CCSI News and Updates

We've been celebrating 30 years of innovation and impact all year, and are looking forward to our virtual, livestream community celebration event on September 22nd with Keynote Speaker, Andrea Elliott, 2x Pulitzer Prize-winner and author of Invisible Child. We hope you’ll join us!  Our “Tuesday Talks” series – featuring topics like Racism is a Public Health Crisis and Reshaping Mental Health Services has been outstanding and we are grateful to all of the experts who have joined us over the past few months to share their knowledge. If you missed them, you can watch them here.   

In this edition of our newsletter, you can:

• Check out several recent articles and webinars, including a special report featured in the Rochester Business Journal on trauma-responsive practices, and an article published in the journal Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy on the impact of adverse childhood experiences on adolescent health risk indicators.
• Hear from HR professionals who share best practices for securing and retaining a talented workforce; and 
• Join us in celebrating Dr. Don Kamin, Director of the Institute for Police, Mental Health, and Community Collaboration, who was recently honored with the annual NYS Office of Mental Health (OMH) Commissioner’s Community Care Award and Onondaga County’s Promise Zone Program, selected for What’s Great in NYS: Children’s Mental Health Awareness recognition!

For more frequent news and updates, be sure to follow us on LinkedIn, and for questions, or to learn more about any of the items highlighted here, connect with us at askccsi@ccsi.org. 

Rooted in Resilience:

Celebrating 30 Years of Innovation & Impact

A Virtual, Livestream Community Celebration

Thursday, September 22nd 3 – 5pm

Tuesday Talks: Building Resilient Communities

We hope you've been enjoying our monthly Tuesday Talk Series! If you haven't already, be sure to register for our Tuesday Talk on August 23rd - School-based Communities of Care: From Prevention to Recovery. Check out our website to learn more and register, as well as catch up on watching any Tuesday Talks you missed.

Rooted in Resilience Video Series

We have continued to share stories of innovation and impact in our 30th Anniversary Rooted in Resilience Video Series featuring CCSI customers, partners, board members, and staff. Videos include our significant moments and impact highlights throughout our 30-year history and share the vision for where CCSI is heading. Tune in on our website to watch!

NYS OMH Recognizes Dr. Don Kamin for Service to the Community with Commissioner’s Community Care Awards

Congratulations to Don Kamin, PhD, Director of the Institute for Police, Mental Health, and Community Collaboration at CCSI, for receiving the annual New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH) Commissioner’s Community Care Award! This award recognizes the extraordinary achievements of individuals and organizations who have furthered the OMH mission and made a positive contribution to the mental health system in their communities.

SHARP Project Continues Its Mission Serving Adults 55 Years of Age and Older in Onondaga County

The Senior Health and Resource Partnership (SHARP) Project assists with counseling and community-based services that promote physical and emotional well-being. The goal is to provide appropriate supports and services that will enable older adults to remain safely in their homes and participate in family and community life. The project has been making an impact, reaching individuals who otherwise may not have received services, and they continuously have had the highest number of annual enrollments since 2020 in New York State.

Promise Zone Recognized by New York State Office of Mental Health

We are pleased to share that the Promise Zone Program was celebrated during Mental Health Awareness Month by the NYS Office of Mental Health. Promise Zone was selected in the Organization or Community Group category as the recipient of What’s Great in NYS: Children’s Mental Health Awareness recognition. CCSI staff play an integral role in the Promise Zone Program as Student Engagement Specialists. Congratulations to the entire team on this well-deserved recognition!

Trauma-informed Care Emerges as First Line of Treatment for Mental Health Issues

Over the years, trauma-informed care has continued to grow in understanding and practice. A recent RBJ Special Report shares how trauma-responsive practices are promoted within organizations across the community and state. It also illustrates why this is so important for mental health. Elizabeth Meeker, Senior Director of System and Practice Transformation at CCSI, spoke about a collaboration between CCSI and the New York State Office of Mental Health, called the NYS Trauma-Informed Network, which supports champions of trauma-responsive practices across the state with improved connection and access to quality resources. 

Full Article Now Available Online: 

The Impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) on Adolescent Health Risk Indicators in a Community Sample

CCSI staff Elizabeth Meeker, PsyD, Senior Director, System and Practice Transformation; Amy Scheel-Jones, MSEd, Director, Trauma Informed Care & TIG; and Deb Hodgeman, Chief, Information Management and Analytics, Monroe County Office of Mental Health, published an article last year examining the differences in self-reported mental health, non-suicidal self-injury, suicidality, violence, and substance use among adolescents without self-reported history of ACEs, youth with one self-reported ACE, and youth with multiple self-reported ACEs. Their full article is now freely available online.

The Power of Team: Bring it On!

Cheryl Martin, Integrated Health Trainer and Clinical Consultant at CCSI, presented at the Helio Health 2022 Integrated Care Conference, Responding to Crisis: New Approaches in Integrated Care. Her presentation, The Power of Team: Bring it On! brought together the concepts of trauma responsiveness, compassion, radical acceptance, and motivational interviewing, as a supportive "way of being," not just in the way that we as providers serve individuals, but with ourselves, with each other, with our supervisees, and with partners outside our agency. The impact of mass trauma, currently experienced as the COVID-19 pandemic, was considered, as well as some of the effects it has had on direct service staff and leaders, particularly in human services and healthcare. 

Kesha Carter Nominated for 2022 Greater Rochester Chamber Colors of Success DEI Award

Congratulations to CCSI Chief Diversity Officer, Kesha Carter on her nomination for the Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce's very first 2022 Colors of Success DEI Award. This award will be given to an individual, who has demonstrated exemplary leadership in advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the greater Rochester community with clear, positive impacts as a result of these efforts. This award is their highest recognition for achievement related to DEI and will be awarded annually. CCSI has also been nominated at the organization level for this award. The awards ceremony will be held on Friday, September 16th at the Hyatt Regency Rochester. 

Integrating Trauma-Responsive Care and Health Equity to Support Wellness for Individuals of Color

Deepening understanding of stress, adversity, and trauma is a burgeoning focus in health and human services, and there’s also a growing emphasis on improving diversity, equity, and inclusion practices. At times, these two areas of focus seem disparate, or can exist within silos. Our CCSI team presented at the Helio Health 2022 Integrated Care Conference, Responding to Crisis: New Approaches in Integrated Care, about integrating trauma-responsive care and health equity to support wellness for individuals of color. This session offered participants a pathway to understand how they are deeply connected.

Recruiting, Onboarding, and Retention, Oh My!

More than ever, recruitment, hiring, and retention require a process-oriented approach to enable organizations to withstand the winds of change – from turnover attributed to the "Great Resignation," to looming succession planning amplified by a present and future "Great Retirement." Shaunta Collier-Rankin, Director of Human Resources at CCSI, presented on a Greater Rochester Quality Council webinar, along her colleagues Eileen Brooks of St. John's Senior Services and Dorothy Johnson of MKS Instruments. The panel's valuable insight provided attendees with tools and ideas to think and act differently when it comes to finding and keeping top talent.

CCSI Welcomes Senior Consultants and a New Chief Information Technology Officer

As we continue to grow, we are pleased to welcome the following new employees to our team:

As our Chief Information Technology Officer, Douglas Camin brings to this role more than 20 years of experience in the IT industry, most recently working for nearly a decade as CIO for multiple New York State counties, a multi-faceted role requiring expertise in regulatory compliance issues, budgeting, employee and vendor management, and interfacing with multiple constituencies including elected officials. Prior to his government service, Doug worked for, and led, several IT consulting businesses, leading teams of technicians and systems engineers implementing projects for customers large and small.

Don Dauman has over 32 years of experience in behavioral health services and organizational management. Much of his more recent career has been spent in County Departments of Mental Health and non-profit financial management, strategic planning, and performance evaluation. Don is passionate about encouraging and facilitating the use of business and financial management principles, practices, and data-driven decision-making tools and skills in behavioral health organizations across New York State.

As a Senior Consultant, Marie works alongside organizations as they actively aim to incorporate philosophies that highlight the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) within their organizational structures. Marie has experience facilitating DEI workshops, dialogues, and presentations, recruiting and retaining employees of color within the field of academia, and facilitating programs that foster inclusion and belonging for employees of diverse backgrounds.

Jenna Velez brings extensive experience in behavioral health administration and direct service provision. She is a thought leader with a unique ability to identify innovative strategies for achieving outcomes. Her enthusiasm and individualized approach provide leverage for engaging stakeholders in transformation. Jenna has a passion for eradicating stigma and is dedicated to the promotion of trauma-responsive, resilience-oriented practices through training, advocacy, and program development. 

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.