Benchmarks’ Center for Quality Integration (CQi) would like to say Happy Anniversary to our partners at Integrated Family Services! A year ago, the agency made the decision to join the Benchmarks’ Partnering for Excellence (PFE) initiative between Trillium Health Resources and two of their partnering child welfare organizations in Pitt and Craven counties.
Since joining, Integrated Family Services (IFS) has been more than just a stellar partner. Their commitment to collaborating with community members and stakeholders while working with children and families extends beyond the Benchmarks’ partnership. While IFS has shown a great deal of commitment to the goals of PFE, that commitment has not come easy. Over the last year, in addition to taking on the responsibility of lifting PFE –which aims to provide timely and trauma-intensive assessments and treatment to child welfare-involved children and families—the agency has simultaneously been working to navigate major changes in the mental and behavioral health system. This is a result of COVID and larger system overhauls happening in North Carolina such as Medicaid transformation and Foster Family Prevention Services Act (FFPSA) which went into effect in North Carolina October 1, 2021.
Over the last year, IFS, amongst other providers across North Carolina, have worked diligently to ensure continuity, quality, and access to care for their clients despite these changes. To do this, IFS has worked to strengthen the agencies policies, practices, and relationships with community stakeholders to meet the needs of clients most impacted COVID-related changes. In the past year, as a prevention solution for the increased demand seen by their mobile crisis units, IFS has been working with emergency medical services (EMS) and local law enforcement (LE) on a co-responder program where a qualified professional is stationed with local law enforcement to accompany officers responding to calls. Rather than only accompanying LE on mental health crisis calls, Roxanne Banks, Director of Outpatient Services at Integrated Family services says, “[these partnerships] have shifted what frontline responders have meant for the agency.” For the community, this means mental health concerns of those in greatest need can be addressed prior to a crisis.
In addition, despite challenges many industries across the country have seen regarding staff shortages, the agency has worked to expand services where they have seen an increase in need, such as their Open Access Clinic as well as available evidence-based trauma treatment. The clinics are designed to provide same day, “walk-in” assessments and in some instances therapy for existing clients with urgent mental or behavioral health needs. Research has shown that people are more engaged in long-term treatment if they are able to get care when they want it and when they are motivated to get it. Likewise, since their involvement in PFE, Roxanne Banks shared that the agency has been able to increase their trauma footprint. She shared that the agency sent their first cohort through TFCBT because of their involvement in PFE and “have now brought three groups through the Collaborative.” “PFE has been a gateway to have more clinicians be trauma-informed and trained because [we know] there are several [people with] trauma needs.”
Benchmarks’ CQi is so grateful to have wonderful partners like Integrated Family Services to push forward such great work in the communities we serve. We love to see how initiatives like PFE can serve as change elements for effecting broader community access to services. Especially when we have partners like Integrated who are dedicated to providing quality services and meeting the needs of their clients and communities!
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