Executive Overview – Meeting Minutes

The workgroup received updates on the Youth Risk Behavior Survey which will be administered in Schoharie County in the fall of 2016 and Herkimer County in the spring of 2017. The counties have selected the CDC approved Vermont version which includes protective factors questions.

The workgroup continued their discussion on a regional mental health anti-stigma campaign. Topics such as cost, target audience, the possible engagement of a professional marketing group to create the message, and the most efficient placement (radio, bus wraps, TV, etc) were explored.

The development of a regional mental health toolkit was reviewed. The idea of conducting a survey with school districts to assess needs, interest levels and best delivery methods (an application, poster, booklet, resource sheet, etc.) was revisited. The group discussed in-depth the idea of an app to disseminate resources to teachers. The big question the group would need to figure out is who would update the app’s back end once the PHIP grant ends. MVPHIP staff will research similar apps to see how other platforms are managed. The group decided to wait for the results of the survey before moving forward with this idea.

The group is reminded about the System of Care grantand that it is a large endeavor with considerable collaboration between organizations. The MVPHIP staff is happy to assist anyone with their grant preparation andis currently assisting Otsego County.

The Regional Planning Consortiums recently held a kick-off meeting and a presentation about the RPC was given. The RPC aligns with the Triple Aim and the goal is to transform mental health regionally by having many different organizations collaborating. Workgroup members are encouraged to participate in the RPC and/or sign up for the email newsletter. The Mohawk Valley RPC directly aligns with the MVPHIP region.Noel Clinton Feik will be the RPC coordinator for SouthernTier and Mohawk Valley regions.

The next Behavioral Health workgroup meeting will be held Thursday, October 27th from 1-3pm at the Otsego County Office Building, Training Room A, 140 County Hwy 33 in Cooperstown.

Mohawk Valley PHIP

August 25,2016

Behavioral Health Workgroup

Workgroup Members:Janine Dykeman (Mental Health Association of Fulton and Montgomery); Siri Young (Schoharie County Head Start); Joseph Yelich (Oneonta City Schools); Julie Dostal (LEAF, Inc); John Nasso (Catholic Charities); Denis Wilson (Fulmont Community Action Agency); Scott Friedlander (St. Mary’s Healthcare); Zvia McCormick (Resource Center for Independent Living); Amy Gildemeister (Schoharie Dept. of Health); Ann Black (Fulmont Community Action Agency); Heidi Bond (Otsego Dept. of Health); Betsy Jay (Bassett Medical Center); Paul Meher (HFM Prevention Council); Doris Hill (RHENSOM); and Kristin Pullyblank (RHENSOM)

Staff:John May, Aletha Sprague, Anna Gleboff, Bonita Gibb, and Felicia Johnson

Welcome & Approval of Minutes:

Dr. Dostal calls the meeting to order and seeks approval of the minutes. The minutes are approved.

YRBS Update:

Ms. Sprague opens the meeting with a Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) update. MVPHIP completed the Otsego County survey in April 2016 with the results posted on the website. Schoharie County has agreed to complete the YRBS in the fall of 2016 and Herkimer County will complete it in the spring of 2017. Herkimer and Schoharie counties will utilize the CDC approved Vermont version of the YRBS which includes protective factor questions.

Regional Anti-Stigma Campaign:

Ms. Sprague sharesexamples of existing campaign materials from theMental Health Association of Fulton and Montgomery Counties and LEAF, Inc. In previous meetings the group discussed the possibility of the Leatherstocking Collaborative Health Partners (LCHP) granting funds for this initiative. Ms. Sprague draws attention to the LCHP’s Request for Funds form, which includesa description of activities and funding amount. She asks the workgroup to giveinput and suggestions. Dr. Dostal suggests the group determine how much money theyneed to develop a consistent anti-stigma message in all five countieskeeping in mind that the costs can be significantly different in each county. Ms. McCormick asks the group to consider the target audience, media outlet (social media, print media, etc), and cost. Dr. Dostal reminds the group at prior meeting there has been discussion about hiring a professional group to develop the campaign and place the media. Supt. Yelich suggests Town Square Media. Ms. Sprague asks if the state has existing campaign materials the group could disseminate. Mr. Nasso states that the Department of Health gives Catholic Charities money for this sort of project. He can ask his staff about their tobacco control media campaign costs. Ms. McCormick states that Google offers a $10k grant to 501c organizations for social media campaigns. However, they all have to be funneled through a website. The first step is to really look at the message and target audience and that it could cost upwards of $50k, however, it may not be necessary depending on the demographics of the audience. Ms. Sprague states that the group could get a quote from Town Square Media. Dr. Dostal requests that they do a presentation so that the group can make decisions about how to move forward. Ms. Dykeman suggests that Cheryl McGrattan, VP of marketing and public relations for Nathan Littauer Hospital and a MVPHIP board member, may have answers to our questions.

Dr. Maystates thefirst step is to define our target audience and then the group can move forward. He states that there are a number of potential ads on the internet to use in a series of small focus groups. Then, using the well received ads, go to a developer and have them use the focus group test ads as a guideline for developing new ads. Ms. Bondcomments that in Otsego County the target audience should be older males since this population has the highest suicide rate. She would like the ads to include getting men to talk with their primary care providers about their mental health. Dr. Dostal agrees with choosing target audiences that aren’t traditionally targeted with media campaigns. She states thatLEAF traditionally targets children and families with substance abuse ads, but substance abuse rates for seniors are very high. Dr. Dostal asks the group about suicide rates among the other counties. She believes that the group should focus efforts on what the data states are problem areas. Dr. Gildemeister responds that Schoharie County created a suicide prevention coalition that will begin meeting at a later date and she will have more information on the suicide rates in her county after that meeting. She also comments that her county purchased two bus wraps, one for lead and the other for tobacco awareness and that putting the campaign together was not difficult. She has been contacted by a company that would like to work with her on radio spots and they don’t charge for developing the ads.

Dr. May states that a CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) came out in early July that looked at suicide rates by occupation. He states that we could use this data to help select a target audience. The MMWR report states that farmers and construction workers are among the highest professions to attempt or to complete suicide. Dr. Gildemeister questions whether social media would be an effective tool to reach older men. Supt. Yelich offers that radio would be the most viable delivery method. Ms. Dykeman suggests having information placed around farm equipment shops, auto parts stores, and other places where men in this age group are likely to be. Dr. Gildemeister suggests looking into publications and radio stations that already target people in agriculture. Dr. Dostal asks the PHIP team to look into prices and get someone to do a presentation on how to create an anti-stigma campaign. She expresses concern that the group will not find an existing anti-stigma campaign directed towards older farmers. Dr. Gildemeister states that she will forward the radio information on to whoever wants it. Ms. Dykeman states that the MHA has toolkits. Dr. Dostal reminds the group that September is National Recovery Awareness Month and there will be a number of activities related to anti-stigma going on.

Regional Mental Health Toolkit:

Ms. Spraguediscusses the Otsego County Resource Guide and asks the group if other counties have similar guides. She states that the MVPHIP website has a “Community Resources” page that links individuals to 2-1-1, NY Connects, OASAS, and Eldercare.com, but she asks the group if they have anything additional they want included on the MVPHIP website. She states that at the last meeting, a resource specifically for teachers and school personnel was discussed. In response the MVPHIP staff is developing a questionnaire for teachers, school counselors, and other school staff to figure the type of resources they would like and the best delivery method for those resources.

Dr. Dostalmentions that Sweet Home Productions in Oneonta has a developed app for this type of resource. She states that LEAF, Inc. has the platform and she could give permission for the release of this platform to the group to develop something for the MVPHIP region. Ms. Pullyblankexpresses her approval of this type of resource because the app would be on the teacher’s phone. Dr. Dostal states that the only thing that would be required of the group would be for someone to go into the back end of the app and enter all the resources. Ms. Sprague asks if this app is available in the three overlapping counties of DSRIP and MVPHIP (Otsego, Herkimer, and Schoharie). Dr. Dostal replies that at this time, the app is currently in beta form for Otsego County. Ms. Sprague comments that the MVPHIP promotes the 2-1-1 resource because they have a live person that can help an individual locate services and it’s maintained by an outside organization. The only drawback is private organizations are excluded from this resource. Ms. Sprague asks if the group has an interest in pursuing an app resource. Dr. May responds that this would go hand-in-hand with the System of Care grant that Otsego County is pursuing. Rev. Jayremarks that Bassett’s inpatient social work department has something similar that they have put together. Dr. Gildemeister asks who would keep the app updated. Ms. Sprague states that it would depend on who was ultimately responsible for the resource. 2-1-1 for example, relies on both staff and individual feedback. For the MVPHIP app, there would need to be an organization designated as the group responsible for the information on the app. Dr. Dostal replies that whoever owns the app would be responsible for ensuring that it is sustainable. Dr. Gildemeistersuggests the group develop a plan for when the MVPHIP grant ends. Ms. McCormick asks if another organization, such as SAMSHA or OASAS, has an app that the MVPHIP could promote as an alternative. Dr. Dostal clarifies that she thinks the group was thinking about an app that links all the resources in a county, not just suicide prevention. Dr. Gildemeister asks if the app is geared to teachers or someone looking for resources for themselves. Dr. Dostal replies it could be for either. Dr. Gildemeister asks if there is a linking website that someone could Google instead of downloading the app to their phone. Dr. Dostal replies that there is a mobile friendly webpage associated with the app.

Ms. Sprague reminds the group that there is pending NY state legislation mandating that teachers get mental health training and that the group has been discussing the possibility of promoting resources as a way of assisting teachers. She asks Ms. Gibb to elaborate on a newly discovered program which offers training. Ms. Gibb discusses the Cognitive Behavioral Intervention Training System (CBITS). She states it is a 2 hour free online, learn at your own pace, program. It is almost like a compressed version of Youth Mental Health First Aid in that it discusses how to assist getting someone to a professional who is currently in crisis. Ms. Sprague comments that until we hear from school administrators and teachers about how they would like to receivetrainings, it would be difficult to pick a program to promote. Supt. Yelich states that the survey would not be burdensome for teachers and they would probably welcome it. Ms. Bond reminds the MVPHIP staff that Springbrook and Pathfinder have preschools. The group recommends including private schools, child care centers, and preschools. Ms. Sprague asks if there is someone from the group willing to look over the list of schools. Dr. Gildemeister states that the county health department would probably be the best resource. Ms. Sprague replies that when the list is complete, she will send it to the county health departments for their review.

System of Care Grant:

Ms. Sprague states that Otsego County held a meeting in preparation for the grant. Dr. May summarizes the Otsego County SOC meeting by saying that there was a broad array of organizations represented with general enthusiasm for the grant. Otsego County will be the fiduciary of the grant and Bassett Research Institute will be responsible for the data collection and evaluation. He states that the priority was set for children who have serious emotional disturbances (SED) and children who may develop SED. He states that the next steps are for the superintendents to meet and decide what components would be most important for going forward and creating an optimal program design as well as deciding which organizations need to be at the table. The MVPHIP will create a comprehensive resource list for the districts and do a gap analysis. Dr. Dostal asks about the funding parameters for the SOC grant. Supt. Yelich responds that it is $1 million per year for four years. The money cannot be used to support existing programs, but can be used to expand those programs. In-kind and financial matches are also expected.

Ms. Gibb explains the Community School Model to the group. This model is the model that Otsego County is looking to adopt. She states that she will email the group an article related to how rural communities overcame the challenges presented by the model; specifically transportation. Dr. May asks if there is any interest from the group in pursuing this grant. Ms. Sprague states that when the grant initially came out in February, there was some interest from Montgomery County, but she has not heard if they are still interested. She states that the grant takes a lot of coordination and the MVPHIP will support coordination of future applications.

Regional Planning Consortiums:

Ms. Sprague reminds the group about the RPC. She shows a presentation about the RPC using slides from the clmhd.org website. She encourages members to participate in the RPC and/or sign up for the newsletter so they can stay informed. The Mohawk Valley RPC aligns with the MVPHIP region. Noel Clinton Feik has been hired as the RPC coordinator for the Southern Tier and Mohawk Valley regions.

Next Meeting:

The next meeting will be held on Thursday, October 27 from 1-3pm at the Otsego County Office Building

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