Archive for the ‘Health and Wellness’ Category

Senior Volunteer Programs Provide More than Service

The United States Census Bureau estimates that the 65 and older population will reach 73 million by 2030. Baby boomers are the fastest growing population in the United States and by 2029 will comprise 20% percent of the total national population. With that in mind, social service providers are...

When and Where They Need It: Providing Community-Based Services to Families and Youth for Foundational Wellbeing

For community providers serving children and families in New York, there is a contemplative question our work presents to us like an ever-unfolding puzzle – how can we get young people to the services that will support their ability to live their best lives? Many creative strategies have been...

The East New York Health Hub: Realizing the Promise of Whole Health

Over the last few decades, there has been an increasing focus on health care reform and bending the cost curve through a combination of new approaches including social determinants of health, trauma-informed treatment, health equity, patient engagement and integrated care. While these elements have...

Co-Occurring Fatigue: Compassion, Political, and Oppression Fatigue: Understanding and Meeting Our Special Needs as Helping Professionals

For those of us who work in caregiving environments, we are constantly presented with emotional challenges. Compassion Fatigue symptoms result from the chronic stress of care giving work. Leading traumatologist Eric Gentry notes that people who are attracted to caregiving often enter the field...

Supporting Vulnerable Populations: A Model That Can Make a Difference

In an increasingly complex and competitive healthcare environment, ensuring access to integrated care for our most vulnerable populations is becoming evermore challenging. Metro Community Health Centers (MCHC) has embraced this challenge and is providing patient-centered services designed...

Systems Transformation in Progress: Promise and Pitfalls

A couple of months ago I attended a conference in Albany in order to learn of the latest developments in the state’s movement toward a “value based” healthcare delivery system. Monica Oss, Chief Executive Officer of Open Minds, a publication that explores the intricacies of behavioral...

CCBHC as a Roadmap for Behavioral Health Leadership and Participation within Accountable Delivery Systems

Uncertainty about the future state of publicly-funded health care is widespread following the presidential election. However, the design of accountable delivery systems committed to comprehensive, cost effective care continues to have bipartisan support. Such systems demand a full array of health,...

Promoting Cultural Competence to Address Health Disparities and Improve Health Outcomes

Health disparities are preventable differences in health outcomes that are experienced by disadvantaged populations. They are a leading factor in the incidence, prevalence, mortality, and burden of health conditions across specific populations in the US. These factors can influence the available...

NYC Mayor and First Lady Release Mental Health Roadmap

Mayor Bill de Blasio and First Lady Chirlane McCray have released ThriveNYC: A Mental Health Roadmap for All. ThriveNYC is a plan of action to guide the city toward a more effective and holistic system that outlines 54 initiatives, 23 of them new, to support the mental well-being of New Yorkers....

Integrating Staff Wellness into Agency Culture: A Win, Win, Win

According to Officevibe.com, 78 percent of Americans describe their jobs as stressful. In discussing this with colleagues, the feeling was that this figure was a bit high. However, as we moved on to discuss an informal contest of who had the most webinars to watch for the week, it was quickly...