CCSI News and Updates
Our work with organizations in the Rochester community, across New York State, and now stretching beyond those borders provides us with so many opportunities to see firsthand how organizations are continuing to adapt and rise to the many challenges 2020 has brought. This includes a renewed and more urgent focus on critical issues of racial equity and justice, which we know are central to supporting strong, resilient, and thriving communities. In this month’s newsletter, we invite you to:
President
Coordinated Care Services, Inc.
  • Join us in celebrating Lenora Reid-Rose, Director of Cultural Competence and Diversity Initiatives. Lenora was recently honored as one of the Rochester Business Journal’s Icon Awardees, recognizing her pioneering work in the areas of cultural competence, diversity, equity and inclusion. For nearly 30 years, Lenora has been a strong, unyielding and inspiring voice in the Rochester community, across New York State, and beyond.  

  • Tune in at 12:00 on Wednesday the 21st for a webinar led by Dr. Don Kamin, Director of the Institute for Police, Mental Health, and Community Collaboration, who will talk about the Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) program model, which has been adopted by many communities in the aftermath of adverse incidents between law enforcement and individuals experiencing a mental health crisis. This webinar will explain the CIT model, along with alternative models used to respond to mental health emergencies. Click here to register.

  • Learn more about Front Door NY, a new resource supported by Monroe County/City of Rochester’s Coordinated Entry initiative and Partners Ending Homelessness to provide a one-stop shop for listing properties and identifying housing for individuals and families experiencing homelessness.

  • Welcome the Solano County Office of Education, partner to six school districts serving nearly 64,000 students in Solano County, California. The CCSI team will be working with SCOE over the next few years to facilitate Trauma, Illness and Grief (TIG) Core Curriculum Training, developing the knowledge and skills to meet the complex holistic needs of students and support readiness to learn. 

In addition to these highlights, you’ll find additional resources and learning opportunities, project news, and the latest behavioral health fiscal updates. We hope you find something that’s helpful to you and your work! Stay well…
Dismantling Racism and Building Equity
Domestic Violence Awareness Month: Breaking Down the Barriers to Understand Violence Against Marginalized Groups

Earlier this month, CCSI’s Chief Diversity Officer, Kesha Carter, was a guest on a podcast with Willow Domestic Violence Center of Greater Rochester. In this episode titled “Survivors of Color: Supporting Marginalized Communities,” Kesha, along with Geena Cruz, Chief Executive Officer of Heels of Greatness and Norma Holland Director of Community Development for Digital Hyve, discuss domestic violence at the intersections of race, gender and orientation, and how our community can work towards breaking down the barriers to understand violence against marginalized groups in diverse communities.
Challenges and Opportunities Facing Our Region Around Racial Inequity

Rochester Business Journal hosted a discussion on the challenges and opportunities currently facing our region. The panel was made up of local Black leaders in nonprofits, business and government who are helping to shape our community’s response to racial inequity. CCSI’s Chief Diversity Officer, Kesha Carter, was a member of the panel along with LaShunda Leslie-Smith, Executive Director, Connected Communities Inc. and Malik Evans, Rochester City Council member.
Chief Diversity Officer
Coordinated Care Services, Inc.
'Ouch That Hurt! Microaggressions and Oppression' Seminar at 38th Annual NYAPRS Conference

CCSI was proud to sponsor the 2020 Virtual NYAPRS 38th Annual Conference, where Lenora Reid-Rose, Director of Cultural Competence and Diversity Initiatives, offered a presentation on microaggressions. Her presentation focused on why microaggressions are significant, and how we are responsible for their harm. She also explained how they impact behaviors and ensuing outcomes in the workplace, and how we can manage them and their impact.
Director of Cultural Competence and Diversity Initiatives
Coordinated Care Services, Inc.
Education
Monroe County Resilience Learning Collaborative Recognized for Empowering Youth in the Community

CCSI is pleased to be a part of the Monroe County Resilience Learning Collaborative, which aims to improve collective outcomes for youth throughout Monroe County’s System of Care. This initiative was recently nominated for the 2020 What’s Great in Our State Organization Award for their work to support growth of the youth in our community. The team uses the Reaching Teens Toolkit, and as a result of this work, CCSI's Amy Scheel-Jones, Senior Consultant, and Marijo Pearson, Orleans-Monroe 2 BOCES, were asked to be contributing editors of the 2nd edition. 
Community School Site Coordinators Provide Ongoing Support to Families Throughout the Pandemic

CCSI is proud of the support we provide to two community schools in Rochester: John James Audubon School #33 and Enrico Fermi School #17. In honor of Community Schools Coordinator Appreciation week in September, we wanted to recognize the hard work that site coordinators Lindsey Feigenbaum and Qawan Bollar have contributed over the past eight months as the pandemic has exacerbated the everyday challenges schools already faced. We thank Lindsey and Qawan for their continued work during such trying circumstances.
Lindsey Feigenbaum
School 33 Site Coordinator
Connected Communities
Qawan Bollar
School 17 Site Coordinator
Coordinated Care Services, Inc.
Welcome Solano County
Office of Education

We are excited to welcome the Solano County Office of Education (SCOE) as a new customer. CCSI is pleased to be supporting SCOE in their efforts to improve systemic practices with a trauma-responsive equity focus.

Located in California, SCOE is a partner to Solano County’s six school districts, providing key services, programs and oversight that help them serve approximately 64,000 students. SCOE promotes equity and excellence by working with these districts, along with community partners to create opportunities that address the needs of every student.

CCSI will be consulting with SCOE over the next few years, and our experts will facilitate Trauma, Illness and Grief (TIG) Core Curriculum Training to deepen SCOE’s knowledge and skills to meet the complex holistic needs of students and support readiness to learn. To learn more about this work, contact Amy Scheel-Jones, Senior Consultant at ascheel-jones@ccsi.org or Deb Salamone, Senior Consultant at dsalamone@ccsi.org
State Government
New York State of Health Extends Special Enrollment Period for Health Insurance
In light of the COVID-19 public health emergency, the Special Enrollment Period available to New Yorkers has been extended to the end of 2020. During this time, eligible individuals will be able to enroll in insurance coverage. CCSI’s IPA/Navigator Program provides one-on-one assistance for individuals and small businesses interested in shopping for and enrolling in health insurance through New York State of Health.
Local Government
Financial Services Update

Get the latest County Local Governmental Unit
(LGU) Fiscal Officer updates from our Financial Services team including information on state aid funding, 2019 CFR claims, preparing for the year end, contract adjustments and budget amendments.
Director of Financial Services
Coordinated Care Services, Inc.
Community-Based Organizations
Measures and Methods Webinar: Highlights from the Performance Driven Academy

In our role as upstate partner to the Managed Care and Community Technical Assistance Centers (MCTAC and CTAC), CCSI has developed a learning series for the Performance Driven Academy (PDA) 2020. The series leverages best practices in data, change management, and financial operations that are critical to functioning in the aftermath of the pandemic crisis. For CCSI’s Consulting Team’s recent monthly webinar, they reviewed the highlights of the Measures & Methods track and shared some resources for using key performance indicators to drive change.
Senior Consultant
Coordinated Care Services, Inc.
Senior Healthcare Consultant
Coordinated Care Services, Inc.
Speaking from Experience: The Power of HHUNY Peer Support During COVID-19
and Beyond

The stress of living during these challenging circumstances and the isolation that goes along with it is only magnified for those who already have mental health conditions like anxiety and depression, or substance use challenges. That is why at the onset of the pandemic the HHUNY Peer Support team jumped into action to provide hope and support for Care Managers and their Members.
Criminal Justice & Juvenile Justice
NAMI-NYS Perspectives Episode 35: Crisis Intervention Teams and Police Reform

In this episode of Perspectives, a National Alliance on Mental Illness - New York State (NAMI-NYS) video series, CCSI's Don Kamin, Ph.D., Director of the Institute for Police, Mental Health, and Community Collaboration, speaks with Perspectives host Matthew Shapiro about what has transpired over the past month in our community surrounding the case of Daniel Prude, the most recent example of a person of color with a mental illness who died in police custody in New York. During this conversation, Don explains how Crisis Intervention Teams (CIT) can be a solution and a valuable tool in improving police response to an individual suffering from a mental health crisis, and more.
How System Reform Contributes to Police Reform

CCSI’s Dr. Don Kamin, Director of the Institute for Police, Mental Health, and Community Collaboration, was the Keynote at a recent virtual public forum, which is part of a series hosted by the New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) Task Force on Racial Injustice and Police Reform. He talked about how system reform can contribute to police reform, went into greater detail about Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) work, and emphasized that a mental health crisis requires a mental health response. You can view Dr. Kamin’s Keynote here and the full forum here
Webinar
Should Police Respond to Mental Health Emergencies?

On Wednesday, October 21st at 12:00pm, CCSI's Consulting Services' team is offering a free webinar with Dr. Don Kamin, Director of the Institute for Police, Mental Health, and Community Collaboration, titled "Should Police Respond to Mental Health Emergencies." Positive outcomes occur most times that police interact with individuals with mental illness or related disorders. There are times, however, when tragedy occurs. As a result, many communities re-evaluate the role of police as first responders to individuals in emotional distress. 

The Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) program model has been adopted by many communities in the aftermath of adverse incidents between law enforcement and individuals in crisis. This webinar will explain the CIT model, including a brief description of ways that communities review their crisis response systems in the context of CIT program development. Alternative models of responding to mental health emergencies in the community will also be addressed. 
Director of the Institute for Police, Mental Health, and Community Collaboration
Coordinated Care Services, Inc.
Behavioral Health
New Front Door NY Website Helps Landlords and Service Providers Connect
Individuals and Families with Housing

As a part of CCSI’s ongoing effort to end homelessness in the Greater Rochester area, Coordinated Entry and Partners Ending Homelessness are launching a new initiative called Front Door NY—a one-stop shop for listing properties and identifying appropriate housing for people experiencing homelessness in the Greater Rochester area.
38th Annual NYAPRS Conference: Recovering the Art of Resilience

CCSI's Neville Morris, OJJDP-PASS Program Manager, presented on the topic of resilience at the 2020 NYAPRS Conference. Recovering from a major setback can be awful, yet it is still our job to address it. Each path in bouncing back has its own rules and knowing them increases our chance of winning. It is not enough to wait for the Joy that comes in the morning, sometimes we just have to go out there, find that ‘joyship’ and then become the captain. In this presentation, Neville gives us a deeper understanding of some of the effective ways to bounce back and boost the resiliency we already have.
Other News
CCSI's Lenora Reid-Rose Receives Rochester Business Journal Icon Honors

Congratulations to CCSI's Lenora Reid-Rose, Director, Cultural Competency and Health Equity, on being selected as a 2020 Icon Honors recipient! Lenora has more than two decades of experience in the behavioral health field, serving as a consultant and educator at the state, regional and national levels.

“The Icon Honors recipients are known for their strong leadership, notable success and commitment to mentoring. What they focus their attention on really matters; what they say is important; and what they do makes a difference for many of us in Rochester and often beyond,” said Suzanne Fischer-Huettner, group publisher of the Rochester Business Journal. “We at the Rochester Business Journal are pleased to honor these impressive leaders."
Director of Cultural Competence and Diversity Initiatives
Coordinated Care Services, Inc.
Updated Career Webpage

Looking for a new opportunity to learn and grow? Check out our recently updated Careers with CCSI webpage to find out more about our culture including our Wellness@Work program, professional development programs and resources, and more!
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.

Rochester, NY

Central New York/Syracuse, NY

Buffalo, NY

Chautauqua County, NY

Chautauqua County, NY