Shaundell Diaz Receives Coalition Leadership Award

June 10, 2022

The Communities That Care Coalition was excited to present the 2022 Sara Cummings Coalition Leadership Award to Shaundell Diaz of the Three County Continuum of Care at Community Action Pioneer Valley. Shaundell is also one of the Co-Chairs of CTC’s Racial Justice Workgroup.

Born and raised in Springfield Mass, Shaundell is a Spiritual Latina, married mom of 4, with Lived Experience of Homelessness.  She is currently the Three County Continuum of Care, Coordinated Entry Specialist with Community Action Pioneer Valley. Shaundell has worked in many roles over the last 14 years, including as a CNA in local Skilled Nursing facilities and a Skills Trainer and Options Counselor for Stavros.  Shaundell is a fierce advocate in anything and anyone that she can be a voice for.  She co-chairs the CTC Racial Justice Workgroup, is on the Rural Development Inc. Board of Directors, initiated the Hampden County Resource Network, facilitates the COC Equity and Inclusion Committee, and is a consultant for the “Re-Imaging Shelter” Project of the National Coalition for the Homeless.  Shaundell strongly believes that systemic change is needed to end homelessness, promote disability rights, dismantle systems of white dominant culture and oppression, and integrate Racial Justice and Equity into our Social, Economic, and School systems. 

Shaundell is brilliant, dedicated, warm, welcoming, kind, charismatic, and fun. She is a natural-born leader. The Coalition is delighted to present Shaundell with this award.

2021 Teen Health Survey Data Released

June 8, 2022

The Communities That Care Coalition has released the results of our 2021 Teen Health Survey.

More than 1,500 Franklin County and North Quabbin students from 9 school districts participated in the survey during February of this year, providing valuable insights into COVID-related health behaviors and concerns.

You can view our data presentation here. And you can find the chat and jamboard from the meeting zoom here.

UMass School of Public Health Master’s student Jasmine Inim provided a look at the data on family time spent together in the pandemic.  Find her presentation here.

Find WWLP22’s coverage of the Teen Health Survey data here.

2021-Data-Release_Communities-that-Care-Coalition-1Download

Communities That Care Coalition’s “Got Outcomes” Coalition of Excellence Award

June 8, 2022

In 2007, Communities That Care was recognized as the “Got Outcomes” Coalition of Year by the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA). CADCA is the nation’s premier membership organization for substance abuse prevention coalitions, with representation from more than 5000 coalitions. The Communities That Care Coalition was selected from a nationally competitive pool of nominees.

The Got Outcomes! Coalition of the Year awards recognize coalitions that have successfully reduced substance abuse in their communities through evidence-based programs, policies or strategies. Applicants undergo a rigorous review process and winners are judged by a panel of expert coalition leaders. “These organizations represent the best of the best, and exemplify the excellent work that coalitions are doing around the country to prevent and reduce drug use in their communities,” said General Arthur T. Dean, CADCA’s Chairman and CEO, of Got Outcomes! Award recipients. 

National Academy of Medicine publishes paper on collaboration between CTC and Baystate Franklin Medical Center

September 22, 2021

Jeanette Voas, Kat Allen and Ruth Potee co-authored an article entitled “The Communities That Care Coalition Model for Improving Community Health through Clinical–Community Partnerships: A Population Health Case Report” that was published online by the National Academy of Medicine (formerly the Institute of Medicine) in 2016. The article traces the history of the coalition and describes how CTC works with the hospital to achieve common goals. 

In rural western Massachusetts, a coalition with members from many sectors of the community has been working for more than a decade to support youth well-being and reduce youth substance abuse. In that time, youth drinking, cigarette smoking, and marijuana use have declined substantially, as have targeted risk factors underlying problem behaviors.

 Jeanette Voas, Katherine Allen, and Ruth Potee

The piece covers important topics like health equity, barriers, the use of data, and more. CTC was able to provide an example of how a collaboration involving health care and community partners can successfully create measurable, positive changes in community health.

Read the Article

Communities That Care Coalition Co-Chair Kat Allen Presents at Summit at White House

September 22, 2021

In 2014, Kat Allen represented the Communities That Care Coalition as one of several panelists presenting successful approaches in preventing substance abuse and promoting academic success in a day-long Policy Forum co-sponsored by the Office of National Drug Control Policy and the federal Department of Education.

“It is such an honor to be able to represent the Communities That Care Coalition and the amazing work that all of you do! And so exciting to be able to bring this work to the attention of national-level decision-makers with the hopes that we can influence national policy!”

Allen of the invitation

The Coalition received high praise for its efforts and outcomes from the country’s current acting Drug Czar, Michael Botticelli, as well as from the Director of the Center for Substance Abuse Services, Fran Harding (pictured on Allen’s right, above). As a follow-up to the event, Allen (representing the Communities That Care Coalition) was invited to present at the Trust for America’s Health’s first-ever National Forum on Hospitals, Health Systems & Population Health.

Communities That Care Coalition’s Massachusetts “Healthy Communities” Award

September 22, 2021

In 2009, the Massachusetts Department of Health and the MassPartnership for Healthy Communities recognized the work of the Communities That Care Coalition with a “Healthy Communities” Award for exceptional commitment to the Healthy Communities principle of “building capacity using local assets and resources”.  

The purpose of these awards is to highlight creative and useful best practices developed by communities as they implement the Healthy Communities Principles in their work in order to better promote their use throughout the Commonwealth.