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Northwest Washington's Behavioral Healthcare Leader
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Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Here's our Plan Forward
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In the past few months, we’ve navigated the increasing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and engaged in meaningful, overdue conversations sparked by the horrific murder of George Floyd at the hands of police – one of the many atrocities in a long line of violence. As a behavioral health provider, we understand that physical and mental health are directly impacted by the effects of racism and trauma. Since our beginnings over a century ago, our mission has always been to serve vulnerable members of our community, including those who are overlooked and underserved by traditional health systems. We do this by living out our core belief that whole person health – aligning both physical and mental health needs – is the foundation for a healthy life.
That said, recent events and the systemic disenfranchisement and racism levied at Black people and other people of color have compelled urgent reflection. How can we better serve our community? How can we better empower our teams? The intersection of health and service is one of the foundational elements of community well-being, and we recognize the importance of using our leadership to drive necessary change.
And, that change starts with us. Here are some of the specific ways that Compass Health plans to address disparity and racism to ensure our organization not only reflects our mission of integrated, equitable care, but also actively lives and embodies those value daily:
- Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: At Compass Health, we believe that diversity and inclusion shouldn’t just be a phrase used during internal conversations or on our hiring materials. Fostering true diversity, equity and inclusion requires actionable steps to build a strong foundation for culturally responsive care. We also know that we might not have all the answers, and that’s why we will working with a DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) consultant to help us foster meaningful change. We plan to use this partnership to identify areas where we can further improve our team’s understanding of complex racial issues and the cultural sensitivities of our client care strategies. The consultant will also work directly with our board of directors to identify opportunities to enhance our policies and procedures, including board recruitment. This will enable us to generate deeper levels of understanding and growth at every level of our organization and, as a result, the communities we serve.
- Supportive Internal Communication: We want to make sure that our teams have an adequate platform to communicate what is important to them in a designated, safe space. With a new internal communication platform in place, we’ve provided our teams the space and support they need to share ideas, new strategies, and aspirations – building a community that better reflects the very voices that make our organization great.
- Health Equity Committee: In order to foster continued development, we’ve also created a new Health Equity Committee. The goal of the committee is to examine health disparities, including those based on racial iniquities, and design, coordinate and organize health equity activities that will support change across our organization and communities, and help ensure the well-being of those we serve. Specific activities include monthly meetings where members will identify differences in health outcomes and opportunities to reinforce health equity. These findings will then be shared with Compass Health’s leadership team. This committee is designed to not only champion ongoing reflection and plans for improvement, it will also allow us to benchmark our progress and chart a path for the future.
These are just a few of the initial steps we are taking to hold ourselves responsible for enacting change. We also want to reiterate that we’re prepared to do the work – not only today, but into the future – and pledge to continue to evaluate our role as a community-based behavioral health provider to ensure we’re providing equitable care. We will continue to share updates of other initiatives as they are implemented.
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Compass Health Town Hall Recap
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Thank you to everyone who was able to attend our first virtual Town Hall on June 18th.
We loved sharing agency updates and answering questions about our COVID-19 response, community partnerships and anticipated opportunities for care. We look forward to using the video conference call platform more frequently to communicate with you all.
We'd also like to thank our presenters and speakers:
- Tom Sebastian, President / CEO, Compass Health
- Camis Milam, Chief Medical Officer, Compass Health
- Stacey Alles, Chief Operating Officer, Compass Health
- Jennifer Piplic, Verdant Health Commission
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Save the Date for our Virtual Gala!
Join Compass Health from the comfort of your own home on Saturday, October 10, 2020 for our virtual Building Communities of Hope Gala!
In accordance to social distancing guidelines set by the CDC, we have decided to move our Gala online this year! Although we will be enjoying each other's company virtually, the Gala will still be the same night of hope and community that attendees have enjoyed in years past.
Now, more than ever, we see the effects of racism, discrimination, and trauma on mental health. The events of the past few months, in addition to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, reinforce the importance of community mental health services.
This year, funds raised at our Gala will support our children, youth, and family programs. Your support ensures our ability to maintain these services during times of crisis and uncertainty.
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Tom Sebastian Featured in State of Reform Health Policy Conference
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Last week, CEO Tom Sebastian participated in State of Reform's "5 Slides: Impact of COVID-19 on Mental Health" virtual event.
Tom shared metrics on our new mobile telehealth system, the
Compass Health
Bridge and the impact telehealth has made in enabling us to maintain and expand access to care throughout this unprecedented spring.
During the presentation, Tom highlighted how
Bridge has been a lifeline for community members - in fact, from September 2019 to June 2020, use of telehealth services have increased by nearly 1200%. Across our wraparound youth services alone, team members participated in
60 touchpoints a day with youth and families in May via telehealth!
Tom shared how technology can serve as a bridge to forge partnerships across the community that will support underserved populations well into the future.
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New Lobby. Who Dis?
Our Whatcom County Outpatient Site gets a new Lobby!
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Our outpatient sites have been closed for walk-in appointment and assessments since March 30th. While we miss having people in the building, it's allowed us to make some much needed updates to one of our sites up in Bellingham! Our McLeod Office, our largest outpatient site in Whatcom County, got a brand new client lobby and waiting room, an updated entrance that is now ADA accessible, and more!
Special thanks to the RiverStyx Foundation for making this remodel happen!
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Compass Health Receives $1.24 Million in Funding to Meet Community Behavioral Health Needs Tied to COVID-19
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We're excited to announce that Compass Health has received more than $1.24 million in philanthropic donations and federal, state and local grants to support our organization's behavioral health outreach related to COVID-19 response and prevention, including implementation of our
new telehealth system
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These funds will enable Compass Health to secure laptops, tablets, smartphones, and network upgrades for client access to telehealth services and equip Mobile Crisis Outreach Teams with technology; offer Psychological First Aid training for community members; purchase personal protective equipment (PPE); supply housing, food and groceries for individuals in need; and install touchless faucets, hand dryers and other facility upgrades to help prevent spread of the virus.
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Thank you to the following:
- Albertsons Companies Foundation
- Building Changes
- Campbell Auto Group
- Children’s Advocacy Centers of Washington
- Chuckanut Health Foundation
- City of Everett - CARES Act Funding
- EverTrust Foundation
- Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
- Fred Meyer
- Kaiser Permanente
- KeyBank Foundation
- North Sound Accountable Community of Health
- Office of Crime Victims Advocacy
- RiverStyx Foundation
- Safeway Foundation
- San Juan Island Community Foundation
- Skagit Community Foundation
- Snohomish County - CARES Act Funding
- United Way of Whatcom County
- Verdant Health Commission
- Whatcom Community Foundation
- Whitehorse Foundation
- Individual Donors
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Permanent Supportive Housing: Construction Update
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