RAVI’S PROVIDER UPDATES
Dear Summit County Mental Health Professionals,
Hope this message finds you well during an absolutely thriving fall season. Below are a slew of updates for your perusal, please let me know if you have any questions!
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Strong Futures Report & Funding Opportunities for New Program Proposals
Building Hope is proud to report on the successes of the Strong Futures Initiative. Here is an overview of funding allocated to behavioral health services:
- Approximately $2 million of Strong Future funding is dedicated to behavioral health each year.
- The Strong Future Mental Health Citizen Committee ensures funding and services are focused on the mental health continuum across Summit County.
- In 2022, $300,000 of the funding was allocated to Building Hope for the coordination and administration of Summit County’s behavioral health system.
- The remainder of the fund is distributed through proposals facilitated by Summit County Government and the Mental Health Citizen Committee.
A summary of our accomplishments as a community can be found in the report here. The programs listed in this report receive funds annually from the Strong Future funds for behavioral health and are considered imperative for the mental health of all citizens of Summit County. In all cases, supplemental funding has also been obtained from other sources such as grants and donations to not only expand programming and services to the Summit County community, but to also reduce pressure on the Strong Future funding stream, ensuring its longevity.
SEEKING APPLICATIONS FOR NEW PROGRAMS:
Over the next few weeks, we are seeking applications to fund special programming relevant to meeting Summit County’s behavioral health needs. The due date for new program proposal submissions is Oct 15th. For more information on funding priorities, program categories and application process, please click here.
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Clarification on funding available for local mental health providers
Funding Available through Mini Grants:
- Professional Development and/or Programming/Workshop $2,000 per provider/strategy
- Must use the funds no later than December 31st for this year
- Approx. 9 Grants Remaining
- Application: https://forms.gle/UJ7AWqwp7oV8QpdLA
- Behavioral Health Education Fund
- Tuition Support for Behavioral Health Education
- Stipends for Licensure Supervision
- Stipends for Unpaid Interns
- Application for Stipends: https://forms.gle/tAbBMZHTnF1ski329
- Tuition Support: Email educationfund@buildinghopesummit.org for more info
- Professional Development or Groups under IMPACT
- Classes such as Maternal Mental Health, Bringing Home Baby, PSI Trainings
- Support Groups/Workshops also applicable
- Topics include the whole continuum from “Thinking of having a baby to Toddlers”
- Examples: Pregnancy Loss, Infertility, Supporting Pregnancy, Postpartum, New Parents up to Toddler
- Support Group Requests: https://forms.gle/LvC4TdW8ruvT4wxVA
We’ll be asking for applications for CY-2024 grants in the December timeframe once Building Hope has confirmed available funding for Community Programs.
Help us fully use our Scholarship funding by identifying patients among certain funding groups by relaying notes to us:
- IMPACT Grant: Pregnancy Loss, Infertility, Supporting Pregnancy, Postpartum, New Parents up to Toddler
- Nicotine Cessation Grant: Nicotine/Vape User
- Vulnerable Populations: Spanish-Language and LGBTQ+ (if you’re a qualified provider)
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Please take our provider survey!
If you are a psychotherapist, please complete this important survey to help Building Hope continue to serve you to the best of our abilities: https://www.surveyhero.com/c/gvakznav
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Office space opportunities
**Significant Price Drops** on new office spaces available at 323 W. Main St in Frisco under the auspices of Vail Health & CMM. Please see the attached flyer for details. Contact Jenny.Wood@summitcountyco.gov to secure your space!
Are you / were you in the West Main office Bldg at the end of Frisco Main St? If so, please respond back and let me know your new office space situation so that we can update your profile page on our website (please also make your own update in Mtn Strong by logging into your provider portal and editing your profile information)
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New interns in the community
Jasa Stone: Alchemy Therapy and Wellness is thrilled to bring a wonderful new intern therapist into the practice! Jasa Stone is a Summit County resident and is excited to provide individual and couples therapy services to the community. Jasa is a Masters student at Naropa University and will be completing her internship at Alchemy Therapy and Wellness, beginning in August 2023 through the end of December 2024. Jasa is under the supervision of Hannah Buzzo LPC LAC and will be seeing clients in person in Frisco. We are happy that Jasa is able to see clients at an affordable rate, and accept the Building Hope scholarship. We are also exploring the possibility of getting credentialed with Medicaid, and are hopeful that Jasa will be able to work with clients with Medicaid in the near future. Reach out to Hannah over email, or through our website at www.alchemy therapy and wellness.com for more information or to get connected with Jasa. Please also see the attached flyer.
Maria Pallon: Summit Psychotherapy has a new intern that accepts Medicaid and sliding scale for self-pay. Check out their website for more information and the attached flyer for Maria’s bio.
SEEKING INTERNSHIP: Samina Nelson: Hello! My name is Samina Nelson, and I am reaching out in the interest of securing a counseling internship site locally in Summit County starting in the fall of 2024. I am currently finishing my MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling through Denver Seminary. I have lived in Summit County for 27 years and have two teenage daughters who attend Summit High School. As a long-time local, I am aware of the great need for mental health providers in Summit County and plan to serve our community once I finish school. Currently, I am looking for an internship that includes a community of support, mentorship, and collaboration. As a counselor-in-training, I am open to working with a variety of clients and particularly passionate about working with women who are struggling with anxiety, depression, relationship issues, life transitions, existential and identity questions, and their life path.
I’m looking for a two-semester internship (approximately 30 weeks) that includes 15-20 hours on-site per week. This consists of 8 hours of direct service or 10+ appointments per week. The remaining hours include training, supervision, and other indirect services.
If you are interested in collaborating with me, please email me at saminacnelson@gmail.com. I’ll be looking forward to hearing from you!
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Group Updates
Building Hope is working on setting up a Suicide Survivor Support Group for the community. We are looking for providers who may be interested in facilitating this with us. The first round will be approximately 6-8 weeks. If you are interested in participating in all, or part of the 6-8 week support group, please reach out to Alyse@buildinghopesummit.org for more information.
Yirka Platt is facilitating a Support Group for Perinatal Spanish-Speakers, which starts on 10/5. More information can be found in the attached flyer.
MHBHC is continuing to host adolescent therapy groups. They will have two middle school aged groups and two high school aged groups. One is specific to art therapy interventions and the other is based on experiential therapies. Flyers are attached.
MHBHC has also started a new Physical Wellness group, https://www.instagram.com/p/CxtkGY4rb6I/. Please contact Doug for more details: DCannon@mhbhc.org.
Lastly, MHBHC is continuing to do weekly “Sober Doesn’t Suck” events on Fridays from 5-7pm that are free to community members. While the above groups require an intake to be completed, the SDS events series does not. Please reach out to Ciara for more info.
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Educational Opportunities
- The LGBTQ+ Affirmative Therapist Guild of Utah are hosting a series of inservice trainings. Please view their schedule here. Note that registration closes at 11:59 pm on the Tuesday before each inservice and a Zoom link will be sent 24 hours ahead.
- Mental Health America has released a toolkit of free mental health resources for back-to-school. Inside the toolkit you’ll find:
- Fact sheets and tips for youth
- Fact sheets and tips for adults
- Key messages
- A sample drop-in article
- Sample social media posts and images
- Posters
- A guide to national and local resources
- Download the toolkit here
- Join Foundry Steamboat for “Transgenerational Impact of Trauma in Addiction on Client and Family Coping and Embodied Learning in the Group Therapy Setting” (1.5 CEs) and “Embodied Learning in the Group Therapy Setting” (1.5 CEs) held on Oct 23rd, from 10am-1:30pm. This event is in-person and held in Boulder (4747 Arapahoe Ave., Boulder, CO 80534). Register here.
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Job Opportunities
-SMART is hiring for a new clinician
-MHBHC is hiring for a behavioral health specialist and a clinical case manager.
-The Care Clinic is hiring for several positions which can be found here.
-The 5th Judicial District is hiring a Diversion Coordinator. Please contact Jennifer Thornton for more details.
-FIRC is hiring for positions related to insurance enrollment as open enrollment season is nearly upon us, and other positions which can be found here.
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Request for help: Impact of COVID-19 on Latinx Immigrants in Colorado
(flyer attached)
———- Forwarded message ———
From: Julia Roncoroni <Julia.Roncoroni@du.edu>
Hello, my name is Julia and I am a licensed psychologist and tenured associate professor at the University of Denver. My research team is currently conducting a study (“Impact of COVID-19 on Latinx Immigrants in Colorado”) to understand the health behaviors and health of Latinx in Colorado. The intent behind this effort is to eventually develop programming that more adequately serves community needs. For this reason, we strongly want rural communities represented!
Specifically, our study aims to assess (a) disparities in perceived stress, anxiety, and depression between US-born and immigrant Latinx in CO; (b) disparities in engagement in health promoting behaviors (namely, sleep, physical activity, and healthy eating) between US-born and immigrant Latinx in CO; and (c) the role of SDOH as predictors of health and engagement in health promoting behaviors in immigrant and US-born Latinx in CO. Our study is entirely online. Participants are asked to complete a 30-minute survey and receive a $20 gift card for their participation.
I am writing to ask if you would please be willing to disseminate our study information among the community members you serve. If so, please let me know, and I will send you the digital flyers and link to the study.
Thank you so much for your time and attention. I look forward to hearing from you.
Best,
Julia Roncoroni, Ph.D., PMH-C
Licensed Psychologist
Associate Professor, Counseling Psychology
University of Denver
Chief Diversity Officer, National Latinx Psychological Association
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Walkthrough on the process of Medicaid redeterminations
This important info is courtesy of our partners at Left Hand Management. Please reach out to Stephanie Farrell directly with further questions on their consulting and billing services.
Reenrolling in Medicaid can be confusing and stressful. That’s why we’ve created a quick 5 step guide to assist healthcare providers in guiding their patients through the re-enrollment process.
1) Your clients should log onto their PEAK.gov portal and update their mailing address to ensure that it is current, so they receive notifications in a timely manner.
2) Once they receive their notification, they will have 60 days to turn everything in.
3) Your clients will have to submit financial paperwork during the month that they were originally enrolled, so tracking down their tax returns is a good idea.
4) Your clients cannot submit their paperwork ahead of their 60-day window, but they can watch a short video of what will be required to ensure that they are ready.
5) You could contract with Peer Support to help your clients with these processes.
We’re here to support you in understanding these rules and guiding you through the enrollment process.
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North Start Family Services
- Professional Supervised Visitation Program
- Family Engagement Meeting Facilitation
- Safe Exchanges
- SAFE Home Studies and much more!
- See attached flyer
Visit www.northstarfamilysvcs.com and contact Wendy for more details.
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Nurturing Parents Class from 10/5 to 11/16
These classes are held by Summit County Youth and Family with a focus on families with youth ages 12-18.
In this series, families will learn how to build positive parent-teen relationships.
The classes are in English & Spanish, and registration is only $10.
Classes will be held Thursday nights from Oct 5th onwards from 5:30 to 7:30pm.
Please see attached flyer for details.
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Mental Health First Aid Classes @ Silverthorne Rec Center
Darla Whinston is hosting MHFA classes on the following dates:
In person Youth MHFA class is on Oct 12 and 13 from 9:30-2:30
In person Adult class is on November 14 and 15 from 9:30-2:30
The blended learning Youth class is November 8th 9:00-1:30.
Please email Darla for more information: mtndarla@aol.com
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Maternal Mental Health Related Opportunities
- Maternal Mortality Review Committee (MMRC) Recruitment
It’s that time of year again and applications for the Maternal Mortality Review Committee (MMRC) are now open. With each application cycle we want to be intentional about identifying and bringing missing voices to the table. This year, we have the following focus in our recruitment: At this time, the committee is specifically looking to add members who have lived experience with substance use disorders, perinatal mental health conditions (e.g. perinatal depression, anxiety, etc), and being unhoused. The committee is looking to add professional expertise in interpersonal violence (IPV), forensic pathology, and the carceral system/criminal justice reform. Details can be found on the application website. Keep in mind that the application closes on Friday, September 15, please forward as soon as possible.
(Info and application are linked above)
- Virtual Networking Event forCHW/PN
The Colorado Rural Health Center is excited to announce another series of virtual, networking meetings dedicated to community health workers and patient navigators! Join us for the next meeting on Friday, September 29 at 12pm led by Kate Hartzell, Executive Director of the Southwest Colorado Area Health Education Center (AHEC). Kate will guide a discussion on competencies for CHW workforce development and other patient support staff. Don’t miss out on this opportunity, register today!
- Addressing Infant & Maternal Mortality CommunityPartnership Scholarship
After about a 2-year hiatus, AIMM (Addressing Infant and Maternal Mortality) is excited to announce that this year we are continuing the Addressing Infant & Maternal Mortality Community Partnership Scholarship! This scholarship aims to offer financial support to BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and persons of color) birth workers in our Colorado community. Recipients can choose to spend this scholarship on further certifications, needed supplies, or any other way that improves their ability to provide much needed care to our diverse community. Applications will close on Tuesday, October 31st at midnight. Applications can be emailed to aimm@cuanschutz.edu. Recipients will be announced by November 22ndand awards will be delivered shortly thereafter. All necessary information is written in the application document attached in this email. If there are any questions or concerns, do not hesitate to contact us. Additionally, if you know of any potential applicants that may be interested in this scholarship, please feel free to forward this document and email on. (Brief application attached)
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Free Snowboard Lessons thru Mtn Dreamers
Please see attached an awesome opportunity for your Spanish speaking clients and community members! Free snowboard lessons including gear and lift tickets! Please reach out to Yirka for more details.
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Monthly Community Dinners hosted by Mile High Behavioral Health
MHBHC is hosting free monthly community dinners on the last Wednesday of every month at the Senior Center from 5-7pm. Please mark your calendars and we hope to see you there! Please invite your clients for free food, fun and games!
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Volunteer opportunity with CASA of the Continental Divide
Have you or someone you know ever wanted to volunteer for CASA but can’t commit to the advocate role? Here is your opportunity to help CASA by serving on our Community Education Team!
Please see attached flyer for details and contact janine.mariani@mtncasa.org for more information.
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Summit County Concussion Conference – Wednesday November 8, 2023. 9-3 PM
We are very excited to share with you all that Summit County is going to host a Concussion Conference! The last TBI conferences we hosted were in 2013 and 2016 and we thought our community should have another opportunity to get updated on changes to concussion care since then!
Conference Theme: Early identification and multidisciplinary treatment of mild TBIs and concussions: working to connect the silos of care, prevent long term disability and eliminate the “invisible injury.”
Our goal is to cover the spectrum of concussion care from the acute phase (0-48 hrs) to weeks-months-years post-injury. We have invited not only medical providers and community-based personnel (ski patrol, school nurses, behavioral health providers) in Summit County, but also the Central Mountains RETAC (all of the hospitals and EMS agencies in the RETAC including Aspen, Glenwood, Salida, Leadville, South Park, Summit County, Eagle County, Vail) and CDPHE EMTS.
Date/Time: Wednesday November 8, 2023. 9-3 PM
Location: Summit County Community Center (aka Senior Center), 83 Nancy’s Place, Frisco, CO 80443
Cost: Free!
CME/CEU’s provided!
Lunch provided!
Registration link with info: Portal – Live Events (eeds.com) and attached flyer. We are still finalizing presenter times but are intending on keeping the trauma MDs/acute phase of concussion management in the AM prior to lunch. Unfortunately, we cannot provide a Zoom in option to attend. We will continue to update presenter objectives and info but here’s a quick summary.
List of speakers/topics: 6 sessions about 30-45 mins each so it’ll be a lot of info.
- Jay Johannigman, MD, Trauma Medical Director, St. Anthony Hospital- focus on acute phase of concussion assessment and management
- John Hudson, MD, Neurosurgeon- focus on acute phase of concussion assessment and management
- Catherine McGraw, Nurse Practitioner and Program Development Coordinator of NeurosurgeryONE Concussion Clinic- focus on 1 week and beyond post injury
- Dr. Megan Schmauder, O.D, Blue River Vision Clinic- discuss post concussion vision deficits and treatments
- Dr. Ellen Stothard, Ph.D, Colorado Sleep Institute- discuss post concussion sleep disorders and treatments
- Melissa Volkert, OTR/L & OTD, Erica Walker, PT, DPT, & Sarah Campbell, PT, DPT, Vail Summit Physical Therapy- discuss concussion rehab, role of PT and treatments (Cervical, cranial sacral, manual lymphatic drainage, vestibular eval/treat), role of OT (Cognition, Sensory Integration, Activity Analysis to facilitate return to learn/school, play/sports, and everyday function)
- Panel discussion by Rob Courtney, ATC, Noah Wagner, ATC, & Melissa Volkert, OTR/L, OTD from Vail Summit Physical Therapy and Vail Summit Orthopedics and Neurosurgery- discuss Return to Learn and Return to Sport guidelines per the Amsterdam 2022 International Consensus Statement on Concussion in Sport, Colorado Jake Snakenberg Youth Concussion Act
- Jon Jassy, MA and TBI Life Coach, Founder of Rebuild Coaching- discussing specialized life coaching for individuals with post-concussive syndrome and mTBI’s
Please contact Melissa Volkert, OTD, OTR/L, Occupational Therapist, for more details: melissavolkert@centura.org
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As always, thanks for everything you do. Please let us know if there’s anything Building Hope can do to support your practice. Looking forward to seeing you at one of our community events, or the next mixer.
Friendly reminder also to check our provider facebook group as things get posted there on a more quick basis than these emails.
Lastly, if you are a private practice clinician and have a profile on Bldg Hope’s therapist directory, please email me any updates to your profile, such as new health insurances, new location, new specialties, etc!
Thanks,
Ravi