Meet some of your #TCOM2018 Presenters!
Featured in this post: Mercedes Busby and Angela Pollard
Mercedes Busby is a Youth Peer Advocate with the Mental Health Association of Erie County and works primarily with at risk youth. Prior to her role as an advocate, she worked in a number of child care settings to support healthy development in and out of the classroom. Busby draws upon her personal experiences with care systems and now uses the skills and resources she learned to be a strong advocate for herself and others. e: mbusby@eriemha.org
Angela Pollard is a Project Assistant at Chapin Hall working on specific contracts and supporting the building connections between the TCOM team and the communities they serve. Prior to coming to Chapin Hall, Angela worked as an Americorps member in a Delaware middle school, meeting the needs of her students as a full time tutor and administrative support. She has a B.A. in Sociology from Yale University. Her experience serving as a mentor for children/teens and her involvement in the Black Lives Matter movement inform her commitment to the children and families supported by the TCOM tools. e: apollard@chapinhall.org
Q: What does Person-Centered Care mean to you?
MB: Person-Centered means that service providers place the client first and make sure that the client is fully involved in their treatment.
AP: Person-centered care is all about listening to the individual/family in care, to first understand their perspective on their environment and their needs/strengths before moving toward care planning. It is about viewing the individual and the provider as equal partners in care planning, both with expertise that is necessary for effective care.
Q. Why should individuals attend this year’s conference/your presentation?
MB: I feel individuals should attend this conference because they need to hear how services are changing and how services impact the community.
AP: This year’s conference is a great opportunity to hear about how TCOM has expanded within existing organizations and across the US and internationally. Those who attend will get to hear about how different implementations are leveraging evidence and data to support children, youth and families – an area of our work that can be quite powerful.
Q: What drew you to attend this year?
MB: I was asked to be a youth voice and offer my perspective to the panel. I have personal connections with the system and feel strongly that youth voices need to be heard.
AP: I really enjoyed last year’s conference – I had just started working with the TCOM team and the conference was a great opportunity to get a sense of the reach of TCOM and where the field is going. This year, I’m looking forward to stepping out of my day-to-day work that focuses on one implementation and reconnect with the broader TCOM community!
Q: Why did you choose to present on this specific topic?
AP: Working with the NY collaborative that is in its first year of providing coaching and support to staff using our tool has been a great learning experience. The work has shown me a lot about the importance of providing relevant support to users, connecting them to resources that help them use the CANS more effectively and engage with youth and families in meaningful ways. I hope to share some of what we’ve learned and connect with other presenters/attendees about their experiences!
Connect with Mercedes and Angela!
Attend their presentation at the 14th Annual TCOM Conference on Wednesday, 10/3/2018 from 1-4pm.
TCOM Provider Collaborative: Coaching for Success
TCOM Provider Collaboratives have been developed in three jurisdictions (Alameda CA, Washington and New York, and are a new model for TCOM implementation support. These collaboratives use TCOM practices at a system level to inform implementation activities, sustain progress, coach stakeholders and create a targeted portfolio of tools to create transition from CANS/ANSA as a form to TCOM as a practice model. The collaboratives will present attendees with information on the function and purpose of Provider Collaboratives, integration with TCOM principles and the stages of development of a learning collaborative. From the fragile beginning stages of change management and generating buy-in to creating short term wins, coaching for true family and youth engagement and problem solving to developing and sustaining best practices, the collaboratives will guide a discussion highlighting strategies to engage stakeholders, build competency, improve organizational structures and motivate leadership.
Other Presenters on the Collaborative Panel
Suzanne Button, Jen Cardenas, Brandon Howlett, Jennifer Lockwood, Josh Nellist, Mary Nichols, Jodi Saitowitz, Cynthia Schelmety, Nelita Wallingford