CHENANGO COUNTY — Have you ever heard of the Systems of Care (SOC)? It began in the 1980s as a philosophy of putting the individual consumer’s personal and unique needs at the center of a team-based model of service provision. Acknowledging that all service providers are monitored, audited, and governed by their relevant and specific rules and regulations, the premise or concept of being consumer focused began to take shape, gain traction, and spread across the U.S.

The New York State Office of Mental Health became a driving force in the pursuit of this paradigm shift in service provision across the board. Their robust foresight allowed funding to be granted across the state to pursue this endeavor. Locally, Chenango and Delaware Counties saw this as a unique opportunity to partner in this goal, and as such, is the only grant in the state to cover two counties together instead of just one. The idea is a great deal of crossover exists between these counties, and working together would prove exceptionally and mutually beneficial.

To date, committees have been formed to not only see this particular project through but specifically to:

further develop and promote a comprehensive, two-county SOC website; create a current database of area mental health providers to ensure the most accurate and up-to-date referrals for individuals and families; expand a peer advocacy program by seeking certified training for interested residents in both counties; continue efforts to provide prevention education in communities; and engage in outreach with area employers to share information and resources.

Most specifically, SOC will gather data from residents directly to ensure gaps in services are identified and woven into all projects moving forward. This is a golden opportunity to have your voice heard, share your experiences (both positive and negative), and make an impact here at home while the results will also be shared with the state; not including any personally identifying information.

You have a chance to potentially affect policies and funding, while educating others who don’t do this work everyday to have a better understanding of the needs of our residents. `

To this end, a new SOC Coordinator has been hired to schedule, host, and facilitate 20 focus groups – 10 in each county. To make these groups most accessible, the schedule includes both Zoom and in-person meetings, are offered on differing days of the week, and at various times of day. The facilitator is also open to attend existing group meetings, travel to different locations when feasible, and offer snacks and gift cards to participants just to hear what you have to say and because your time is valuable!

The focus groups are currently scheduled through mid-August, so feel free to checkout our website www.chenangohealth.org, our Facebook page, call the office at 607-337-4128 or contact SOC Coordinator Raini MacGibbon directly at rainib@chenangohealth.org or 607-316-2704.

This is a unique and exciting opportunity and we want you to be part of it! This project is a natural continuance and progression of the work currently being done here locally and will also strive to reduce the stigma in the community surrounding issues of mental health and substance abuse.

It's worth noting that, statistically, 8 percent of the population lives with some type of mental health issue, most commonly anxiety and/or depression, and 41.4 percent engage in some form of substance abuse. This translates to thousands of individuals in Chenango and Delaware Counties alone. This equates to a large number of affected residents, which this project seeks to acknowledge and assist moving forward. With that being said, chances are you or someone you know may benefit from your participation.

Let's talk about it!

-Information provided by Chenango Health Network