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HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | SEPTEMBER 30, 2024 B11 HEALTHCARE HEROES | 2024 Awards Winner Category | Innovation Community Health Resources Mobile Crisis Department Team Led by: Melissa Brown, LCSW (Children), Elizabeth Smith, LCSW (Adult) C ommunity Health Resources is a nonprofit behavioral healthcare provider in Connecticut, offering a wide range of personalized services for children, families and adults whose lives have been touched by mental illness, addiction, homelessness or trauma. CHR's mission: Inspiring hope for community and individual well-being. What have been the team's significant contributions to the organization in the past year? CHR's mobile crisis teams continue to provide essential support for individ- uals in crisis. eir work has increased exponentially through the pandemic and beyond. We now have crisis clinicians embedded within several police depart- ments to co-respond with officers. Schools are the largest referral source for children experiencing mental health crises. CHR has seen an annual increase of nearly 30% in crisis calls since the start of the pandemic. What are some major challenges the team had to overcome? Some major challenges we have faced include recruitment of qualified staff and meeting the needs of the community. We have overcome these by expanding our recruitment efforts and enhancing supervi- sion/training to help with retention. Wellness benefits and diversity training help meet the needs of the communities that we serve. What's the team's next major goal and/or challenge? e nature of crisis work is unpredictable. However, we are a learning organization and always train to be ready to respond when and where we are needed by continually assessing the needs of the community, collaborating with our partners, and utiliz- ing person-centered approaches to care, and focusing on prevention work. Team Members: Elizaibet Rodrigez, Caity Dion, Cat Jones, Victor Acevedo, Cassy Holmes, Angela Farmer, Hadiya Robinson, Josseline Rios, Tracy Smith, Melina Laboy, Alison Vacek, Terrell Forbes, Christine Tomlin, Abby Litrenta, Coree Campbell, Dawn Ferron, Kathleen Davis, Tara Smith, Taminesha Holley, Carolyn John- son, Brianna Perry, Amy Lakin, Shontelle Brew- ster, Tomisha Walker, Krystle Pierce, Samantha Nielsen, Diana Giordano, Jul Gorman, Rebbeca Fischer, Michael Wilson, Lauren Rooney, Rachel Russo, Jonathan Sutkitis, Liz Torres, Serginho Walker, Kiajuana Dailey, Sarah DeVito and Miguel Olmo Winner Category | Innovation Hartford HealthCare Medical Mission H artford HealthCare is a community of caregivers engaged in developing a coordinated, consistently high standard of care, using research and education as part of care delivery to create a better future for healthcare in Connecticut and beyond. e system's mission is to improve the health and healing of all. What have been the organization's significant accomplishments in the past year? Access to free or low-cost health- care services for all is a top priority in many communities we serve. To tend to the myriad needs of margin- alized, underserved, unhoused and struggling people at no cost, Hartford HealthCare expanded the Medical Mission St. Vincent's Medical Center started in 2015 to be a systemwide effort. On November 4, 2023, 1,862 colleague and provider volunteers and even more community partners manned six locations across the state, providing 2,239 people of all ages such services as: behavioral health, diabetes, blood pressure screenings; clothing; glasses; hair- cuts; nutrition counseling; referrals for follow-up care; prescriptions; and vaccinations. What are some major challenges the organization had to overcome? e logistics of hosting Medical Mission at six locations is staggering. We drew heavily on the expertise and experience of our St. Vincent's colleagues. Using their successful playbook — and months of meticu- lous, multidisciplinary planning — we addressed such challenges as securing adequate Wi-Fi at the venues and organizing child care for parents. What's the organization's next major goal? Medical Mission defines who we are, what we stand for and what we mean to communities. On November 2, 2024, we expand Medical Mission, working with more partner agencies and adding a site in central Connecticut. We want to serve more people and families this year and for more years to come. These highly trained Healthcare Heroes save lives every day by responding to mental health crises across the region. They are a vital part of nonprofit behavioral healthcare provider, CHR's system of care. Learn more at www.chrhealth.org. www.chrhealth.org CONGRATULATIONS TO CHR'S 24/7 ADULT AND CHILD MOBILE CRISIS TEAMS!