Celebrating the Heart, Head, and Magic In-between
Thank you to all of our community partners who joined the virtual full partner meeting on June 8th! The large participation is a true testament to the partnerships that have been fostered through the initiative over the last three years. We thank you for your continued dedication towards our shared vision of a safe, healthy, caring, and culturally sensitive community that helps newborn thrive and children achieve their full potential. We look forward to gathering again in person within the upcoming year to re-connect, network, and share with one another.
You can view the recording, or read a quick re-cap below it. For access to the full presentation slide deck, please click here.
Welcome
Kelly Romanoff, with Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation, opened the meeting with a heartfelt tribute to Charles and Margery Barancik and community partners. Kelly attributed the success of the initiative thus far to “the heart, head, and magic in-between that we have all created”.
“As I think back on the heart of the initiative, I can’t help but think of Chuck and Margie Barancik”
For the heart, Kelly thinks of Chuck and Margie, their willingness to support and give back to the community, their love of the work that helps so many. She warmly acknowledged “that to know Margie was to love her, to know Chuck was to respect him”. They both had such a deep love, respect, and admiration for the work of all community partners. First 1,000 Days was their first big initiative in community building, they saw the value in pulling together local organizations to collaborate with one another and induce system-wide change. The core values of Chuck and Margie, Barancik Foundation, partner organizations, and thus the initiative have been instrumental to improving support for families in our region.
“Why does what we are seeing with our head compel the actions of our heart?”
In addition to the heart compelling us to act, the data continues to steer the initiative’s work. Kelly described this as the “head” or brain of the initiative. The statistics have shown that the percent of low-income or poverty-stricken families has increased to 56% during the pandemic. Additionally, 43% of the births at Sarasota Memorial Hospital are to out-of-county residents in Charlotte, DeSoto, and Manatee counties. Understanding that there are no borders for families who need help, we need to ensure we are all connected to provide a seamless continuum of care. The initiative understands that regional work is key to helping families by extending a “no wrong door” approach to care. Thus, First 1,000 Days Suncoast was born! We are excited to partner with surrounding counties to do the work and encourage our partners to please provide a warm introduction to Chelsea if you know of organizations whom we should connect with.
First 1,000 Days is also hiring three employees: Family Navigator, Administrative Assistant, and Peer Support Specialist. Please spread the word about this opportunity!
“Then there is the magic... The place somewhere in-between the head and the heart, where something special just happens”
When the initiative first began, Teri Hansen often told Kelly that community building is “organic”; this is really the magic of the initiative. When we all bring our skillsets, passion, and expertise together to learn from one another that is where the magic really happens.
A few of the magic moments mentioned by Kelly:
The network of partners, the initiative has more than doubled in size since 2018
Initiative Coordinator, Dr. Chelsea Arnold
Website for parents in English and Spanish with tips, tools, and parenting resources
Care coordination platform, Unite Us
Parent Advisory Committee and Steering Committee
Sarasota Memorial Hospital, specifically Mary O’Connor, Pam Beitlich, and Jennifer Wilson
“I hope you all feel a sense of pride as we look at the pixie dust that is being sprinkled in this community, the magic of the work we’ve created.”
With all of the accomplishments over the last 3 years, it was fitting to have Kelly celebrate the initiative’s own first 1,000 days. In addition to spearheading the initiative, the Barancik Foundation has been instrumental in laying a strong foundation for its future. Their foresight, leadership, and on-going support of operations has made our work possible.
The Next Chapter: Trauma Informed Care in the Pandemic Era
“In the rush to return to normal, use this time to consider which parts of normal are worth rushing back to”
Dr. Sidney Turner, founder and board chair at Resilient Retreat, was the initiative’s key note speaker. In her fabulous presentation, she shared the impact of COVID on providers, highlighted local organizations/initiatives addressing trauma, and shared what still needs to be done and how we can take it one step further as a community.
Preconditions for Trauma
The preconditions for trauma were reviewed and Dr. Turner emphasized how Coronavirus “checked all of the boxes” for them. For people who were already struggling, she compared the pandemic to adding lighter fluid to the fire.
Preconditions:
lack of predictability
Immobility
Loss of connection
Numbing and spacing out
Loss of time and sequence
Loss of safety
Loss of sense of purpose (Van de Kolk, 2020)
Impact of COVID on our Providers
Surveying professionals in the community, Resilient Retreat found 62% of professionals reported their personal life was harder and 78% reported doing their job was harder.
Community Initiatives to Address Trauma
Dr. Turner commended the trauma work of some local organizations and initiatives. She reminds us this is not an exhaustive list of all regional efforts. Click on the links below to learn more about each of them:
Opportunities for Growth
Great strides have been made in understanding trauma and its potential impacts on individuals in the community. To conclude her presentation, Dr. Turner talked about the opportunity for growth in our region:
Using the mindset “What’s Right with You?”
Empowering people by pointing out positive attributes and encouraging them to make their own decisions
Recognizing trauma is a body-based disorder, not a brain-based disorder. We must remember to heal the physical impacts of trauma.
Moving beyond the traditional ACE scoring and understanding there are many different types of trauma
Building a healthy community is key, we can’t have healthy children without a healthy environment
There is hope! The nervous system changes that occur after trauma are reversible; people are indeed resilient.
“It only takes one person to completely change the trajectory for somebody. Only one positive person, who has hope, who believes in someone, who really wants to help them. I want to encourage all of us to be that one in our community; not only in your work but for your friends and family. ”
Partner Collaboration & Innovation
In 2018, key stakeholders convened to look at barriers for families in the community. Coming together using the collective impact model, a shared mission and vision was developed, partnerships were created, and barriers were identified. Difficulty navigating the system was listed by professionals and parents alike as one of the biggest barriers to care. Since that time, First 1,000 Days has grown to over 75 partner organizations. In a short period of time we have addressed many system barriers, launched a care coordination platform, developed a website for parents to learn about resources in the community, and most importantly built partnerships.
Partnerships are really the magic and beauty behind the initiative. It is from access to diverse expertise, that we have come up with innovative ways to address system barriers in our community. Using a variety of professionals from different sectors and experience and parents in the community, our workgroups are identifying ways to not only improve access to care for families but also prevent burn out and provide tools for our incredible professionals who work directly with them.
“The rules for interaction from collective impact create an alignment within complex relationships and sets of activities which, when combined with shared intentionality, causes previously invisible solutions and resources to emerge.”
Education and Outreach
Nan Morgan, Education and Outreach Chair and Senior Director for Education and Public Policy at Planned Parenthood of Southwest Florida shared progress from the Education and Outreach workgroup.
Thank YOU to all committee members! It has been so much fun meeting monthly to bounce around innovative ideas to increase awareness about the initiative
The Color the Community campaign is still going on and will continue through the summer. Please encourage parents to participate, using the instructions below. There is a weekly drawing for a Target gift card for participants. Click here to see pictures from the community, including: SMH Child Care Centers, Forty Carrots Family Center, and Venice Nokomis Community Preschool.
Partner Competition
There will be a friendly competition, running during the month of July. Please see instructions below.
Making Strong Roots
Ann Hardy, Community Engagement Coordinator for Sarasota County Libraries and initiative Parent Advisory Committee Facilitator, shared about some exciting events this upcoming fall.
Making Strong Roots, by Traci Kegerreis, is the final piece of local artwork commissioned by the initiative. Sarasota County Libraries will have banners of the artwork rotating between library locations in late summer/early fall. There will be many festivities including educational activities led by the artist. Lastly, the initiative hopes to do a festival in the fall. The festival would include a celebration of the artwork, booths with our community partners, and on-going educational workshops parents and/or children can attend.
Access to Care
Carla Johanns, Clinical Director at Forty Carrots Family Center and one of the Access to Care co-chairs shared about the importance of addressing antenatal and postpartum depression, anxiety, and other mood disorders as well as the objectives of the Access to Care workgroup. Kathie Wiegand with CenterPlace Health and Meredith Piazza with Cyesis are also co-chairs of the group.
Workgroup Objectives
Asset Map: Identify existing resources for antenatal and postpartum depression, anxiety, and mental health disorders
Innovation & Collaboration: Develop creative solutions to address capacity concerns and missing services by leveraging existing programs and resources
Provider Education & Support: Create or identify education and/or tools for healthcare providers treating pregnant and postpartum women
Universal Screenings: Increase screening for mental health disorders and substance use in OB and Pediatric practices
Stigma Elimination: Spread public awareness about mental health services/support in the community and when to seek help
Professional Development
Laura Josephson, Parenting Education Director for Forty Carrots Family Center and co-chair of the Professional Development workgroup, introduced an exciting opportunities for community partners this upcoming fall. The workgroup is also led by co-chairs Jennifer Carey with Sarasota Medical Pregnancy Center and Christina Russi with Glasser/Schoenbaum Health & Human Services Center.
Trauma Informed Partners
A community survey was conducted to assess partner agency scope of professional development within the context of Trauma Informed Care and Cultural Competence. From the respondents, it was found that less than 50% of community organizations provide Trauma Informed Care training routinely to their staff.
At the recommendation of the Professional Development workgroup, First 1,000 Days sponsored a partner-wide Trauma training. The training has two phases: Introduction Clinical and Non-clinical 3-part workshops and then concierge-level training for organizations who want more in-depth training. Mandy O’Malley with Resilient Retreat shared the details of the cohorts, there will be more information circulated to community partners in the near future.
Care Coordination
Corinna Kelley, Unite Us Account Manager, shared local data from the Unite Us platform. Unite Us is our care coordination platform, connecting medical, mental health, and social services across the region. This has been a key component to addressing the biggest barrier of “difficulty navigating the system” identified by partners and professionals alike. To learn more click here , or contact our Community Engagement Manager Stephanie Harris by clicking here.
Summary
Dr. Arnold concluded the meeting with a review of next steps for the initiative, calls to action for parents and professionals, and by thanking all partner organizations for their work over the last several years.
Next Steps
1. Hire First 1,000 Days staff
2. Robust marketing campaign to increase traffic to parent portal website
3. Gather key stakeholders in surrounding counties to collect data, identify barriers, and determine priorities
4. Fill services gaps on the Unite Us network
5. Expand Parent Advisory Committee and conduct regional focus groups
6. Hold a regional summit to re-visit mission, vision, & principals and finalize strategic plan
7. Develop targeted interventions and services by leveraging partnerships and using multi-sector data
Calls-To-Action
• Like & Follow First 1,000 Days Suncoast. Share content about the Color the Community campaign on your Page.
• Participate in the The Basics partner competition in July
• Do an art activity with your clients or co-workers and tag the initiative!
• Join a community workgroup: Education and Outreach, Access to Care, or Professional Development
• Help us identify organizations to fill service gaps on the Unite Us network
• Learn more at first1000partners.org
Thank you!
In addition to the philanthropic support of the Barancik Foundation, the dedication and generous contributions of community foundations and individual donors has made all of our work possible. We want to thank them for their continued support.