2019 YSAPC Prevention Summit:
Becoming Youth-Centered to Promote Health
and Prevent Youth Substance Misuse.
Developing a youth-centered, cross-sector community of practice to promote health and prevent/reduce youth substance misuse
On June 4th, 2019 YSAPC held it annual Prevention Summit from 9:30 am – 3:30 pm at LifeWorks East. Below were topics presented
Welcome and Introductions – Stephanie Rainbolt, M.Ed., ACPS, Chair, Travis County Youth Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition (YSAPC)
Keynote Address – Understanding Youth Substance Use from a Public Health Perspective – Understanding youth substance misuse patterns requires an understanding of the context within which use occurs, adolescent social and brain development, and protective and risk factors. The presentation will review recent substance use statistics and trends in Texas by specific age categories, including but not limited to opioids, and implementation of evidence-based strategies to prevent substance misuse and its associated consequences.
Presenter: Dr. Jessica Duncan Cance, MPH, Agency Analytics Unit Manager, Center for Health Statistics, Texas Department of State Health Services
Listening to Youth: What does it mean to be youth-centered? The World Health Organization has issued guidelines for youth-friendly health care environments. Youth answer questions about what motivated them to get and stay engaged with program services/organizations. Panelists: Youth from Austin area high schools and colleges
State and Local Policies and Practices Impacting Prevention and Youth Access to Treatment – Travis County is acting towards the development of a Local Behavioral Health Authority which would have authority beyond that of the Local Mental Health Authority to provide substance use disorder planning and service coordination. Recently Austin has opened a Sobriety Center. Further, the county is undergoing development of an updated Substance Use Disorder plan. Where do youth fit in these developments? How will prevention and intervention for youth be addressed? How would the development of an LBHA impact Travis and the surrounding counties in the Austin Metropolitan Statistical Area, especially where youth are concerned?
Panelists: Stephanie Hayden, Director, Austin Public Health; Dr. Kim Edwards, Pediatrician, Dell Children’s Hospital; Rhonda Patrick, LCSW, MPA, Executive Director, Austin Sobering Center; Laura Munch, Substance Use Disorder Services, Texas Health and Human Services Commission; Hugh Simmons, LCSW, Director of Practice Management for Child and Family Services, Integral Care
School Efforts to Prevent Substance Misuse and Link to Care – Across school districts and communities, concern is growing around issues of youth mental and behavioral health. This panel will consider efforts being made in school districts of different sizes and localities, the challenges they face, and interest in building capacity to better address student need. Understanding youth substance use from a public health perspective, student substance use patterns, including but not limited to opioids, as well as mental/behavioral health needs of youth which may precipitate substance use will be addressed. Dr. Susan Millea, Children’s Optimal Health, will initiate the panel with a presentation of youth self-report maps of substance use patterns in Austin ISD.
Panelists: Karen Schwind, Manager of Nursing Services, New Braunfels ISD; Diana Rios-Rodriguez, Nursing Services, Bastrop ISD; Macie Walker, Director of Nursing Services, Hays ISD; Tracy Spinner, Director of Comprehensive Health Services, Austin ISD; Katie Bryant, Student Support Counselor, Eanes ISD and Co-Chair, Kids Living Well.
Professional Development: Motivational Interviewing with Adolescents: Training on Screening, Brief Intervention, Referral and Treatment (SBIRT), a trauma-informed tool that can be used by health professionals in schools and primary care settings in their work with adolescents. Motivational interviewing is a skilled conversational approach that can be used in school settings.
Presenters: Dr. Robin Peyson, Communities in Recovery; Dr. Lori Holleran-Steiker, Director of Instruction, Engagement & Wellness, Undergraduate Studies, The University of Texas at Austin; Julie McElrath, LMSW, LCDC-I, Executive Director, University High School
Closing, Evaluation and CEUs – Cardea Services is an approved provider of continuing education credits by: The Texas State Board of Social Worker Examiners, provider #1682, http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/socialwork/sw_contact.shtm
Sponsored by:
Presenter Biographies:
Katie Bryant, LCSW-S obtained her Bachelor’s in Psychology from Regis University then pursued her Masters of Science in Social Work at The University of Texas at Austin. Katie has spent her career working with adolescents in residential treatment, psychiatric inpatient, juvenile probation and most recently in schools. Katie has supervised Masters level clinical interns for the past 10 years and is a board approved clinical supervisor for social workers pursuing their LCSW. Currently she is a Student Support Counselor in Eanes ISD and Co-Chair of Kids Living Well collaborative.
Dr. Jessica Duncan Cance, PhD, MPH, is the Agency Analytics Manager in the Center for Health Statistics at the Texas Department of State Health Services. In her current role, Jessica oversees the analysis and dissemination of health information available at the Texas Department of State Health Services and other Texas agencies. Immediately prior to her current position, she served as the Interim Prevention Lead for the Texas Targeted Opioid Response project at the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC). Dr. Cance has 20 years of experience working in adolescent and young adult health promotion, including epidemiological research, program implementation, coalition building, and national evaluation projects.
Dr. Kimberly Avila Edwards is a pediatrician and Director of Governmental Relations for Dell Children’s Medical Center. She is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Stephanie Hayden was appointed Director of Austin Public Health in 2018. As Deputy Director, she oversaw the operations of the Health Equity and Community Engagement Division, which included management of Health Equity – Quality of Life Programs, HIV Planning Council, HIV Resources Administration, Planning and Evaluation, and Social Services Policy. Stephanie is a Licensed Master Level Social Worker who has spent more than twenty years providing services and managing programs in the field of social services. She has worked in several direct social work settings including psychiatric services, school based, chemical dependency, crisis intervention, and counseling.
Dr. Lori Holleran-Steiker is a distinguished professor at the University of Texas at Austin since 2000. She is the Steve Hicks Professor of Addictions and Substance Abuse Services, the Director of Instruction, Engagement, and Wellness for UT undergraduates and the impending Associate Dean of UGS. Dr. Holleran Steiker is the founder of University High School, Central Texas’s first recovery high school, and on the Executive Leadership Team of the impending SHIFT substance misuse prevention program.
Julie McElrath is the Executive Director of University High School. Prior to her work at University High School, Julie facilitated Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) groups for adults and adolescents and provided individual therapy at a drug and alcohol residential treatment facility. She is a member of the Austin Metro Drug Free Coalition, Travis County Youth Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition (YSAPC), Recovery Oriented Community Collaborative (ROCC) in Austin, Strategic Planning Group for the Alliance for Adolescent Recovery Treatment in Texas and founding member of the Central Texas Youth Recovery Network (YRN).
Dr. Susan Millea serves as a Community Systems and Population Health Analyst at Children’s Optimal Health, a central Texas data analytics nonprofit. The mission of Children’s Optimal Health is to enable communities, through the use of geospatial analysis and mapping, to visualize the health of their neighborhoods, identify assets and needs, and unearth opportunities for collaborative change. Dr. Millea has an extensive background in physical and behavioral health, education and social service delivery, with a focus on quality improvement. She helped form and served as the founding Chair for the Travis County Youth Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition.
Laura Munch is currently employed with the State of Texas in the Health and Human Services Commission Substance Use Disorder Programs, Planning and Policy Unit. She is a graduate of Texas State University, and has over twenty years of experience in the behavioral health field. Laura was instrumental in the development of the statewide Recovery Oriented Systems of Care (ROSC). The ROSC helped to establish a series of local community networks across the state to collaborate in identifying strengths and obstacles for individuals in recovery, and to improve the local environment to support recovery in a positive way. In 2014, Laura was the Lead Recovery Support Services Specialist to implement a pilot project that would further develop recovery in the state of Texas by aligning substance use treatment with a recovery orientation. The goals of the pilot project were to embed long-term recovery support services into peer-based organizations, community-based organizations and substance use disorder treatment programs in local communities across Texas and to expand recovery supports to individuals in their natural community environments. Laura has also helped to develop and implement State agency programs and provided technical assistance to program staff, governmental agencies, community organizations, and the general public. She has participated in reviews and the evaluation of information on service delivery system methods, outputs, and activities to identify gaps in resources and recommend improvements.
Rhonda Patrick, PhD, is the Executive Director of the Sobering Center. Previously, she served as the Chief Executive Officer of Behavioral Health Alliance of Texas, Inc. Rhonda has been in the addictions and mental health recovery field for over 20 years. She has been a professional social worker, entrepreneur, and social service innovator for most of her professional life. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and has worked in various roles and facets of the treatment industry to effectively help others recover from addiction.
Dr. Robin Peyson of RLP Consulting has spent her professional career developing, managing, advocating for and integrating public health, mental health, and substance abuse treatment programs and policy. Robin is the former Executive Director of Communities for Recovery, a community-based non-profit that provides peer based recovery services and supports to individuals in recovery from substance use or substance use and mental illness. Prior to this, she served as Executive Director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Texas and served as the Assistant Director for the Children’s Department of the Community Mental Health Division of the Texas Department of State Health Services.
Diana Rios-Rodriguez serves as the Head Nurse for Bastrop ISD. She has been a School Nurse for 13 years and a Health Services Coordinator for 10 years. A nurse for over 20 years, prior to her work in school nursing, Diana worked in pediatric cardiology at what is now Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas. She entered school nursing when her daughter entered school and has found it a rewarding practice area that enables her to balance a professional career with family commitments.
Karen Schwind, BSN, RN, NCSN, is a graduate of the Toledo Hospital School of Nursing, Toledo Ohio and Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green Ohio. She began school nursing as an elementary school nurse with New Braunfels ISD from 1996 – 2004. Currently she is employed with New Braunfels ISD as the Health Services Coordinator where she implemented a Narcan prn program at the secondary schools in 2016. Karen completed the Nationally Certified School Nurse Program in 2010. She also serves as the Texas School Nurse Organization President Elect.
Hugh Simmons serves as Director of Practice Management for Child and Family Services for Integral Care, the Local Mental Health Authority for Travis County. Hugh oversees clinic and community-based services that offer a wide array of programming to youth and families in Travis County. These services include mental health assessments, evidence-based therapy, evidence-based substance use prevention curriculum, school-based mental health including psychiatric care, integrated primary and behavioral health programming, Mental Health First Aid training, community-based therapy to youth on probation, wraparound support for youth via YES Waiver, and wraparound support for families at risk of homelessness. Hugh is a licensed clinical social worker with over twenty-five years of experience administering mental health programming and delivering direct mental health services as a clinician. One of Hugh’s past initiatives prior to moving to Texas from New York City was directing a community-based substance use prevention and treatment program for adolescents and adults.
Tracy A. Spinner, M. Ed., currently is the Director of Health for Austin ISD. Under her direction are the Offices of Student Health Services, Family Resource Centers, Office of Vision and Hearing, Mental Health, Crisis Response, and School Mental Health Centers. This Department integrates the whole child, physical and mental health support, resources, education, awareness, and services. Ms. Spinner is the district liaison to the School Health Advisory Council (SHAC). Tracy is very passionate about the health and wellbeing of children and specifically how health impacts their ability to learn, be academically successful, and enable them to be healthy prosperous adults.
Tracy serves on the Mayor’s Health and Fitness Council Board, Children’s/AISD Student Health Services Taskforce, Children’s Optimal Health Board, Travis County Mental Health Leadership Team, and Children and Youth Mental Health Planning Partnership. Tracy can be contacted at tracy.spinner@austinisd.org or phone at 512-414-9778.
Macie Walker, BSN, RN, is serving her fifth year as Director of Student Health Services for Hays CISD. In addition, she is the President of the Texas School Nurses Organization within Region XIII. She is passionate about promoting health and wellness to the students and community.
CEUs: Cardea Services is an approved provider of continuing education credits by: The Texas State Board of Social Worker Examiners, provider #1682, http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/socialwork/sw_contact.shtm.
SUMMARY OF JUNE 4 SUMMIT EVALUATION RESULTS
120 people registered and 82 people attended the June 4, 2019, Summit. Attendees were present from multiple counties and school districts in Central Texas. Wide array of professionals from school, clinical and community-based settings.
MORNING SESSION: 46 people completed the evaluation results for morning session sessions (Dr. Cance’s presentation, Youth Panel and Policy Panel).
Dr. CANCE’S PRESENTATION
- 100% of participants who completed the evaluation rated Dr. Cance’s effectiveness as a speaker as good, very good or excellent.
- Most participants indicated improvement as follows:
- 98% improved their knowledge of trends in adolescent and young adult substance use, including but not limited to opioids.
- 91% improved their understanding of risk and protective factors for substance misuse
- 85% improved their awareness and understanding of evidence-based strategies to prevent substance misuse and associated consequences
- 91% improved their understanding of the public health approach to substance misuse and addiction
YOUTH PANEL
- 91% of participants who completed the evaluation rated the youth panelists as good, very good or excellent.
- Most participants indicated improvement as follows:
- 82% improved their awareness and knowledge of youth-friendly practices;
- 78% improved their awareness and knowledge of motivations for adolescents to get and stay engaged with program services/organizations
POLICY PANEL
- 93% of participants who completed the evaluation rated the youth panelists as good, very good or excellent.
- Most participants indicated improvement as follows:
- 87% improved their awareness and knowledge regarding local efforts and resources to prevent and treat substance misuse
- 89% improved their awareness and knowledge of local and state policies and practices impacting prevention and youth access to treatment
CHANGE IN PRACTICES
74% of participants who completed evaluations in the morning session indicated that they are likely or very likely to make a change in their practice as a result of their participation in these learning activities including:
- Ways to improve access
- Referral practices and collaboration with other agencies; engaging more partners
- How to look for risk factors /screening
- Use of non-stigmatizing language
- School policy changes
- Youth friendly practices; have more of a youth focus; being more available for youth
- EBI’s/resources to educate professionals
- Understanding of the local behavioral health authority (LBHA)
- Re-evaluation of evaluative measures
AFTERNOON SESSION: 31 people completed the evaluation results for afternoon sessions (school panel and motivational interviewing).
SCHOOL PANEL
- 97% of participants who completed the evaluation rated the facilitator and panelists’ effectiveness as good, very good or excellent.
- Most participants indicated improvement as follows:
- 94% improved their understanding of the importance of having student data in order to build capacity across sectors to prevent and respond to student mental/behavioral health need, including substance use
- 90% improved their understanding of student substance use and related mental health/behavioral health challenges
- 87% improved their understanding of school-based efforts and practices to prevent substance misuse and better address student needs across multiple school districts
MOTIVATIONAL INTERVIEWING SESSION
- 96% of participants who completed the evaluation rated the facilitators as good, very good or excellent.
- Most participants indicated improvement as follows:
- 89% improved ability to identify strategies for initiating conversations to connect and engage more effectively
- 88% improved ability to apply motivational interviewing techniques
- 88% improved ability to actively and empathetically engage with clients around opioid and substance misuse
CHANGE IN PRACTICES
76% of participants who completed evaluations in the afternoon session indicated that they are likely or very likely to make a change in their practice as a result of their participation in these learning activities:
- Use of local data (e.g. to better understand service gaps)
- Educate/communicate with parents/staff
- Use CRAFFT
- Use of MI in screening
- Be more empathetic and less biased; use positive approaches
- Increase use of OARS
- Ask more about their (youth/client) perspective
| MOST USEFUL / HIGHLIGHTS | AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT |
| – Youth focus – Resources; info. on gaps – Data /statistics / maps / visuals – Topics /panels/presenters; different voices/Dr. Cance/Dr. Holleran – Youth stories/teen panel/diverse school panel – Effective prevention strategies – Ways to improve clinical practice / role plays |
– More introduction/prep for youth panel – Scheduled, longer breaks, more restrooms, more comfortable chairs – Healthier breakfast – Share WiFi – Could be 2-day event – More restrooms – More time for Q&A |
