CCSI News and Updates

There’s a lot to share in this last edition of 2022! 

• Get the latest on NYS OMH’s recent announcement about the availability of funds for school districts to support programs that address the impact of trauma (including the Consortium for Trauma, Illness, and Grief in Schools (TIG)). More about this important funding opportunity can be found below. 

• Learn more about work CCSI is doing with our partners in the Upstate New York College Collaboration (UNYCC) to support well-being on college campuses.

OMH Offers Funding for NYS School Districts to Enhance Trauma Responsiveness

The New York State Office of Mental Health (NYS OMH) recently announced the availability of funds for school districts to implement trainings, programs, and curriculums that will enhance school capacity to be more trauma responsive and mitigate the impact of trauma. Public schools are being offered the opportunity to respond to a Request For Applications (RFA) that will provide funding for school districts to implement one or more prevention and intervention strategies, selected from a menu of program options, in an individual school or throughout a district. CCSI is proud to announce that one of the program options is CCSI’s Consortium for Trauma, Illness, and Grief in Schools (TIG), which is a comprehensive training and crisis response network for K-12 education and beyond. 

CCSI Brings TIG to Higher Education to Support the Well-being of Students, Faculty, and Staff in Times of Individual and Collective Crisis

As mental health on college campuses continues to be a top priority, Nazareth College, St. John Fisher University, Elmira College, SUNY Brockport, Northeast College of Health Sciences, and Le Moyne College are all part of the pilot to bring CCSI's Consortium on Trauma, Illness, & Grief (TIG), to their institutions, with the goal of better supporting the well-being of their campus communities. The TIG in Higher Education initiative, which launched in Spring 2022, is a partnership with the Upstate New York College Collaboration (UNYCC) and CCSI.

Recent Publications:

Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Training and Impact on Mental Illness and Substance Use-related Stigma Among Law Enforcement

Check out this recently published article from CCSI’s Don Kamin, PhD, Director for the Institute for Police, Mental Health & Community Collaboration and his colleagues about Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training and its impact on mental illness and substance use-related stigma among law enforcement. Some highlights include:

• Crisis Intervention Team trainings offer opportunities to address stigma
• Increased self-efficacy post-training was associated with lower levels of mental illness and substance use stigma
• Awareness of community resources was related to decreased mental illness and substance use stigma after training

A Trauma-Informed Approach to the 1115 Waiver: A Critical Ingredient for Success

Despite an increasing recognition and surge of evidence that trauma is pervasive and has significant negative health consequences, the traditional healthcare system has not yet been configured in a way that is adequately responsive to this knowledge. Conversely, the system creates barriers to implementing upstream prevention efforts and relies on costly treatment interventions when predictable healthcare issues emerge. As Dr. Robert Anda, Co-Principal Investigator of the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Study at the CDC, says, “What’s predictable is preventable.”

While the healthcare system can do its part by routinely screening for ACEs, recognizing signs of trauma, and treating the subsequent health issues, it’s not enough to wait until the need for treatment arises, particularly when we understand the root causes. If we recognize that a calcium deficiency contributes to osteoporosis and that osteoporosis often results in costly surgeries and decreased quality of life, we expect the healthcare system to support reimbursement structures for prevention (i.e., calcium supplementation). This approach not only improves outcomes but reduces overall costs. The disconnect the healthcare system must find a way to disrupt is that prevention methods for toxic stress are often not medical in nature; there is no vaccine for trauma and toxic stress. But, given that there are significant, long-term health outcomes associated with toxic stress, it makes sense that the healthcare system would invest in efforts to prevent it.

Advancing Health Equity through Trauma-informed Primary Care

Accountable Health Partners (AHP) is a clinically integrated network of hospitals and healthcare providers with a proven record of improving health quality outcomes and delivering value through their significant investment in care management and provider collaboration. They recently partnered with CCSI and Kelly Luther, Senior Director of Social Work and Patient and Family Services at the University of Rochester Medical Center, with the goal to continue transforming primary care through the implementation of trauma-responsive and equity-focused approaches. We met with Daryl Sharp, PhD, RN, FAAN, Senior Advisor at AHP and UR Center for Community Health & Prevention and Laura Jean Shipley, MD, Associate Medical Director for Maternal-Child Health at AHP and Vice Chair for Population and Behavioral Health at UR Medicine/Golisano Children’s Hospital Department of Pediatrics, to learn more about this transformative work, and how it has been timely in supporting their workforce with the effects of the pandemic.

Representatives of NIDA and Columbia University Visit Chautauqua County to Learn about Efforts Underway to Address Addiction

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) launched the HEALing Communities Study (HCS) to identify the evidence-based practices that are most effective at a local level in preventing and treating opioid use disorder, with the goal of the study to reduce opioid-related overdose deaths by 40%. Chautauqua County is part of the second phase of the study (one of 67 communities across four states) where they are collaborating with local partners on a newly formed coalition to launch multiple communications campaigns in the county. The first campaign runs from October 3 – December 2, 2022 and is focused on education and raising awareness of the dangers of illicit fentanyl, including teaching ways to protect loved ones and community members from a fatal fentanyl overdose.

The Chautauqua Substance Abuse Response Partnership recently hosted HCS leaders from National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and Columbia University where they provided the leaders with an overview and update on the current overdose awareness communications campaign and progress on the HCS initiative in Chautauqua, as well as had the group tour multiple behavioral health agencies. 

Congratulations to Chrissy Breen Honored with the Marlene Matarese Advocate of the Year Award

Recently, Chrissy Breen, Social Emotional Learning and Training Specialist, Chautauqua County Department of Mental Hygiene was awarded the Marlene Matarese Advocate of the Year by Youth Move National!

Chrissy is a notable local and regional trainer, whose passion for inclusivity and help seeking comes through in every conversation. Christina’s navigation of mental health challenges as a youth and young adult shapes her compassion for young people and the need to bring their voices to strategic mental health planning.

You can watch her award ceremony and speech on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.

CCSI is Happy to Welcome the Following New Employees to Our Team

CCSI Wins National 2022 Woman-Led Top Workplaces Award for Cultural Excellence

Issued by Energage, Top Workplaces awards are based solely on a research-backed, 24-item employee engagement survey and celebrate organizations that excel in specific areas of workplace culture. The Woman-Led Top Workplaces Award celebrates outstanding organizations whose most senior leader is a woman. These women have fostered and built stand-out workplace cultures that perform. “Top Workplaces is a beacon of light for organizations as well as a sign of resiliency and impressive performance,” said Eric Rubino, Energage CEO. “When you give your employees a voice, you come together to navigate challenges and shape your path forward. Top Workplaces draw on real-time insights into what works best for their organizations, so they can make informed decisions that have a positive impact on their people and their business.”

CCSI is Growing!

CCSI has a need for talented professionals looking to contribute their expertise, expand their influence, and manage their careers to meet personal aspirations. We offer opportunities across different service lines, geographies, and functions.

Want to hear more? If you haven’t yet had the chance, we hope you’ll check out our social media pages for more CCSI news and resources.