human resources, business development, information technology, a consumer or family perspective, as well as a passion for helping to advance the mission of CCSI.  In the coming months, we’ll be spotlighting individual board members, their areas of expertise, work in the community, and on the CCSI board.   We’ll start by introducing CCSI’s Executive Committee, which carries out a number of core functions including board recruitment and oversight of CCSI’s compliance program.   Look for more board member news and updates in future newsletters. 
CCSI Executive Committee members (from left to right): Amy Galiana – Associate Director of Human Resources, Rochester Institute of Technology (Secretary); Heidi Gregory, Esq.— Partner, Harris Beach, Attorneys at Law (Vice Chair); Cynthia Gray, MBA – Managing Director for the RIT & RGHS Alliance (Chair); Doris A. Green,  MBA – Director - New York State Caregiver and Respite Coalition  Lifespan of Greater Rochester;  James M. Whalen, CPA – Chief Financial Officer, DePaul Group, Inc. (Treasurer); and Dorothy Marion, LCSW, MSW – Boike Counseling (not pictured)
Want to hear more?  If you haven’t yet had the chance, we hope you’ll check out our Facebook page for more CCSI news and resources.  
CCSI's Operating Principles

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Community Connectedness  |  Diversity and Inclusion