Program Update - April 2007

Peter Zucker, Ph.D.

In writing this column, I realized that the range of topics I wanted to discuss exemplifies the breadth of accomplishments that distinguishes our programs, illustrates the extraordinary talent of our staff, and represents how we keep our mission at the forefront of everything we do.

Ensuring cultural competency... Over the past year, we have made terrific progress in codifying a set of organizational tasks to support our staff in meeting the needs of our diverse clients and their families. While formal definitions hint at the complexities of cultural competency, put simply, it means being respectful of, sensitive to, but not presumptuous about the cultural identities and meanings of a client's life. To achieve this goal, each of our programs is currently developing an Annual Cultural Competency Plan, under the guidance of Stars Behavioral Health Group's (SBHG) Cultural Competency Steering Committee, which is led by Dr. Karyn Dresser, Director of Research and Program Practices. The Plan components include: a) developing strategies to recruit and retain staff reflective of the people we serve; b) providing cultural competency training; c) assuring all program documents shared with clients/families are available in the county threshold languages; and, d) reviewing and refining agency policies and procedures related to cultural competency. Our ongoing quality improvement program will include a review of these annual plans against these components.

Rolling out E-Learning... We are thrilled to announce that online training sites across our organization are now available for use. Training directors have either completed or are in the process of scheduling implementation trainings for staff and supervisors. Currently over 250 trainings are in our library (and growing at a rate of approximately one new training per month); 137 are Board of Behavioral Sciences-certified (MFT and LCSW) for continuing education credits (CEUs) and over 200 are Board of Registered Nursing-certified for CEUs. After completing training, staff can print out a certificate of completion for their records. All completed online trainings are also automatically tracked by Essential Learning (our vendor) enabling employees to access their training transcripts and supervisors to track staff progress in meeting annual training requirements (both hours and courses). If you have any questions regarding Essential Learning, please contact your training director.

Updating our Electronic Medical Record Progress... We are well on our way into launching a new electronic medical record (EMR). EMR Coordinators, Holly Carman and Angela Boyd, and I have been working strategically with many dynamic staff throughout SBHG to set up our new EMR software, Evolv-CS. Our EMR software vendor, Defran Systems, has had several on-site visits with us and is a tremendous resource in guiding us through this complex process. Watch for more information as we move closer to putting our robust EMR software into action.

Teaming up for a successful audit... Congratulations to Chad Schmike, Starlight High School Principal, Pamelah Stephens, Senior Clinical Director, and Barbara Kammerlohr, SBHG Education Consultant, who together offered the leadership and expertise that led to the favorable results of the California Department of Education (CDE) audit. The CDE audit is an extensive review that occurs every few years. Receiving many commendations, including "outstanding organization of records and files," "collaboration and cooperation among a multi-disciplinary staff," a "sense of pride in the school," "well-organized classrooms," and "engaged students," Starlight High School will be modifying its curriculum to comply with new and highly rigorous Nonpublic School requirements.

Sharing our knowledge... Janet Fleishman, our Southern California Regional Quality Assurance Manager, has received rave reviews from students at the School of Social Work at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, where she will continue to speak as a guest lecturer in 2007. Since joining SBHG last April, Janet has been invited by Professor Mara Ziegler to speak at one of two classes every semester: Clinical Practices with Clients and Families (last year) and Working with Adolescent's Practice System and Advocacy (this past February). The former hones diagnostic skills and the latter helps students understand and manage the Juvenile Justice system on behalf of their clients. Janet explains that teaching gives her an opportunity to give back to her profession. She also is a terrific ambassador for SBHG, providing second-year students with recruitment materials as they plan for their social work careers.

Expanding evidence-based practices... With a total of ten programs underway, Aggression Replacement Training/EQUIP continues to be our leading evidence-based practice (EBP). We are developing a team of expert-level trainers through the International Center for Aggression Replacement Training Train-the-Trainer Program. Members of this team include: Christine Cearfoss, Supervisor/Star View Community Services; Angela Bond, Assistant Director, Residential Services/Starlight Adolescent Center; Robin Balchen, Director of Treatment Services/Starlight Adolescent Center; and Elijah McCauley, Clinical Training Specialist/Long Beach Regional Office. Our next major EBP implementation will feature the SPARCS program-Structured Psychotherapy for Adolescents Responding to Chronic Stress. SPARCS is based on three empirically validated interventions that were adapted and integrated to address the topics relevant to adolescents exposed to chronic trauma. We will be developing a team of trainers for SPARCS and rolling out this exciting program this spring!

Program Highlights STARS Community Services Flow of Referrals for New Programs...In addition to earning a national service award for the Transition Age Youth Program, STARS Community Services (CS) reports success with two other programs. A year of dedication, skillful negotiations and persistence has produced terrific results for STARS CS Foster Care Youth Service Program (FoCYS) for Alameda County. FoCYS had 40 clients enrolled as of April 2006. The FoCYS program helps qualified children and youth (ages 12-21) successfully transition to lower levels of care-such as moving from a group home to living with a foster family. FoCYS is also receiving referrals from the county's Independent Living Skills program and from a private organization, First Place Fund for Youth in Oakland. STARS CS is now also providing school-based services in cooperation with the Hayward and San Lorenzo Unified School Districts. This new Early, Periodic, Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment program currently serves 14 clients and is expected to grow exponentially. This program started accepting referrals in January 2006. We are adjusting STARS CS in Richmond to become a more community-focused service and school-based program. As such, we are closing our Richmond office and locating our services directly in the schools. Under the leadership of Michael Green, services to our children and their families will continue to thrive. On February 24, STARS CS held a highly successful workshop called, "Multicultural Competency Training for School-based Mental Health Services" at Cal State University, East Bay. Co-sponsored by the Institute for Mental Health and Wellness Education, this continuing education workshop, organized and facilitated by Dr. David A. Young, featured two distinguished speakers: Catherine Wong, EdD candidate, a world-renowned multicultural consultant; and Marcel Soriano, PhD, a professor and former Chair of the Division of Administration and Counseling Psychology at California State University, Los Angeles. The next day at IMHWE's 6th Annual Symposium, David, Cathy and Marcel teamed up to present, "Building Bridges between Theory and Practice in Creating Multi-culturally Competent School-based Programs." The symposium's keynote speaker was Dr. Steven Mayberg, Director of the California Department of Mental Health. Starlight Community Services Continuing a tradition of innovation in helping at-risk and gang-involved youth in Santa Clara County, Starlight Community Services (CS) has collaborated with the acclaimed California Youth Organization (CYO) to provide Juvenile Justice Youth with an Intensive System of Care Mental Health Program Service (SOC) designed for the Juvenile Justice population. CYO was founded by Pastor Anthony Ortiz, an ex-gang member and ordained minister, who has been using his firsthand knowledge of gang life for more than 20 years to end the cycle of violence against youth. In recognition of his efforts, Pastor Ortiz received the California Peace Prize in 2004. Youth referred to Starlight CS by the county's Juvenile Probation Department for SOC services will receive intensive mental health treatment and assertive case management services delivered by a specialized team of trained Starlight CS staff. Youth with or at risk of gang involvement and their families will also be referred to one or more of the programs offered by CYO's Never Give Up program. The Never Give Up program includes Restorative Justice, Anger Management, CHOICES Community School and a Family Resource Center. Expansion of SOC Services for Starlight CS's new program for children under 10 years of age and their families. In addition to mental health services and counseling, the program will also focus on parenting skills. Staff plans to work with childcare providers and Head Start to facilitate referrals from this underserved population. Star View Community Services Already one of the leading Wraparound providers in Southern California, TEAMMATES has a new contract with Los Angeles County, effective May 1, 2006. The new criteria reflect the county's commitment to increase the number of children enrolled in all Wraparound programs from 525 to 2,000 by the end of 2007. Given this ambitious goal, the county is increasing the number of contracted Wraparound providers from eight to at least twenty. TEAMMATES has partnered with Vista Del Mar to provide three-day monthly trainings, rotating the location between our sites. Last month's training was held on April 11, 12 and 13 at Star View CS' Compton office. Sessions are co-led by TEAMMATES and Vista Del Mar supervisory staff. In addition, as part of LATC, TEAMMATES will soon be taking its expertise on the road to partner with Catholic Community Services of Western Washington (CCS) in launching a pilot Family Finding program for 40 youth and their families. The first phase is a "train-the-trainer" module conducted by CCS's staff for all LATC trainers. Oasis Rehabilitation Center Thanks to the dedication and hard work of a remarkable team, we proudly opened a new crisis stabilization program at the Oasis Rehabilitation Center. On March 1, 2006, the new Oasis program opened its doors and is currently seeing an average of eight clients each day-including one-to-two youth. While the average client is 34 years of age, during the first week of operation five clients were under 18 years of age. About 60 percent of the admissions are involuntary. Oasis Rehabilitation Center now operates three programs: a Psychiatric Health Facility and a Mental Health Rehabilitation Center, both for adults with mental illness; and Oasis Crisis Services. Valley Star Children and Family Services A January presentation on Non Public Schools (NPS) to the San Bernardino County Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA) by Dr. Peter Zucker and Kevin Burton, Valley Star Administrator, led to funding for ART/EQUIP programs in the Rialto Unified School District (RUSD). While her own school district already has NPS contracts, SELPA Director Barbara Mori was very excited about the outcomes for the award winning ART/EQUIP group. As a result, in February, two teams from Valley Star began conducting in the schools 16-week ART/EQUIP groups that will continue through the end of the school year. These groups are the first to be held outside a clinic setting. Growth and innovation continues to characterize Valley Star as the team began providing three weekly ART/EQUIP groups in April at Colton High School through a new contract with Colton Unified School District. MHSA Update Implementing MHSA: The Next Step Edward Walker, Director of Government Relations and Program Development The local stakeholder planning process has been completed in all but a few of the smallest counties. At press time, 44 counties have submitted Community Services and Support Plans. The CA Department of Mental Health recently approved plans submitted by Stanislaus, Los Angeles, Placer and San Francisco counties. Los Angeles, like several other counties, initiated implementation-related activities prior to plan approval. Star View Community Services (CS) was among the agencies certified by the Los Angeles Board of Supervisors-a step that qualifies an agency to deliver services. Given the success record of Star View CS and our TEAMMATES program, we are well positioned to be awarded a contract by the county. Starlight CS will submit a proposal to Santa Clara Mental Health for Full Service Partnerships for children and transitional age youth. We are also poised to respond to RFP postings in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Bernardino and Riverside counties.