CWLA Conference
Residential Programming
With an incredible team of Senior Managers, our Residential Programs...
Guiding Residential Program Management
Senior Manager Introductions are featured here to showcase Hillcrest's diverse offerings and talented team.
NYPUM
A note from Chris: This August, I proudly celebrated my 20th year at Hillcrest Educational Centers. My time spent here has been challenging, incredibly rewarding, and feels like it started just yesterday! Since joining the Hillcrest team in 1997, I’ve had many different roles, ranging from direct-care and program supervisory positions to program management, senior management, and executive management positions. During that time I was also able to attain a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Massachusetts Isenberg School of Business by taking advantage of Hillcrest’s investment in the education and continued professional development of their staff. I hope that anyone seeking a positive life-changing career path look no further than Hillcrest Educational Centers. In my current role as Senior Vice President, I am responsible for residential program oversight. Through the direct supervision of an incredible team of Senior Managers, I ensure all programs and departments work collaboratively in order to provide the highest quality care to the most unique children and adolescents who present with some of.......CONTINUED ON PAGE 2.
www.hillcrestec.org
Page 2 Summer Picnics Page 3 Student Recognition Days Page 4 National Youth Project Using Minibikes Program Page 5 Golf Classic St. Mark's Renovation Update Page 6 Gender Responsive Programming Page 7 Hillcrest Dental Care Berkshire County Kids' Place
Index
Chris Smith
Senior Vice President,
Student Celebrations
Ensure Quality Care Focus on Collaborations Effectively Adapt to Change And More...
Senior Manager Introduction:
Trendsetters
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Fall 2017 Hillcrest Newsletter
www.hillcrestec.org Hillcrest Newsletter: Fall 2017
Page {{page}} The Academy currently has a capacity of 48 students with a fluctuating waiting list for admission. Since opening our doors, student enrollment has tripled due to an increased demand for services. As a result, we have outgrown our current space on West Housatonic Street in Pittsfield. The building lacks adequate classroom space for the number of students being served and has no auditorium, gymnasium, or cafeteria. A larger space will enable the Academy to accommodate a growing demand for services. To meet this need, we are relocating to the former St. Mark's Middle School building in Pittsfield with a target move-in date of September 2017.
Celebrating the sunshine with Hillcrest Students
Former St. Mark's Middle School Building
Respectfully,
Current Location
Every summer we invite Hillcrest students from each campus to visit the administrative offices for a picnic under the tent in our courtyard. This allows students to experience a real summer cookout and mingle with the administrative team, providing a valuable social component to their time in therapeutic care. Above, you see a few photos from this summer's picnics.
Chris' note, continued from cover page: the most intensive behavioral and psychiatric needs in the northeast. An example of this departmental collaboration was our shift of adolescent girl programming from Hillcrest Center to the Brookside Intensive Treatment Unit. This transition took an incredible amount of communication and planning among staff from every department including the Brookside and Hillcrest Center programs, nursing, education, clinical, and admissions and marketing to name a few. By making this move we’ve been able to continue to refine our services for girls and develop, grow, and promote a program for a population in need of services. A prime example of this promotion is Hillcrest’s recent Child Welfare League of America annual conference presentation in Washington, D.C., where Brookside staff conducted a training on “Treating the Too Acute” which reviewed Hillcrest’s approach to Gender Responsive Programming. It’s incredibly rewarding to be a be a part of such a talented multi-faceted team that shares a common goal of helping kids develop skills in order to live happy, healthy lives. What’s equally inspiring is the ability to observe the amazing work all of our dedicated staff, especially our direct-care staff, every single day. With that, I hope you enjoy learning a little more about some of the amazing things Hillcrest Educational Centers, Inc. has going on in this edition of our newsletter.
SUMMER PICNICS UNDER THE TENT
To support our mission, please consider a donation to help us meet the therapeutic needs of our community’s more vulnerable children. You can find more information online by visiting hillcrestec.org/support-hillcrest
ANNUAL CAMPAIGN
As our Annual Campaign winds down, we’d like to thank our incredible donors for supporting the Hillcrest mission throughout the years. Each contribution has helped play a major role in ensuring our ability to provide exceptional care to the students we serve. As we recognize all who have given to our mission, it is important that we express our profound gratitude to members of our own team. They work with students day in and day out, often helping them overcome significant challenges. And then many of them also donate out of their paychecks to our Annual Campaign via payroll deduction. This year, over 50% of the total amount raised for the campaign came from our very own staff! Thank You for all you do!
At the end of each school year Student Recognition Days honor students for their hard work and achievements over the last year. We host an event for each campus and invite parents and staff to partake in the celebration. Here are some photos from this year's events.
Chris W. | Karah H. | Jess V. Lexus O. | Tara M.
STUDENT RECOGNITION DAYS
Congrats on your accomplishments
SHOUT OUT TO HILLCREST'S 2017 HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES!
Helping Youth Overcome Challenges
Supported by the Honda Motor Co. Inc. and run by Robert F. Kennedy Children’s Action Corps, the National Youth Project Using Minibikes (NYPUM) is a nationwide program developed to help kids build self-esteem and self-discipline, learn to work together, and foster leadership skills. Hillcrest Educational Centers has partnered with NYPUM to provide programming for our students for many years because it is a highly effective method of helping youth overcome behavioral and academic challenges. The program motivates students to succeed by combining the incentive of riding minibikes and the love of the outdoors with the support that comes from the relationships that develop between participants and instructors. The key to NYPUM’s success is its capability to hold youth accountable for their decisions and motivate personal achievement. Students earn participation by achieving specific goals in their individual Success Plans. These plans are developed cooperatively by the participants, their advisors, and their NYPUM Instructor. Successfully completing the NYPUM program ensures that the student’s academic and behavioral goals are met. The NYPUM Program at Hillcrest runs 7 days a week and we’re proud to announce that in the last year, 75% of Hillcrest students were able to participate. In August, 7 of our students were able to attend NYPUM's Northeast Rodeo, where 8 other organizations competed. Additionally, we decided to host 4 of our own this year so more students could participate. At each event, students have the chance to show off their hard work and commitment. We invite staff and parents to attend and show support, and they have been a huge success. Congratulations to all NYPUM participants on their journey through the program!
National Youth Project Using Minibikes Program
SPONSOR | PLAY | DONATE hillcrestec.org/golf
announce that we're almost half way to that number thanks to the generosity of the following community-minded organizations:
COST OF RELOCATION & RENOVATION
September 29th | Wahconah Golf Club
UPDATE: ST. MARK'S REVITALIZATION
PLAYER PERKS Premium player gift Free round of golf at Wahconah before the end of the 2017 season Over $4,000 given out in course contests and prize money Delicious lunch & dinner catered by KJ Nosh Other surprises on the course!
TO DONATE OR LEARN MORE, VISIT HILLCRESTEC.ORG/STMARKS
Berkshire Bank Climate Heating & Cooling Feigenbaum Foundation City of Pittsfield Constance O. Putnam Foundation Hillcrest Hospital Foundation McGraw Foundation Private Donations
This relocation is an investment both in student success and our community. Hillcrest has invested $4.65 million, and we've asked the community to contribute $750,000. We're thrilled to
Hillcrest is relocating our Therapeutic Day School, Housatonic Academy, to the former St. Mark’s school facility. This relocation will provide a state-of-the-art facility where Hillcrest is able to: Help more local students succeed in our community. Revitalize a remarkable building that will be able to continue serving as a true community establishment.
Last year, with your support, we raised almost $70,000. Let’s make it happen again! We cannot express how grateful we are for the generosity shown on behalf of the players, the sponsors, and the donors to our silent auction. This year, with the purchase of St. Mark’s School, all proceeds from the tournament will go towards the extensive renovation efforts aimed at providing a state-of-the-art facility for children with special needs right here in Berkshire County. It’s a beautiful building, but needs remodeling and updating to meet the needs of these vulnerable children and their families. QUESTIONS? Give Tim Gallagher a call at (413) 499-7924, ext. 133 or email tgallagher@hillcrestec.org.
MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Youth Development Counselors are now Youth Development Professionals, with an expanded job description. There will be Network Infrastructure Upgrades at all sites. Hillcrest will transition from FirstClass to Google for email and shared-server access.
GENDER RESPONSIVE PROGRAMMING
The Child Welfare League of America (CWLA) is a child welfare organization that promotes the well-being of children and young people. Hillcrest Educational Centers was pleased to be invited to run a workshop at their 2017 National Conference in Washington DC. Topic: Gender Responsive Programming Title: Treating the “Too Acute”: Residential Programming for High Risk Adolescent Girls Presenters: Peter Lopenzina, LICSW, Brookside Program Director & Melissa Orazio, LMHC, Brookside Assistant Program Director Peter and Melissa’s presentation focused on the process of developing a residential program that was responsive to the unique needs of adolescent girls. The process began after several of the students from the Hillcrest Center girls program and the Brookside Intensive Treatment Unit in need of crisis services were rejected by hospitals throughout the state for being “too acute.” Hillcrest began internal tracking on the reason for crisis screenings, outcomes, and boarding needs for students that were not able to be placed. At the same time, staff began looking at programming options and initiatives that would better serve these youth in need. Gender Responsive Programming was the answer. In 2015, Hillcrest made the decision to merge the Center girls program with the Brookside Intensive Treatment Unit, effectively establishing an intensive residential program for high risk adolescent girls. To prepare for the merger, Hillcrest made it a priority to provide staff with additional training and support related to the specific needs of this population. Gender Responsive Programming training* was facilitated for all 100 members of the Brookside staff, focusing on differences in brain and social development between adolescent boys and girls, balancing trauma informed care and safety, emotional and physical boundaries, gender responsive activity programming, and consistency in program expectations. During the CWLA workshop, Peter and Melissa discussed the need for residential programs to be gender responsive, and outlined the process of developing such a program. An overview of the Hillcrest Training “Gender Responsive Programming” was also provided. Workshop attendees left recognizing the importance of Gender Responsive Programming, the ability to identify clinical and program considerations in the development of a Gender Responsive program, and an understanding of the role of staff and youth feedback in training development. *Funding for this training was provided by the Constance O. Putnam Foundation
ALL STAFF MEETING In July, Hillcrest Educational Centers' employees gathered under the tent at Hancock Shaker Village for our annual summer All Staff meeting. Our goal was simple: to engage every single employee and ensure we're all on the same page. With 500+ employees, that's quite the task. But we make it a priority because strong teams aren't built by accident. They're built by sharing in a vision, encouraging open communications, increasing transparency, and remaining committed. We're proud to offer those things here at Hillcrest. To learn more about what Hillcrest can offer, visit hillcrestec.org/careers.
Hillcrest Presents at the 2017 CWLA Conference
Sheri Quinn
Contact Us: Tel: (413) 499-2800 hwilliamson@kidsplaceonline.org www.kidsplaceonline.org
HILLCREST DENTAL CARE
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The 2017 Trendsetter Award winners will be announced at the Celebrate the Berkshires event hosted by 1Berkshire on September 14th.
Two Locations: 788 South St. / M-F 7:50am-5:30pm 77 Hospital Dr., Suite 102 / Th,F 7:50am-5:30pm Call (413) 445-6680 to schedule an appointment. www.hillcrestdentalcare.org
In the last year….
2017 TRENDSETTER FINALIST
23,000 patient visits 3,000+ special needs procedures Oral health education for 800 students
The Hillcrest Dental team is thankful to have been nominated and named a finalist in the 2017 Berkshire Trendsetter Awards. We believe that access to quality dental care helps promote good overall health, paving the way to a healthier, happier community. Our team has helped thousands of patients overcome barriers to access to dental care, such as financial constraints or special needs requirements. We do all of this because we are committed to our patients and our community. We’re humbled to be recognized as a finalist in the Nonprofit Impact category alongside other nonprofits in the Berkshires, including Berkshire Baby Box, Berkshire Humane Society, McCann Technical High School, and Northern Berkshire Community Coalition. Regardless of who wins, we’re proud to be a part of a supportive community of nonprofits working together to enhance the quality of life in the Berkshires.
Sheri Quinn Presented Dr. David B. Kagan Award
The Rotary Club of Pittsfield recently presented Kids' Place Board Member Sheri L. Quinn with the prestigious Dr. David B. Kagan Award. This award is given to individuals who have made significant contributions to their community through volunteer activities. Sheri is a Berkshire native and a partner in the firm of Fenton Quinn, PC. She joined the Board of Kids' Place in 1994 and spent many years as Treasurer. She also serves on several other Boards, including Coolidge Hill Foundation, Feronia Forward, and Hillcrest Educational Foundation. Each role allows her to be an advocate for children. This award came with a $200 stipend to the charity of the recipient's choice. We are proud to announce that Sheri designated her donation to the Kids' Place.
BERKSHIRE COUNTY KIDS' PLACE
Register to sponsor, play, or donate at hillcrestec.org/golf
16th Fall Classic
788 South Street Pittsfield, MA 01201 www.hillcrestec.org 413-499-7924
Details & Invitations Coming Soon!
September 29th Wahconah Golf Club