Hello all,
The past few months have been productive ones
for CSSP as we continue our vital work to engage military and community
systems to support Reserve Component members and their loved ones.
Our
current efforts are focused on developing community capacity in two
distinct areas: building community partnerships and increasing access
to mental (behavioral) health services. In this update, you will learn
about some of our achievements in these areas. You will also read about
refinements to ensure our work is based on best-practice methods and
maximizes the unique qualifications of our staff.
We look
forward to the year to come, the growth and success of our work and
your continued involvement on behalf of the brave men and women who
comprise our Reserve Component community.
Please feel free to contact us if you have thoughts and questions about our important work together.
Susan Kerner-Hoeg
Director, Military Relations
Kent J. Peterson
Director, Community Relations
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Building Military and
Community Partnerships
At the request of the Army Family Programs office, CSSP is assisting the military in effectively engaging communities to participate in serving the needs of Reserve Component members and Families. This year, CSSP launched the Army OneSource Advanced Institute to include interactive training opportunities in building community partnerships for both Active and Reserve Component Army Family service providers. The sessions have been designed to meet the changing needs of program participants and are relevant in both installation- and community-based environments.
To date, CSSP has conducted four Advanced Institute building community partnership trainings with over 228 Army Family service providers participating in the three-day sessions. Upon completing the training, participants return to their communities with the knowledge and resources gained through this training to develop community partnerships in support of our Reserve Component members and Families.
What Our Participants Are Saying
"Very informative - in a short period of time I learned quite a bit about partnerships..."
"Excellent! The training opened my eyes to so many possibilities..."
"Very good training. Presenters were awesome - great opportunities for networking."
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Training Behavioral Health and
Primary Care Service Providers
Over 360,000 Reserve Component service members have served in Afghanistan and Iraq as a part of the Global War on Terror. These veterans may not return to military installations where everyone understands their experiences and where appropriate behavioral health services are available. Rather, many return to communities that may be unaware of their sacrifice and where the closest behavioral health services for combat veterans and their Families may be up to several hours away.
Through its Behavioral Health Initiative, CSSP seeks to improve access to services for Reserve Component veterans and Families, specifically for those with combat-related behavioral health issues such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI). Believing this can best be accomplished by taking a "systems" approach, CSSP is strategically leveraging North Carolina's statewide behavioral health and primary care training and delivery systems to better equip local service providers and to enhance local service delivery.
Working closely with the Veterans Integrated Service Network 6, Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Center (VISN 6 MIRECC) and North Carolina Area Health Education Center (AHEC), CSSP has created a number of research-based and best-practice professional learning opportunities for behavioral health and primary care service providers.
Over the last 12 months, CSSP's
Behavioral Health Initiative has:
- Trained over 1000 local behavioral health and primary care service providers throughout North Carolina.
- Facilitated the addition of 100+ behavioral health professionals to TRICARE, the military's health system.
- Expanded training sites to include locations across Virginia.
- Worked with North Carolina Area L AHEC to create three 30-minute informational podcasts in a Q&A format on combat-related behavioral health issues. Available on the MedEd Podcast section of the website, www.arealahec.dst.nc.us.
In the first quarter of the year, CSSP's Behavioral Health Initiative will:
- Offer three FREE one-hour web tutorials on combat-related behavioral health issues targeted to the needs of primary care health providers and other medical system gatekeepers. Produced by AHEConnect. Enduring Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits are available.
- Deliver a podcast of CSSP's web conference, What Primary Care Providers Need to Know About Mental Health Issues Facing Returning Service Members and Their Families, co-sponsored by ICARE. Enduring CME credits available.
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Engaging Family Law Attorneys
In December 2008, over 3,200 North Carolina National Guard (NCNG) Soldiers participated in Soldier Readiness Processing (SRP) in preparation for deployment in support of the Global War on Terror. CSSP, in partnership with the NCNG Judge Advocate General (JAG) Corps, the NC Legal Aid for Military Personnel Committee, and the NC Bar Association Foundation, recruited over 25 family law attorneys to serve as an information resource for NCNG JAG Corps attorneys during this process.
Family matters that need legal attention often arise during pre-deployment preparations. To ensure that any Family issues did not prevent Soldiers from successfully completing their SRP in December, JAG officers were able to call a family law attorney in North Carolina to address, and hopefully resolve, any Family issue that might emerge. Because the military JAG Corps does not practice family law, NCNG Soldiers with Family needs requiring legal assistance have, in prior deployments, been required to locate a family law attorney on their own, an extra step that put them at risk for a delayed deployment. Family law attorneys were on call only on the days that fit their schedules and were given the flexibility to respond to the JAG request anytime during the day of the request.
Joe Barney, CSSP; Colonel Gill Beck, Staff Judge Advocate (SJA) with the US Army Reserves; Colonel Richard Fay, SJA with the NCNG JAG Corps; and Ms. Michelle Cofield, director of public service and pro bono activities at the NC Bar Association Foundation facilitated the planning, marketing and recruiting processes that made this pilot effort possible. This team will continue to collaborate to establish long-term goals which will include the provision of a broader range of pro bono legal services across a greater geographic reach.
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Strengthening CSSP
To more effectively establish military and community collaborations to meet the needs of Reserve Component members and their Families, CSSP has taken steps to strengthen its internal operations. Over the past several months CSSP has:
- Established a shared CSSP directorship. Susan Kerner-Hoeg, who has been with the program since 2006, is Director of Military Relations and Kent J. Peterson, who has been with CSSP since 2007, is Director of Community Relations. With this dual focus in our leadership positions, we can ensure the appropriate levels of engagement both with our military partners and with key community organizations.
- Begun developing and implementing metrics to measure the success of CSSP initiatives and strategically aligning our budget to these initiatives. We are in the process of recruiting a Deputy Director whose job it will be to oversee this work.
- Organized our staff into cross-functional teams to advance each of our program initiatives. Working collaboratively on multiple initiatives allows our staff to demonstrate the partnerships we seek to establish and enhances communication both within our organization and with our key stakeholders.
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Looking Ahead
We are excited about the work we are doing and about additional opportunities to connect community and military communities to better serve our Reserve Component members and their loved ones. To accomplish this mission we need your continued support. We look forward to a productive year!
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CSSP's
Strategic Intent
To increase the readiness and resiliency of Reserve Component Soldiers and their Families by engaging and connecting military and community service systems.
CSSP Training
a Success at USAR Senior Leader Spouse Conference
Bringing a desire to learn how to more effectively engage communities in support of Army Reserve Families, US Army Reserve (USAR) senior leader spouses participated in the CSSP Building Community Partnerships training in Orlando, Florida in October 2008. Participants worked enthusiastically with CSSP staff throughout the daylong training to identify opportunities for USAR community partnerships. Prior to the training, spouses completed a CSSP assessment that clarified their communication preferences and styles. The training facilitated the application of their personal styles to building effective community partnerships.
Participants left energized to create tangible partnerships with organizations in the communities where our Army Reserve Families live.
NEW Logo, Website
and More
In addition to refining CSSP's internal processes, we are updating many of the materials and processes we use to communicate with our stakeholders, our clients and other audiences. We look forward to sharing these items with you in the coming months.
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