Question 3 Response. a) The Community Health Network of Berkshire County was formed in 1994 after DPH officials met with local agencies and stakeholders in the county. Bylaws were drafted and passed by the membership, and have had one revision in 2003. The organization today is comprised of more than 45 health-related organizations, area hospitals, human service agencies, school systems, local and state Boards of Health, state legislators, two state agencies, etc. The CHNA maintains a networking focus which engenders effective collaborations among health and human service organizations in
b) Member Organizations: Berkshire County Chapter of the American Cancer Society, Berkshire County Chapter of the American Red Cross, Berkshire AHEC, Berkshire Health Systems, Berkshire County Boards of Health Association, Berkshire Housing Services Berkshire County Kids Place, Berkshire Grown Berkshire Hills Regional School District, Berkshire Regional Transit Authority Boys and Girls Club, Brien Center for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, Central Berkshire Regional School District , Community Health Programs, Berkshire South Community Center, Community Health Association of Richmond and West Stockbridge Elder Services of the Berkshire County, Pittsfield Public Schools, Mt. Greylock School District, Northern Berkshire Community Coalition, Ralph Froio Senior Center, REACH Community Health Foundation, Hospice Care of the Berkshires, Tri-Town Health Department, Pediatric Development Center, Tapestry Health Systems, Northern Berkshire Health Systems, Ecu-Health Care, Adams-Cheshire Regional School District, North Adams Public Schools, Head Start, Child Care of the Berkshires, Girls Inc., Lee Public Schools, Lee VNA, The Insurance Partnership UMass School of Nursing Communities Family and Youth Program, Western Mass. Center for Healthy Communities, Berkshire County House of Correction, Blue Cross/ Blue Shield, WIC, Columbia County (NY) Department of Health, Office of Medicaid.
All members of the CHNA will participate in the assessment and planning by providing information and data, be eligible to serve on the steering committee for this project, and, receive and review progress reports of this project. Some members are positioned to provide services directly funded from this project and other members will continue to provide related services through other sources of funding. Other non-member organizations and collaborations will be active partners with the CHNA.
c) An Executive Committee, made up of three members (
d) The CHNA convenes a monthly meeting, usually the 2nd Monday of the month (exceptions are Monday holidays). The meetings are held at the Hillcrest Campus of Berkshire Medical Center in
e) In
The CHNA developed and distributed a survey to all county physicians, law enforcement agencies and human service agencies in order to document the impact of alcohol and other drugs on their work. The results were reported in local media. Two Sourcebooks were developed by the CHNA, one for physicians’ offices and one for human service agencies, on the recognition, diagnosis, treatment and referral of patients or clients who use alcohol, tobacco and other drugs. Orientation and training sessions were held throughout the county for health and human service providers regarding the use of the Human Service Sourcebooks. The Physician Sourcebooks were distributed to a majority of the physicians in the county for their use with their patients. The Advocacy for Access Program is an ongoing health care access outreach/assistance program created in partnership with Berkshire Health Systems in 1997, initially concentrating its efforts in central
Question 4 Response. a) Berkshire Area Health Education Center (AHEC) has been, since the mid 1990’s, and remains an active CHNA1 member.
b) Berkshire AHEC commits staff time to provide leadership and support for our CHNA.
The Executive Director and another designated staff representative have, over many years, been active in the CHNA by attending and actively participating in meetings, sometimes with two representatives present. In the absence of the other CHNA leadership, Berkshire AHEC representatives have facilitated our meetings. Berkshire AHEC staff have convened and hosted work groups and committees. An example is when we, as a CHNA, indicated a concern/interest in childhood obesity. Berkshire AHEC volunteered to convene a CHNA committee to strategize how we might address the issue from a CHNA perspective. It was decided to conduct a mapping project (assessment). On behalf of the CHNA, Berkshire AHEC submitted over a dozen requests for funding the project.
c) Yes. Berkshire AHEC is a leader in collaborative and coalition support and development. Berkshire AHEC, since its inception thirty years ago, has a history of creating and supporting community coalitions and partnering with other community-based agencies in advancing strategies to improve the health of our communities. For over 20 years, Berkshire AHEC has contracted by the Department of Public Health to provide support and facilitation to five community coalitions. Since 1984 until 2007, the Model Community Coalition grant funded four active and thriving community coalitions/ collaborations. In 1994, as co-lead agency with the Berkshire Council on Alcoholism and Additions, Berkshire AHEC created the Berkshire County Tobacco Control Coalition which coordinated tobacco cessation, awareness and prevention education for several years. Berkshire AHEC, as the lead agency, in 1999 received a three-year MassCALL grant for the purposes of implementing programming that used scientifically defensible prevention methods to reduce alcohol, tobacco and other drug use among youth. Strategies were developed with area at-risk youth and their families utilizing a youth development approach.
Berkshire AHEC is the provider of a DPH funded Youth Access to Tobacco Prevention Program serving 20 cities/towns in
All these aforementioned activities, past and present, involved other CHNA members. Berkshire AHEC is keenly aware and skilled in working collaboratively to advance common areas of concern.
d) Berkshire AHEC was chosen to be the lead at a special meeting on January 16, 2009. Berkshire AHEC petitioned CHNA members to be the lead because of it’s: mission compatibility; similar roles in the past; experience in the provision of suicide prevention work; long and active role in the CHNA; commitment to evidence-based service delivery and best practices; administrative and fiscal capacity; history of working as a provider of DPH contracted services; role in promoting cultural competency; and, ongoing collaborations with higher education institutions.
e) Berkshire AHEC has a record of “clean” audits. The organization has managed grants of all sizes, from federal, state, private and local sources, often involving sub-contracting. Berkshire AHEC has an established and positive record within the Department of Public Health for timely and complete reporting, both programmatically and fiscally. Highly qualified and experienced staff manages grants and prepare fiscal reports. Berkshire AHEC has experience in multiple methods of reporting utilizing varied software applications and databases. Berkshire AHEC maintains current technology resources that support efficient record keeping and reporting. Berkshire AHEC is a financially strong and stable organization. Organizational and financial data is available through www.GuideStar.org.
f) Berkshire AHEC will be responsible for preparing monthly activities reports for the Department.
g) Berkshire AHEC has a history of providing DPH funded youth suicide prevention services. In January 2002 Berkshire AHEC was the recipient of funding through its Berkshire Coalition to Prevent Teen Pregnancy project for suicide prevention activities with high-risk youth. Through an open bid process, Berkshire AHEC awarded a subcontract to the
Question 5 Response.
CHNA member agencies include several agencies providing suicide prevention or related services. In addition we have identified other agencies that will bring their specific experience in clinical work, prevention activities, such as youth development and related work, such as violence prevention, foster care, etc. For a description of the range and depth of experience of the other CHNA member agencies in providing suicide prevention or related services please review the attached Partner forms.
Question 6 Response. Berkshire AHEC's mission statement and DPH profile (attachment x).
Question 7 Response.
Effectively identifying the youth priority populations within our CHNA region will be accomplished through the assessment process of our project. Below is data demonstrating the need for this project.
| | During the past 12 months, did you ever seriously consider attempting suicide? | During the past 12 months, did you make a plan about how you would attempt suicide? | During the past 12 months, did you actually attempt suicide? | If you attempted suicide during the past 12 months, did any attempt result in an injury, poisoning or overdose that had to be treated by a doctor or nurse? |
| MassCHIP Statewide 2005 Data | 12.7% | 11.7% | n/a | 2.4% |
| 2006 | 12.7% | 11.1% | 4.4% | 1.5% |
| 2007 | 13.4% | 10.0% | 3.3% | 3.0% |
| 10th grade highest Data | 16.7% | 16.1% | 5.7% | 4.1% |
Available data comparing youth perceptions (self-reported) of their mental health from the 2006 and 2007 Prevention Needs Assessment for
Needs exists in our area for the following priority youth populations:
a) youth involved with the foster care and juvenile justice system;
Data is not readily available but anecdotal evidence suggests this as a priority population.
b) youth who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, and /or transgender, or questioning;
2.2% of youth report they have been discriminated against or harassed by other students, teachers or school staff because “my sexual orientation.” [2]
c) youth who are or have been victims of dating violence, sexual abuse, bullying , violence in the community or other types of victimization;
6.2% of youth reported that, during the last 12 months, their boyfriend or girlfriend had slapped or physically hurt them on purpose. 10.9% of youth reported that, during the last 12 months they we in a physical fight on school property. 2
d) youth with substance abuse issues or mental illness.
In response to the question “if you were referred to someone because of a mental health issue, did you seek help?”, 10.2 % responded that they received services and 13.6% responded that they were referred but did not receive help.[3]
45.8% of youth self reported as using alcohol, tobacco and other drugs during their lifetime as compared with an Monitoring the Future (MTF) national average of 41.9%.3
Other priority populations may be identified in the assessment process. Overall, the percentage of students reporting risk factors qualifying as “high risk youth” was a 52.8% average.3
Question 8 Response. a) On behalf of the CHNA, a steering committee will be created made up of 5-7 member agencies committed to the success of this program. The purpose of this committee will be to monitor, support and report back to the CHNA the activities of this program. It will meet more often in the early months of the program to support the startup and create working procedures and relations with the lead agency. Berkshire AHEC will hire a project coordinator, with steering committee participation. The person, as outlined in the job description (attachment x) will act as the primary liaison between the CHNA’s steering committee and the lead agency. Periodically other lead agency staff will be available to bring information to the steering committee such as financial reports, budgets, and contracting information.
The steering committee will report to the CHNA membership on a basis to be established by the CHNA at its regularly scheduled meetings.
Some Partners are current members of the CHNA. Other Partners may not have been active in the CHNA but their work is important to the overall success of our work.
A project coordinator will be hired by Berkshire AHEC in conjunction with CHNA steering committee members. See attached job description (Attachment x)
b) On behalf of our CHNA, Berkshire AHEC will leverage its role as a member of the
c) The CHNA steering committee will receive project reports from the project coordinator on a routine basis to be established by the committee. These reports will be based upon an approved workplan by the CHNA and DPH. Reports will focus on progress in achieving measureable outcomes. Financial reports will also be routinely provided as established by the CHNA steering committee showing expenditures as compared to budget. The CHNA steering committee will present summary reports to the full CHNA membership at its regular meetings. Evaluations will be important in keeping us on target and meeting our outcomes.
Berkshire AHEC provides financial internal controls as reviewed annually by their auditor who reports annually to their Board of Directors. Management structure and supervisory relationships are clear. Supervision meetings occur at least once a month, usually two times a month, between supervisor and supervisee. Staff evaluations are conducted annually. The Project Coordinator will be supervised by Berkshire AHEC’s Director of Collaborations and Prevention Activities. (Job Description and resume Attachment x and x) See supervisory chart (Attachment x).
Question 9 Response. Berkshire AHEC is a founding member and supporter of Cross Cultural Action Network (CCAN), an informal network of cross-cultural individuals and organizations that support immigrants and other minority groups in the Berkshires. The group is committed to making the Berkshires a welcoming community through events, advocacy and education.
In order to promote culturally appropriate health care delivery, Berkshire AHEC provides Medical Interpreter Training in the languages of Spanish, Portuguese and Russian in Berkshire,
Berkshire AHEC is active in promoting Health Literacy on a statewide basis. Staff is trained in basic health literacy skills. Examples of trainings promoting cultural competence provided by Berkshire AHEC: Enhancing Cross Cultural Communication in Health Care, March 23, 2007; Applied Health Literacy: Choosing and Using Patient Education Materials, April 8, 2008; Genes vs. Racism: Exploring the Root Causes of Radial Inequalities in Health, January 15, 2009.
Berkshire AHEC deliverables include material review utilizing health literacy standards, translation and interpretation services. In addition Berkshire AHEC employs bicultural staff proficient in Spanish, Portuguese, and Vietnamese. Berkshire AHEC’s Executive Director was a volunteer chapter reviewer for DPH’s newly developed Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) Initiative’s manual, Making CLAS Happen: Six Areas for Action.
Question 10 Response.
April 1, 2009 through June 30, 2009
The budget of $40,692 seeks contract funding in the amount of $37,528. This first start up period allocates resources to allow for the hiring of the project coordinator (advertising cost and 2 months salary and fringe), sub-contracts for partner capacity building and support, support costs for planning, and fiscal agency administrative costs. In-kind is provided initially by Berkshire AHEC at 8.4% or $3164.
July 1, 2009 through September 30, 2009
This second period budget of $45,931 seeks contract funding in the amount of $42,472 and continues to provide support for the project coordinator (3 months salary and fringe), sub-contracts for partner capacity building and support, planning support and fiscal agency administrative costs. In-kind is provided by Berkshire AHEC at 8.2% or $3459.
[1] Conducted by Bach Harrison, LLC,
[2] Ibid, 2007
[3] Conducted by Bach Harrison, LLC,
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