ALBANY - The New York State Office of Mental Health has provided an award of $9.5 million over five years to Coordinated Care Services, Inc. (CCSI) for the establishment of a Trauma-Informed Network and Resource Center to advance understanding of trauma, the use of trauma-informed principles, and the availability of trauma-informed care throughout the state.

Trauma informed Care considers a person’s life situation and recognizes the impact traumatic events, both past and present, can have on their mental and physical health.  Trauma-informed practices in organizations can improve engagement and overall health outcomes.

OMH Commissioner Dr. Ann Sullivan said, “Recognition of the value of such a trauma-informed approach has increased as organizations have responded to the stress of the COVID-19 pandemic, racism, and violence in in our communities. This expansion will incorporate recommendations to address the traumatic impact of COVID-19 on frontline workers and, additionally, establishes a foundation to support OMH in responding to future crises and traumatic events in a timely, efficient, and thorough manner.”

“The need has never been greater to support the expansion of equity-focused, trauma responsive practice,” said Dr. Elizabeth Meeker, who will be leading the Trauma Informed Network and Resource Center at CCSI. “This investment by New York State acknowledges the toll that Adverse Childhood Experiences, toxic stress, and the trauma arising from systemic and structural racism have on individuals and communities. The Network will ensure our collective ability to transform our organizations and systems to support the health and well-being of all New Yorkers.”

It is expected that the NYS Trauma-Informed Network and Resource Center will:

• Expand support of networking and collaboration through quarterly meetings and hosting an annual 1½ -day in-person symposium.
• Redesign its website to increase user engagement, ensure responsiveness, and improve user experience. The redesign will include expansion of the directory to support access to trauma-informed providers and services throughout the state.
• Support organizations to become trauma-informed through on-line access to an organizational self-assessment tool and technical assistance.
• Develop statewide trauma-informed training capacity through the creation of a sustainable cadre of diverse cross-sector trainers who can deliver the Trauma Responsive and Resilience Informed Care (TRRIC), a standardized trauma informed and equity-based fundamentals training that was developed by NYS TIN and piloted in December 2021.
• Mitigate the traumatic impact of the pandemic on the workforce and their families by creating a toolkit that provides employers with specific training and informational resources enabling them to create work environments that are trauma informed and support wellness.
• Provide frontline workers access to information and education on evidence-based strategies for mitigating stress, safety planning, both psychological and physical, building resilience and supporting others.
• Expand ability to provide resources and educational materials and to respond in real-time to emerging traumatic events, such as COVID-19, racism, and climate change.

-30-