CONCERN entered the world of Trauma-Informed Care in 2016 when our Northern-Tier Outpatient programs were invited to participate in an initiative called the Trauma-Informed Care Learning Collaborative. Funded through state grants, the Trauma-Informed Care Learning Collaborative was hosted by Community Care Behavioral Health (CCBH) and The Behavioral Health Alliance for Rural Pennsylvania (BHARP). Through the collaborative, CONCERN was afforded the opportunity to participate in many educational conferences, trainings, and workshops geared toward assisting our programs in moving toward a trauma-informed approach. The collaborative supported CONCERN through many changes such as implementing universal trauma screenings, developing a Trauma Quality Improvement Team (QIT), providing trauma-informed supervision, creating calm office environments, and so much more. All the hard work paid off when CONCERN’S Outpatient programs in Towanda and Mansfield were recognized by BHARP as exemplary level Trauma-Informed Care Centers (TICC). Â
Presently, the Northern-Tier Outpatient programs continue to achieve Trauma-Informed Care Center status and we are now gearing up to infuse the trauma-informed work and culture into every aspect of the agency; All regions, all programs, all departments. We have expanded our Trauma Committee (QIT) to include representatives from all parts of the agency and with the use of self-administered organizational assessments from both the Department of Human Services and the Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse, we are able to set goals and continue the important work to be done. Through an agency-wide, trauma-informed approach CONCERN will continue to bring hope, offer opportunity, and inspire change through the many communities we serve. Â
Author: Amanda Carson - Regional Development Coordinator
