Community Voice

August 2024
Listening Sessions with Connections Health Solutions >> RECAP

Who Participated?

Youth and adults with lived experience of personally navigating the local healthcare system or supporting a loved one or client in navigating the system.

Advisory groups represented included:

  • 15th Night Youth Action Council

  • Community Outreach through Radical Empowerment [CORE]

  • Connected Lane

  • Hosea Youth Services

  • Lane County Behavioral Health Consumer Advisory Committee

  • Lane Independent Living Alliance [LILA]

  • the Lived Experience Advisory Group for Unhoused Engagement [LEAGUE]

  • Looking Glass

  • ShelterCare

  • St. Vincent de Paul

  • White Bird

  • Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program [YHDP]


What was Shared?

Disclaimer: Comments were collected and summarized by the Stabilization Center Project Team. Please reach out if you see a comment that has been misrepresented or missed entirely.

  • Include client advocates.

  • Provide client storage options to prevent the loss of personal belongings, which often deters people from seeking help.

  • Access to a smoking area and accommodations for clients’ pets will be key to reducing access barriers.

  • Establish and promote a clear grievance process that is accessible and transparent

  • Assess for how Traumatic Brain Injuries and Developmental Disabilities may contribute to a client’s needs.

  • Include daily activities and a structured schedule for clients who are admitted to the program,

  • Ensure that the program can accommodate individuals with concerns related to substance use in addition to mental health

  • Consider the unique needs of individuals navigating domestic violence situations, as they are falling through the cracks in our current system.

  • Consider community outreach specifically to the BIPOC community, with translation services onsite.

  • Collaborate with Connected Lane County to potentially offer supplemental services like classes, case management or transportation.

  • Partner with RideSource for additional transportation support

  • Offer adult-skills classes or connect individuals with local resources to teach things like car repair or filing taxes.

  • Include views of the outside.

  • Use alternative lighting such as sun lamps.

  • Consider building a secondary entrance for direct access to quieter spaces, so clients aren’t required to navigate through the lobby and more stimulating areas.

  • Include a day room for unhoused folks to spend time and be safe without actively receiving mental health treatment.

  • Provide telehealth services, especially for individuals who cannot access the facility due to disabilities

  • Include a small dog park or identified access to an existing one to encourage interaction and reduce negative behavior in clients’ pet dogs.

yellow divider

Stabilization Center Community Survey Results

Many of you contributed to the success of the recent Stabilization Center Community Survey by completing it and distributing it within your broader circles. Thank you for helping to ensure that this effort is led by community voice and making the following outcomes possible:

  • 547 total responses
  • 373 people with lived experience navigating the behavioral system, houselessness or legal involvement

  • 45 identify as a member of a systemically marginalized* community based on race or ethnicity

  • 85 identify as a member of a systemically marginalized* community based on gender identity and/or sexual orientation
A comprehensive report summarizing survey responses can be found below. This work was generated by the Stabilization Center Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging workgroup and grounded in the Lane County Equity Lens Toolkit.

Survey Results

All data collected via the Community Survey is available to the public. If you would like to access the raw data generated by this service, please complete a Public Records Request. Please note that survey summaries were developed through aggregate analysis and survey participants' comments are intended to be interpreted in context of the broader narrative.


Orange Divider

Listening Session Feedback

2/16: Building Concepts and Accessibility 

Summary

  • Include designated space separation to accommodate different types and levels of need
  • Avoid overly clinical appearance, emphasizing warmth and comfort
  • Consider basic needs, such as food, shower, storage, smoking, animal companions
  • Promote client and staff safety
View All Collected Feedback Here

3/2: Community Impact
Summary

  • Establish intentional processes for warm hand-offs with other agencies and community partners 
  • Timely access to services is needed, for all of Lane County
  • Provide Trauma Informed Services
  • Project and planning team ought to consult with community members doing the work
  • Prioritize efforts to collaborate with existing resources and avoid duplication

View All Collected Feedback Here


3/8: Programming

Summary

  • Well-trained and well-compensated staff, who understand how to meet the needs of individuals with multiple needs
  • Separate points of entry and intake for individuals entering with different needs
  • Consider social determinants of health beyond just behavioral health treatment
  • Provide thorough discharge with scheduled appointments, coordination with other providers, and transportation as needed
View All Collected Feedback Here


Orange Divider

        
Welcome to our new Executive Steering Committee member!
      
    

In response to community feedback, the Executive Steering Committee has amended their Charter in order to add an additional member in representation of individuals with lived experience. This step was taken alongside other initiatives to increase access to decision-making and project updates for community members and especially individuals with lived experience navigating the current behavioral health system.

   
 
   
Meet Rachel Leonhardy:


My name is Rachel and I'm so proud and honored to be on the executive steering committee for the Stabilization Center! I'm a native Oregonian and have been living in Eugene for over 30 years, so I have seen the increasing need for the exact services the Stabilization Center will offer.  I, myself, have struggled with mental illness, witnessed it in my family and friends, and, as a registered nurse for the last 20 years, worked with innumerable patients and clients who are bravely living lives with mental health concerns.  I hope that my personal and professional experiences will bring a unique perspective that will add to this already amazing project. 

 Rachel Leonhardy
 


Orange Divider

Stabilization Center Listening Sessions: We want to hear from you!

Listening Session

Stabilization Center Listening Sessions: We want to hear from you! To provide adequate time for attendees to share feedback, the three in-person Listening Sessions have been capped at 50 participants. Please consider registering for the Round Up Listening Session on March 23, which will be held virtually and will provide additional space for general feedback on the project.

REGISTER HERE

For those unable to attend in-person, feedback surveys specific to each Listening Session are available below.

Teal Divider

Building Concepts and Accessibility 
Thursday, February 16 Noon-1 PM In-person 
Facilitator: Kendra Pennington, Community Outreach & Engagement Manager-Trillium Community Health Plan

Discuss how this this resource can fill gaps within our existing behavioral health crisis system and align with other programs. How can the Center be a strong community partner?

If you would like to contribute feedback on this topic and are unable to attend in person, please consider submitting comments here.

Community Impact 
Thursday, March 2 Noon-1 PMIn-person 
Facilitator: Elaine Walters, Executive Director, The Trauma Healing Project

Share your ideas on the look, feel, and function of a facility. How can we promote accessibility and enhance our community?

If you would like to contribute feedback on this topic and are unable to attend in person, please consider submitting comments here.

Programming 
Wednesday, March 8 Noon-1 PM In-person 
Facilitator: Harry Cummings, Peer Support Specialist, Lane County Behavioral Health

Explore options for how services are offered, intake/discharge process, staffing models and partnerships. How can this program prioritize person-centered, trauma-informed care and meet community needs?

If you would like to contribute feedback on this topic and are unable to attend in person, please consider submitting comments here.

Round Up
Thursday, March 23 Noon-1 PM Zoom
Facilitators: Ola Adeniji, Outreach Coordinator & Mo Young, Community Partnerships Program Supervisor, Lane County Public Health

The project team will share highlights from the previous sessions, address key questions, and outline next steps in the planning process.

Teal Divider

Hear answers to lingering questions from our recent Community Conversation:


 


Watch the 12/8/2022 Community Conversation 

 

Watch the 12/8/2022 Community Conversation
View PowerPoint Here


 

6/16/2022 Community Conversation 

 

View PowerPoint Here

Teal Divider

How is the Stabilization Center different from the Navigation Center?

Stab vs Nab