Sinnissippi Centers, Inc.
- Project Title: Family Care Coordinator Project (FCCP)
- Grant Period: 2015-2018
- Program Representative Interviewed: Gloria Martin, Director of Child and Adolescent Services; Connie Davis, Area Office Supervisor
- Location: Dixon, IL
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Program Overview: Sinnissippi Centers, Katherine Shaw Bethea Hospital and
affiliated clinics, and a local developmental disability center have been working for ten years
to improve children's mental health. They were awarded this federal grant in April
of 2015 and have received 3 previous Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) grants.
The care
coordination model they have implemented at their facility is an evidence-based practice used to
help families access mental health treatments. Another strength-based model and promising practice used by
this consortium is the Parent
Café, which is a support group for parents adapted from a national model. One specific staffing
resource this program needed was a Parent Coordinator to train and work with other parents. The program
also has two full-time Care Coordinators and a grant manager. The program requires office space, vehicles for
home-based visits, cell phones, and computers.
One of the biggest barriers faced by this program was creating cost-effective services, since Sinnissippi Centers works with families that are difficult to engage and drive time to visit families is not reimbursed under state funding. To address this barrier, the program tried three different referral models: a cold referral, an informed referral, and a warm referral; finding the most success with a warm referral where a Care Coordinator meets the family face-to-face. The organization also has incorporated representatives from schools during quarterly network-wide meetings. Some of the ways this program has disseminated results are through lunch-and-learns, as well as community presentations.