Dana (She/Her/Hers) joined the iCarol team in 2013 after 12 years of direct service and administrative duties at a blended 2-1-1/crisis intervention/suicide prevention center. As the Communications and Social Media Manager at iCarol, you'll find her presenting Webinars, Tweeting, Blogging, Facebooking, and producing other materials that aid helplines in their work.
Each year during the first full week of October, mental health organizations draw attention to mental health conditions through Mental Illness Awareness Week.
Mental illnesses are medical conditions that effect millions of people, however they are still misunderstood and stigmatized, and those living with these conditions still face prejudice that those with other medical conditions don’t experience.
The aim of Mental Illness Awareness Week is to provide public education highlighting the fact that these illnesses are medical conditions and should be treated as such.
For more information on Mental Illness Awareness Week, and to participate with promoting the efforts around public information on mental illness, visit these resources:
In the nearly nine years since first launching, the Idaho Suicide Prevention Hotline has responded to more than 78,000 calls, texts and chats.
Today the Idaho Suicide Prevention Hotline was featured in a special report by KTVB 7 news in Boise, which highlighted their services and impact on the community.
Idaho Suicide Prevention Hotline Director Lee Flinn shared that, “Idaho’s suicide rate right now is 46% higher than the national rate. So it’s quite high…We really are here for anyone who is in crisis, whether it’s a suicidal crisis or a different kind of crisis, and we want people to know that we’re always here and we’re always ready to listen.”
The volume of incoming requests for help is increasing, with August bringing in the most contacts to date. And while helping a record number of people is keeping their 80 volunteers and staff busier than ever, Lee Flinn feels it’s a good sign, saying, “it means that people are reaching out for help, and we want people to reach out for help.”
To watch the video and read the full story, visit the KTVB website.
When your organization is featured in the media, be sure to let me know so I can share it on our blog!
When the Coronavirus pandemic forced daycares and schools to close, many Canadians, especially women, had to reduce their work hours or leave their jobs entirely. According to Statistics Canada, more than 48% of Canadian parents struggle to find affordable childcare, leading to 27% delaying their return to work and 41% adjusting their work schedules to accommodate caregiving.
An Angus Reid poll found that more than 70% of Canadians favour a national childcare program. The upcoming election will give Canadians their say on which plan they prefer, with the Liberal Party advocating for government subsidization that results in C$10/day childcare costs for families. The Conservatives prefer offering up to C$6,000 per year to parents to help them pay for childcare costs.
Returning to school and beginning a new academic year can cause feelings of anxiety and uncertainty in any circumstances, but the impact of COVID-19 makes the event extra stressful on students, parents, and educators alike.
Each year, Mental Health America releases a back to school toolkit aimed at helping people start the new school year right with healthy habits and an awareness of stress and mental health. MHA focuses on the need to prioritize mental health and emotional well-being so that all students can thrive both in and out of the school setting.
The 2021 Toolkit is titled Facing Fears, Supporting Students and contains hands-on materials such as:
iCarol is very proud and excited to be an exhibitor at the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a) virtual conference and tradeshow July 19-22.
This will be iCarol’s third year in attendance at n4a, and second year exhibiting virtually. We are excited to once again celebrate the work of Area Agencies on Aging and Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRCs) and continue to be amazed at how these organizations have responded and provided continuity of services amidst the Coronavirus pandemic. Older adults and those with health conditions are particularly vulnerable to the effects of COVID-19, but maintaining social connections and other services under social distance has been critical to these individuals. These organizations have stepped up in amazing ways to provide consistency and reassurance.
At our virtual n4a booth we’ll have information to share about how iCarol empowers ADRCs, AAAs, and Senior Information Lines, and other services for older adults, individuals with disabilities, and their caregivers to:
Provide social connection and ease loneliness through Telephone Reassurance Programs
Collaborate with Community-Based Organizations to address Social Determinants of Health
Participate in Health/Community Information Exchanges and No Wrong Door initiatives
Provide comprehensive I&R, Closed-Loop referral and collect outcome data
Document information included on reimbursement requests
Meet people on preferred communication channels
Integrate with other software and systems
If you’re attending the conference, be sure to visit the iCarol virtual booth to learn more, download the resources we have available, and contact us with your questions!
From Reuters: 39 million U.S. households will be issued monthly federal checks started Thursday as part of a massive expansion of the child tax credit. The Center on Poverty and Social Policy at Columbia University estimates that the expansion can lift 5 million children out of poverty and reduce the U.S. child poverty rate by up to 45%.
The approach is notable both for its wide reach – the checks issued this week will reach nearly 90% of U.S. children, according to Internal Revenue Service estimates – and for distributing half the money monthly instead of in one lump at tax time.
The program, which is not limited to low-income families, is being likened to a universal basic income for children. Single parents earning up to $75,000 and couples making up to $150,000 can receive the full credit.
Under changes made by the American Rescue Plan passed in March, families will receive up to $3,600 for every child under age 6 and $3,000 for those ages 6 to 17, up from $2,000 per child. A minimum income requirement was removed and the credit was made fully refundable, making it more accessible to parents who don’t work and those with low tax bills.
Family & Children’s Service Nashville is looking for a Data Manager to assist with the implementation and maintenance of databases, data collection systems, and strategies that optimize the efficiency and quality of data. In coordination with the Director of Data Analytics, this position helps maintain the data infrastructure to support operations, including reporting and quality assurance. This position will also support a partner nonprofit agency with database administration and reporting.
Responsibilities Include:
Create, refine, and generate reports on data and outcomes.
Identify and interpret trends or patterns in complex data sets.
Provide technical support for end users for databases and data collection systems.
Assist in quality assurance reporting by filtering and cleaning data to locate and correct problems.
Troubleshoot systems to ensure error-free functionality and end-user satisfaction by conducting research on specific issues related to individual queries or systemic issues.
Did you know that iCarol can work with many telephony systems to “pop” iCarol Contact Forms onto your volunteer/staff screens when a call rings through to their workstation? These Contact Forms can even be configured to pre-populate fields based on data from the telephony system, such as whether the call may be coming from a recognized caller with a profile, or if the caller pressed certain options into your telephony’s interactive voice response (IVR) or “Phone tree” menu while they waited to get through to a specialist.
If you want to learn more, we hope you’ll join our June Support Training where we’ll share more about iCarol Telephony Integration. We will cover:
A live demo of iCarol Telephony Integration in action!
What is iCarol Telephony Integration?
What additional software is needed to subscribe to iCarol Telephony Integration?
What are some use cases for iCarol Telephony Integration?
While we typically hold our Monthly Support Trainings on the third Wednesdays each month, iCarol’s Monthly Support Training in June will take place on the last Wednesday of the month, June 30th at 2pm Eastern.
We welcome and encourage our customers to attend! You can find the registration link on the Admin Dashboard or in our Help Center announcements.
The Senior Alliance, based in Wayne, Michigan, is currently seeking a candidate for the position of Program Manager – LMSW.
The Program Manager – LMSW will manage a team of employees with the goal of improving the lives of older adults who are socially isolated. Effectively focus the team on achieving individual and program performance goals. Continually train the team to effectively enroll patients, implement the agency’s Hearken model, properly document cases and coordinate resource referrals to proper agency staff. Work with agency’s fiscal and information technology staff to insure data integrity, proper programmatic billing and report production. Serve as the agency’s liaison to the program’s partners. This is a temporary role pending budget continuance.
Education: Master’s in Social Work – Program Manager must be a Licensed Master’s Social Worker with experience in counseling
Experience: Minimum two years of experience in direct management of employees and programs, preferably in a professional environment. Demonstrated experience in developing and implementing projects and/or service delivery, including effectiveness in quality assurance/quality improvement activities with complex multi-year programs. Experience with business process, customer service, data management/flow mapping, interacting with high-level external stakeholders and community relations. Possess some understanding of database, system design, or application programming. Experience with Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) development, evidence-based diagnostic tools, and counseling. Familiarity with the aging network and community-based organizations is desirable.
Requirements: Excellent interpersonal and group process skills. Is accurate, conscientious and flexible with attention to detail. Accepts direction, well organized, has the ability to meet deadlines and a willingness to work in a team environment. Is proficient with computers, including using data to generate meaningful queries and reports that help inform discussions regarding program effectiveness and future direction. Ability to develop collaborative partnerships with other agencies, draft documents for public distribution and make presentations on behalf of the agency. Must have valid driver’s license and reliable transportation. Perform job functions with ethics, honesty and integrity. The Senior Alliance (TSA) is a non-profit 501c(3) where philanthropy on behalf of the agency is a requirement of all employees.
Duties include:
Manage daily activities of Social Workers, Peer Mentors, Community Health Workers & Peer Volunteers and effectively address issues arising from client interactions;
Work alongside Director of Programs to develop the Hearken model and any associated grant application
Provide counseling to program clients;
Review pre and post scores on all diagnostic tools used in the program to determine program successes and areas of improvement
Ensure that all staff obtain and maintain required professional certifications when required;
Implement a continual training and skill development program for program staff;
Oversee data entry and documentation processes;
Lead regularly scheduled team meetings to continually develop staff skills, provide programmatic performance feedback and foster interaction between team members focused on experience sharing;
Develop and implement individual staff member and project work plans, as needed;
Develop and maintain open lines of communication with program partners (both internal and external);
Adhere to programmatic policies and procedures established with the program’s contractual partners;
Work with Information Technology Specialist to maintain functionality of the program’s database;
Work with the fiscal department to insure accurate and timely billing of programmatic activities;
Be an advocate for older adults and an effective speaker at local, state and national forums;
Other duties as assigned by the Chief Clinical Officer, Director of Programs, or CEO.
SAMHSA’s Office of Behavioral Health Equity has announced its Elevate CBOs Webinar Series: Grants 101, a webinar on developing a competitive SAMHSA grant application. The webinar is for community-based organizations (CBOs) serving under-resourced racial and ethnic minority, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQIA) populations. The webinar will:
Provide an overview of the grant application process at SAMHSA
Clarify what is and is not required in submitting grant applications
