iCarol is your help line software company that is here to make your job easier as Executive Director or leader of a non-profit contact center. Whether you have a crisis, help or 211 referral line, we are here to help you help more people in your community. Read more...
All the data shows that it is critical for your organization to offer consumers more ways to reach you than just by phone. Phone calls are declining in popularity and offering SMS/Texting and Live Chat to connect with your services is crucial if you want to reach everyone in need, stay relevant, and help more people.
For a limited time, you can add a first or additional Live Chat or SMS/Text Portal to your iCarol system and save 50% off the usual setup costs!
When you integrate these important channels into their iCarol system, you can:
Reach populations of people who either can’t or prefer not to make phone calls
Build rapport and trust by offering a more private way for someone to share their story
Streamline data collection and reporting to include Live Chat/Text
Have complete control over Online/Offline times using your iCarol shift schedule
Access additional reporting on SMS/Text such as offline texts received and overall usage
Plug resource and referral information from your database into the messaging conversation
Triage Live Chat conversations using pre-conversation survey data
Use pre and post conversation information to measure your impact
And much, much more!
This offer is only valid for a limited time — If you haven’t checked out iCarol’s Messaging tools in awhile, now is the time! We have exciting new enhancements coming to Messaging at the end of this month so stay tuned for more information! Also check out these resources to learn more about iCarol Messaging:
On June 30, the Canadian Minister of Crown–Indigenous Relations, Marc Miller, announced that nearly to $2 million in funding was allocated to five projects heeaded by four Indigenous women’s and 2SLGBTQI+ organizations. The funding will support the organizations in their work promoting Indigenous 2SLGBTQI+ voices and perspectives on how to effectively protect and empower Indigenous 2SLGBTQI+ people.
These projects span three provinces and aim to identify community needs and service gaps; provide culturally relevant, land-based programs; and foster connections through the creation of regional support groups for 2SLGBTQI+ people.
On June 27, Marci Ien, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth, announced over $1.5 million for three Indigenous women’s and 2SLGBTQQIA+ organizations located in Ontario. The selected organizations are:
Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), issued a new advisory on the Identification and Management of Mental Health Symptoms and Conditions Associated with Long COVID.
According to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, “Long COVID has a range of burdensome physical symptoms, and can take a toll on a person’s mental health. It can be very challenging for a person, whether they are impacted themselves, or they are a caregiver for someone who is affected. This advisory helps to raise awareness, especially among primary care practitioners and clinicians who are often the ones treating patients with Long COVID.”
The advisory includes information on the epidemiology of mental health symptoms and conditions of Long COVID and provides evidence-based resources for their assessment and treatment. Long COVID has been associated with mental health conditions such as sleep disturbances, depression, fatigue, anxiety, cognitive impairment, obsessive compulsive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder, and others.
Not all people are impacted by Long COVID equally. Social determinants of health can contribute to the negative impact for certain groups, including racial and ethnic minority populations, those with limited access to health care, those with pre-existing behavioral health conditions, individuals with physical and intellectual disabilities, and individuals who are LGBTQIA+.
The advisory is part of the whole-of-government response to the longer-term impacts of COVID-19, including Long COVID and associated conditions. According to HHS and SAMHSA, primary care providers can use some evidence-based approaches developed to treat conditions and syndromes with similar symptoms and provide referrals and access to resources specific to Long COVID.
June 1st marks the beginning of Pride Month, celebrated throughout North America and all across the world.
This month we honor and celebrate the LGBTQIA community — the hard-fought battles for legal equality, contributions to society, and rich history full of struggle but also one of joy and celebration.
At iCarol we live by the Harris Computer Systems core values, including the first and most important value: Respect of the Individual. Each person has the right to live authentically, without shame, stigma, discrimination, or fear of violence. And everyone deserves to live proudly and celebrate their unique selves and their special place and purpose in this world. Everyone is deserving of love and acceptance.
Unfortunately in spite of the progress made for LGBTQ+ rights over the years, there are numerous attacks and active pieces of legislation that harm this community in the US, Canada, and elsewhere.
We applaud the work of organizations working hard to protect rights for LGBTQIA / 2SLGBTQI+ individuals and families, and secure greater safety and equality for the community. Organizations across the world, including many of our customers, work hard each day to provide safe spaces for the LGBTQIA community to access services and support. We appreciate them and the life-saving work they carry out every day.
According to the US Census Bureau, the Hispanic or Latino population, which can include people of any race, was 62.1 million in 2020, or 18.9% of the total U.S. population. This represents 23% growth since 2010 and is the nation’s second largest racial or ethnic group. Over 71% of Hispanics or Latinos speak a language other than English at home, and 28% report that they are not fluent in English. Hispanic or Latino people can face barriers to obtain healthcare, including affordable and accessible mental healthcare. Aside from language, a lack of cultural competency among providers, stigma, and fears related to legal status can all prevent them from getting the assistance they need for any mental or behavioral health concerns.
One of the primary goals of instituting the 988 Lifeline service in the US was achieving greater access to mental health care for all, and a reimagination of what crisis and mental health care can be in communities across America. We know there can be disparities in access to care, and the quality of care itself, for BIPOC individuals including the Hispanic and Latino population. To reduce both language and cultural competency barriers to Hispanic or Latino people receiving care, and to ensure the answer rates for these calls can be as high as calls for English-speaking services, SAMHSA and Vibrant Emotional Health are seeking more Spanish-speaking centers to join the 988 Lifeline network.
If your organization has proficiency in Spanish language mental health, emotional wellbeing, or suicide prevention support through crisis counseling, and are interested in becoming a 988 Lifeline center, please visit https://988lifeline.org/our-network/ and contact the 988 Lifeline through the “Become a Lifeline Crisis Center” tab.
From Wednesday, April 19 through Friday, April 21, Aaron from the iCarol team will be at the American Association of Suicidology Conference in Portland, Oregon hosting our booth in the exhibit hall and attending other events.
The conference is a convergence of professionals working across the spectrum of the suicide prevention industry, from those operating crisis centers and other direct care services, to professionals working in academic settings conducting suicide prevention research, advocates focused on prevention, education and awareness, and those with lived experience.
So we can continue to stay ahead of the topics that most impact iCarol’s customers and continue to support the work of crisis centers, Aaron will join a number of networking and information events. This includes the Lines for Life crisis center tour, and receptions and networking meetings for 988 centers.
Having supported crisis centers since the earliest days of the Lifeline network, and serving a large portion of the network that are iCarol customers, we have witnessed the Lifeline’s growth year after year, both in the number of participating centers and the volume of contacts the Lifeline receives through calls, chats, and other forms of communication, and eventually transitioning to the 988 initiative. At this year’s update we’re anticipating the latest news on the development and growth of the 988 network. We’re closely following the continuing conversations on how communities are changing their practices around responding to mental health emergencies and similar crises, with a continuing shift towards crisis intervention teams and other professionals leading the response as opposed to law enforcement.
iCarol enthusiastically supports the efforts to reimagine crisis response in communities across the United States. It’s crucial that people everywhere have access to human-focused, culturally competent crisis care that meets their needs whether that be through an empathetic listener on a crisis line, an in-person visit from a mobile crisis response team, or a stay at a crisis stabilization center. It’s our mission to provide tools to crisis centers that help them respond to their community’s needs. We hope you’ll explore our website to learn more about how we are serving this industry.
The discussions at AAS directly inform iCarol’s strategy and product development in the coming months and years, which ensures we will continue to meet the needs of suicide prevention and crisis centers everywhere, providing the tools they need to do their life-saving work. That’s why we want to ensure we take advantage of being together in-person in Portland to have conversations about challenges, needs, and solutions. If you plan to be at the AAS Conference, please stop by our booth to download our guides and materials, including our ebook on choosing software for crisis intervention and suicide prevention services. Aaron will be available for meetings at your convenience to answer your questions, or have conversations about your challenges or projects and explore how iCarol can be of assistance.
iCarol Public Web Forms take the power of data collection and custom workflows available to your iCarol system users inside the iCarol application, and brings them online for public use.
This means that visitors to your public website could fill out a webform, submit it, and the completed form and data comes into your iCarol system, and is available for reporting, exporting, and placing a client into any other workflows so they can receive your services. What you do with the information is completely dependent on your particular use case! Some common uses of Public Web Forms are:
Service Inquiries – Offer people another way to get in touch with you and inquire about your services. Let them provide you with needed information at the time that’s most convenient for them, then follow-up with them by phone, text, or email. You can even text or email them from within your iCarol system!
Program Enrollment – Invite folks to sign up for one or more services you offer. Once their completed form is in your iCarol system and you validate it, it’s easy to create a profile and begin any other workflows to enroll them in services.
Accept Warm Referrals from Partner Agencies – If a local provider refers clients to you for services, that provider can use your Public Web Form URL to enroll or request services for a client.
And those are just a few of the ways this service is being used.
In a recent Monthly Support Training we walked through several use cases to show how Public Web Forms can be the entry point that results in a number of new ways to help your community and better engage partners and collaborators to improve care coordination and continuums of care.
We’ve also added a lot of functionality to Public Web Forms recently. For instance, did you know that with iCarol Public Web Forms you can…
Include simple password protection, if you want to allow the form to be easily found on your website for ease of access, but only usable and fillable by authorized partners
Create Follow-up Activities automatically when they arrive in your iCarol system
Upload documents like consent forms, authorizations, proof of identity, etc. with a form submission
Restrict form availability to certain days and hours, so people are directed to the right service at the right time
Embed pre-screening questions that redirect a client to a more appropriate contact method and disable form submission if they don’t enter the right pre-qualifying criteria
Notify key staff when a new form arrives in your system
If you haven’t explored Public Web Forms for your agency lately, now’s the time to take another look.
iCarol Customers can view our recent Monthly Support Training by logging into iCarol, navigating to our Help Center, and searching for Public Web Forms.
We’d also be delighted to have a quick meeting with you to talk about your needs, answer your questions, or provide a demo of the product. You can schedule a meeting here or simply Email us!
Grateful. It’s the first word that comes to mind when we think of you and your organization. Thank you for your service to your community. We are grateful for your business, and it is an honor and pleasure to partner with you. Wishing you a joyous season and a Happy New Year! From iCarol, a division of Harris Computer Systems
Guest blogger Sidhra Musani is Program Manager at Dr. Shabaz Charity Group
Guest blog views and opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of CharityLogic/iCarol, or iCarol’s parent company, Harris Computer Systems.
Help Us Launch Our Mental Health Helpline to Support the Greater Minnesota
Community by December 2022!
Sukoon: Healing of the Minds is an initiative that aims to provide support and resources for
minds in distress in a culturally informed manner, particularly for underserved and
marginalized communities. It’s designed to help individuals from all walks of life cope when
they are struggling with their mental health and wellness, regardless of their background,
situation or needs. So everyone can get the help they need, with confidentiality and empathy,
without fear of judgment or stigma.
Our Helpline Will Serve 7 Days a Week!
The helpline will be open and available to the local community 7 days a week. Individuals
can call/text the line anytime between 8 PM and 8 AM for anonymous and free support. Our
culturally informed and trained respondents will respond by seeking to listen, understand,
support, encourage, and assist as needed. Referrals to practitioners, support groups, local
agencies, and other relevant resources will also be provided to connect the caller/texter with
potential next steps.
What sets us apart? Empathy with Cultural Understanding.
Did you know that BIPOC communities in particular are much more likely to develop mental
health conditions? Among the major barriers for treatment are lack of access to culturally
informed mental health treatment and the gaping demand for understanding the unique
mental health needs of those communities. Cultural challenges get in the way, and anxiety as
well as stigma prevent people from reaching out. Our diverse team of respondents
understands those cultural challenges and struggles. As the organization works to develop
specialized care services, our aim is for individuals to begin their journey to healing through
this helpline with informed respondents who can understand and validate their experiences
(through mutual lived experiences). All respondents are trained to help with the following
and more:
Depression
Anxiety
Grief & Loss
Mental Health Challenges
Homelessness
Cultural and Religious issues
Financial Stress
Intimate Partner Violence
Suicide
Child Abuse or Neglect
Substance Use & Abuse
Sexual Assault
Identity Crisis
About the Organization
Dr. Shabaz Charity Group (DSCG) is a nonprofit organization that aims to create specialized
programming, increase awareness, and provide resources to strengthen the mental, physical
and emotional health and wellness of our greater Minnesota community. Our focus is to
bridge the gap in providing culturally informed resources and mental health services to
minority communities. Please help us provide these resources by donating to our campaign!
The Dr. Shabaz Charity Group is non-profit charity organization with 501(c)(3) status. All
donations are tax deductible.
Want to support this work with a one-time donation? Donate HERE
Interested in becoming a monthly donor? Check out our $100 or $10 monthly campaigns.
Want to learn more about the work we’re doing, check out our website HERE.
Have any questions, comments, suggestions, or concerns, please do contact us at
depdirector.dscg@gmail.com or give us a call at 612-282-5150.
