Children’s Mental Health Week: Goal 5 of the Children’s Mental Health Plan – Systems of Care
Friday, May 6, 2022
Stay tuned for the full release of the Children’s Mental Health Plan later today!
| We’ve Arrived At Our Final Goal! |
| Over the past 17 months, ICMHP has worked with stakeholders from across the state to develop a systematic, comprehensive, and interdisciplinary plan that would address the needs of children, families, and communities. The Plan identifies 5 foundational goals to move the work forward. Our final goal is Goal 5: Systems of Care |
| GOAL 5: Fund the design, implementation, and evaluation of system of care strategies that prevent mental health concerns and mitigate trauma by more effectively delivering services |
| Through the input we received from youth, families, communities, and our workgroups, the need for increased education and outreach was paramount for any recommendation to be successful. But this need is more than just increased public awareness, acceptance, and de-stigmatization; it requires an expanded understanding and alignment of mental health and wellness across sectors as identified in our values. It also requires an overhaul of our support systems to provide the resources directly to communities to address these issues. For Goal 5, we recommend the following immediate action steps: 1. Review statewide legal, compliance, and privacy rules and regulations across sectors and identify models of data integration. 2. Invest in state-based community funding that purposefully engages community-based professionals and families to collaboratively create a child-centered and family-focused systems of care. 3. Prioritize reimbursement changes that incorporate the concept of a medical home with integrated behavioral and child healthcare. 4. Establish a Children’s Mental Health Fund that supports innovative community strategies to build systems of care to address child and family mental health and wellness. |
Meet Kristine Argue-Mason, M.P.A.
Executive Director of the Partnership for Resilience
Early Intervention Workgroup Co-Chair of the Illinois Children’s Mental Health Plan
Before coming to Partnership for Resilience, Kristine served as an Instructional Resource and Professional Development Director with the Illinois Education Association – NEA (IEA-NEA). Since 2016, her primary role was developing and delivering professional development to meet the IEA-NEA’s objectives of building awareness of the research from the Kaiser Permanente ACEs study, the public health crisis of toxic-stress, the importance of mitigating and preventing its impact on our youth. Kristine has worked diligently to help implement trauma-responsive practices in schools throughout Illinois. Additionally, Kristine also has over 15 years of classroom teaching experience in both the comprehensive high school and alternative high school setting.
Kristine holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from Hampton University and a Master of Arts in Public Policy Administration from National Louis University.
Meet Rachel Bhagwat
Director of Policy, NAMI Chicago
Treatment Workgroup of the Illinois Children’s Mental Health Plan
Rachel began her career in direct service with youth and families, working in several roles at out-of-school time programs in Evanston and Chicago, as well as abroad in Arequipa, Peru. Prior to NAMI Chicago, Rachel spent three years managing community engagement and advocacy at La Casa Norte, an organization serving youth and families experiencing homelessness. In that role, she led efforts to expand mental and primary health care, supportive employment and food access for clients and community members – work that led her to NAMI Chicago.
Rachel is originally from Livonia, MI. She holds a Bachelor’s in Human Development and Psychological Services with a Spanish minor from Northwestern University, and a Master’s in Public Policy from the University of Chicago. Motivated by her own mental health story, Rachel is grateful to play a small part in making the world a friendlier place for people with mental health conditions.
Upcoming Events Later This Month!
Featuring our very own ICMHP Director, Amanda M. Walsh, and ICMHP Member, Dr. Nneka Jones Tapia, as well as Dr. Mary Dobbins, Early Intervention Workgroup Member and President of Illinois Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics, and other partners, including the ACEs Response Collaborative and Illinois DocAssist
| 2022 ICAAP Adolescent Health Virtual Conference May 11, 2022 8:00AM—12:00PM Location: Virtual, Zoom platform Cost 0.0 Categories Adolescents Join pediatricians, family physicians, and other health care providers for a half-day of excellent virtual educational content in addressing adolescent health needs. The conference will be held over Zoom: Wednesday, May 11th: 8am – 12pm CST By attending the 2022 ICAAP Adolescent Health Virtual Conference, participants will: Identify opportunities to improve adolescent mental health care for patients and families. Increase the quality and effectiveness of adolescent well-visits by using tools and resources. Address barriers and potential solutions to ensuring adolescents have access to care and needed services. Access resources for providers, adolescent patients, and caregivers. You should attend if you are a: general, primary care pediatrician; pediatric nurse practitioner; family physician; pediatric and medicine-pediatric resident or fellow; allied health professional, including registered nurses, physician assistants, and others. The Illinois Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics is accredited by the Illinois State Medical Society (ISMS) to provide continuing medical education for physicians. Register here: https://secure.illinoisaap.org/np/clients/illinoisaap/eventRegistration.jsp?event=30& |
DO I HAVE THE RIGHT TO FEEL SAFE?
Discover Chicago Beyond’s Vision for Holistic Safety in Corrections
Chicago Beyond’s new publication, Do I Have the Right to Feel Safe? A Vision for Holistic Safety in Corrections, is a unified vision of how to instill safety for all impacted by corrections – starting with people incarcerated and staff. This vision was developed by Dr. Nneka Tapia Jones, Managing Director of Justice Initiatives at Chicago Beyond and former warden of Cook County jail, in partnership with over 100 people directly impacted by incarceration. The vision challenges all of us to shift our concept of safety from one predicated on control to one that empowers people with lived experience of the carceral system. This new publication provides guidance for everyone – including correctional administrators – on how to create the conditions for ALL community members, both inside and outside of correctional walls, to be and feel protected, resilient, and whole. That is holistic safety.
On Tuesday, May 24th at 4:00pm CST, Chicago Beyond will host a virtual discussion on the critical importance of embedding holistic safety within corrections with national leaders in criminal legal reform. Guest panelists will include Kevin Kempf of the Correctional Leaders Association, Andy Potter of One Voice United, Ronald Simpson-Bey of JustLeadershipUSA, and John Wetzel of Phronema Justice Strategies. You can register here to attend the launch event.
Chicago Beyond thanks you for supporting their commitment to uplifting safety within corrections.
Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/do-i-have-the-right-to-feel-safe-instilling-safety-in-corrections-tickets-317221206167?aff=Nneka
Trauma Informed Awareness Day Toolkit: Visit our toolkit for a comprehensive list of events and social media actions taking place throughout the month. Each week, we will highlight a different theme with accompanying resources and content leading up to Trauma-Informed Awareness Day. We invite you to share our posts with your networks or develop your own posts related to the theme of the week.
#MyTraumaInformedIL: Throughout the month of May, we are asking Illinois residents to let us know what a Trauma-Informed Illinois means to them with our #MyTraumaInformedIL campaign. Details on how to participate in this campaign are included in the toolkit. #WeHealUS: The Collaborative is contributing partner to the #WeHealUS campaign. Check out their website for a calendar of Mental Health and Trauma-Informed Awareness Month events taking place throughout May.
Register here: https://hmprg.app.neoncrm.com/np/clients/hmprg/eventRegistration.jsp?event=952&
#FollowICMHP
All week ICMHP will be sharing our milestones along the way in arriving at a comprehensive Illinois Children’s Mental Health Plan
We hope you stay well and connected,
The Illinois Children’s Mental Health Partnership