Children’s Mental Health Week: Goal 3 of the Children’s Mental Health Plan – Centralized Hub
Wednesday, May 4, 2022
| 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. Today’s featured goal is Goal 3: Centralized Hub: Coordination, Need Assessment, and Innovation |
| GOAL 3: Develop, maintain, and ensure ongoing monitoring of a hub of programs, services, and policies easily accessible to the public to assist with navigation, resources, and funding. 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 3, we recommend the following immediate action steps: 1. Commission a study led by the above referenced coordinating entity and with the support of state agencies to create a set of consistent cross-sector quality measures that determine the mental health strength and/or vulnerability of children and families in a community. 2. Invest in technical assistance and infrastructure programs that allow communities to appropriately share data across child-serving sectors to ensure that the needs of the whole child are met. 3. Build an appropriate communication tool or platform that allows all citizens, as well as the professionals that serve them, to have access to the information necessary to find appropriate and available mental health services. |
Meet Chi Chi Okwu
Executive Director, EverThrive Illinois
Promotion and Prevention Workgroup of the Children’s Mental Health Plan
Before joining EverThrive IL, Chi Chi served as Senior Advisor at World Vision USA, a global humanitarian organization helping children, families, and their communities overcome poverty and injustice. In this role, Chi Chi led strategies to identify and engage new donors to fund initiatives such as maternal and child health, child protection, and clean water in developing countries. She joined World Vision USA after serving as Senior Director at Willow Creek Community Church’s Chicago campus, where she launched campaigns and programs that addressed education reform, human trafficking awareness, and immigration reform. Chi Chi began her career as a healthcare consultant for Huron Consulting Group.Chi Chi received both her Master’s in Public Health and her Bachelor’s in Social Psychology from the University of Alabama Birmingham.
Q & A with Dr. Mary Dobbins
Family and Community Medicine, SIU Medicine
President, Illinois Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics
Early Intervention Workgroup of the Children’s Mental Health Plan
Dr. Mary Iftner Dobbins is a Professor at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine (SIUSOM) in Springfield, where she serves as the Director of Behavioral Health and Integrated Care Initiatives for the SIU FQHC and as Medical Director of the SIU Survivor Recovery Center. Board certified in Pediatrics, General Psychiatry, and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, she has served on a number of boards and advisory committees throughout the state of Illinois. She is currently president of the Illinois Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics, and also worked for a number of years with the charter ICMHP.
Upcoming Events This Week!
Upcoming Event Later This Month!
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