2022 Impact Report

The Dividends of Thinking Differently

YEAR FOUR.

A watershed year when the investments systems and community have made in co-learning, co-designing, and co-implementing solutions are taking hold, changing the way Palm Beach County sees and thinks about behavioral health and wellness. They are solutions built with community voice—from youth to seniors—at the core. They are solutions embedded or emerging in neighborhoods, government, education, health systems, workforce, and policy. They are the solutions that will create generational change.

Some might say we hit our stride this year, but in many ways, we hit our stride from day one. When BeWellPBC launched in 2019, it became a beacon for community and system leaders

hungry for change in behavioral health. With a place at the table for everyone, everything looked different and felt different. And everyone came ready to invest their unique assets in the solutions, sharing the conviction that the status quo was not acceptable. By thinking differently from the beginning, Palm Beach County will benefit from our collective belief that we can do better for our children, families, and neighbors.

We are a community of stewards investing in health for generations.

Where Are We Investing in Generational Change?

In 2022, our three impact areas, Stewardship Coordination and Alignment, Workforce Pipeline, and Community Solutions, evolved and continued to connect and coalesce, advancing BeWellPBC’s Lofty Goal: We envision a community in which every person in Palm Beach County feels hopeful, supported, connected and empowered.

"Our growing team has been essential to deepening BeWellPBC’s impact. Weston Probst, Support and Policy Manager, and Alita Faber, Networks and Special Projects Manager, are leading on partner alignment and workforce initiatives, and Katrina Blackmon, Founder & CEO of Unity3 Palm Beach, is increasing our awareness through communications. Sahil Bhandary, high school intern, and our new youth coordinators, Dantona Leger and Claudia Montas, inspire us and their own generation."

- Lauren Zuchman, Executive Director

How Are We Fostering Generational Change?

For the past three years, BeWellPBC has worked together with ReThink Health, an initiative of the Rippel Foundation, and Palm Beach County partners, Palm Health Foundation, Children's Services Council, and Palm Beach County's Youth Services and Community Services Departments, to explore what it takes to reallocate resources to create more equitable regional systems for health and well-being.

At the core, is Belonging and Civic Muscle, the fulfilling relationships and social support people need to thrive. How do we build Belonging and Civic Muscle? By creating Simple Rules.

We and our partners are living into these Simple Rules. They have been adopted by systems leaders and employees, written into county government strategic plans, and shared with Palm County Commissioners.

As you read through our impact report, we invite you to reflect on where you see the Simple Rules’ influence, and where they have the capability to re-shape how we invest in the future of our community.

Thank you

to all the dedicated community members who give of themselves, their passion, and their talents to support BeWellPBC and invest in generational change.

CONTRIBUTORS

•BeWellPBC Stewardship Council

•Caregivers Club

•Community Solutions Action Team

•Community Connectors

•Healthier Together Communities

•Parent Advisory Committee

•Pediatric Integrated Care Workgroup

• Peer Leadership Council Planning Team

• PBC Culture of Wellness Core Team

•Secondary Behavioral Health Technician Program Community Team

• Students Connect

• Systems Leader Table

• Workforce Pipeline Action Team

• and our many invaluable partners across Palm Beach County

Simple Rules for Building Civic Muscle and Belonging

LISTEN

Honor the community’s voice before you plan and do the work.

SHARE

Reach out to everyone, especially those who are isolated and alone.

INNOVATE

Cut the red tape and focus on things that keep people healthy and out of trouble.

CONNECT

Rely on relationships to build power. Don’t go it alone.

COMMIT

Acknowledge power dynamics and commit to partnering with community to dismantle racism.

INVESTED PARTNERS

• The Celia Lipton Farris and Victor W. Farris Foundation

• Southeast Florida Behavioral Health Network

• Palm Health Foundation

• Palm Beach County

• Children’s Services Council of Palm Beach County

• The Frederick A. DeLuca Foundation

• United Way of Palm Beach County

• Florida Department of Children and Families

• Health Council of Southeast Florida

• Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties

• Merrell Family Foundation

Stewardship Coordination and Alignment

BeWellPBC brings together residents and system leaders to create a unified vision for building a culture of health and wellness and to co-design solutions grounded in equity, access, community healing, and behavioral health awareness.

SIMPLE RULES IN ACTION: CONNECT

We are paving the way for the Stewardship Council to evolve, becoming a more resilient community strengthened by our support of one another. We listen and challenge one another in our commitment to dismantling racism. Innovate how we tackle sticky issues together and remove bureaucracy. And reach out to others to continuously deepen belonging.

PBC Culture of Wellness Team: The Foundation for Generational Change

BeWellPBC’s Phase I Portfolio Design for Healthier Regions project work with ReThink Health and partners Palm Health Foundation, Children's Services Council of Palm Beach County, and Palm Beach County's Youth Services and Community Services Departments was the start of a mindset change that led to the Simple Rules.

Phase II of the ReThink Health project kicked off in May 2022. We expanded to a “PBC Culture of Wellness Team,” answering the call of Dr. David Shern and Dr. Mary Armstrong in their exploratory study of the children’s system of care in Palm Beach County, “Achieving Greater Impact from the System of Care,” to broaden the work of the original ReThink Health project team to include a full range of stakeholders. During summer months, 60 community and systems leaders (from resident groups, grassroots initiatives, peer organizations, behavioral health providers, government agencies, the School District and more) participated in a two-part series of simulation activities that challenged participants to identify system challenges locally and plan forward for a thriving community.

A smaller group of community and systems stakeholders (15-20 of the 60 attendees) were invited to participate together in our Stewardship Investor Learning Lab: “Shifting Investment Priorities and Commitments,” bimonthly learning labs from September through December 2022, with ongoing support from ReThink Health. The relationships created during the lab among residents and grassroots and system leaders has been so profound that BeWellPBC has invited all participants to join our Stewardship Council.

Modeling Change

We continue to be featured across the nation at conferences to share our insights, successes, and challenges.

• Lauren Zuchman with BeWellPBC presented at American Public Health Association with Dr. Shern, Patrick McNamara of Palm Health Foundation, Anna Creegan with ReThink Health, and Emanuel Dupree Jackson with EJS Project. We shared how we are “ReThinking Population Health in Palm Beach County, FL: A Shared Stewardship Approach.”

• Lauren Zuchman along with Emanuel Dupree Jackson and Anna Creegan got together again to introduce "Distributing Leadership for Community-Led Solutions: A Shared Stewardship Approach" at the national Collective Impact Action Summit hosted by FSG.

• At the Community Change Experience, Lauren Zuchman presented "Co-Designing Local Solutions for System-Wide Change" with Lisa McMiller, Golden Parents Inc., and Michelle Gross, Children's Services Council.

*Image Source: ReThink Health, a Rippel Initiative

Pediatric Integrated Care: The Potential to Change a Life, a Future

BeWellPBC made strides in 2022 to advance pediatric integrated care (primary care integrated with behavioral health) in Palm Beach County and contribute to Florida-wide efforts. Together with Mental Health America of the Palm Beaches, we continue to provide technical and facilitation support for the Pediatric Integrated Care Community of Practice Project, two pediatrician pilot offices that are coming together with a multi-agency workgroup to identify opportunities and challenges for their practices, address specific systemic barriers to integrated care, and document a standard for care that is scalable for other practices.

We are taking action on:

Policy.

Collaborators (local pediatricians and the Florida Mental Health Advocacy Coalition with BeWellPBC) have drafted policy recommendations for the 2023 legislative agenda. Representative David Silvers has joined to champion the policy proposal.

Learning and Documentation.

BeWellPBC and Florida Atlantic University Integrated Medical Science have developed an exploratory project for documenting integrated care locally. A research team is exploring promising practices, barriers to care, and a comparison of procedures across various PBC doctor offices.

Community Connection. A group of parents/patients are meeting quarterly and serving as an advisory group and providing feedback on project efforts.

SIMPLE RULES IN ACTION: LISTEN

We are honoring the voices of parents by inviting them to the table with physicians, listening to how we can create a model of care that responds to the needs of families.

•Most children under age 18 present to primary care for psychiatric care needs.

•Half of primary care visits are related to psychosocial, emotional, and behavioral concerns.

•According to the CDC, without early diagnosis and treatment, children with mental health disorders can have problems at home, in school, and in forming friendships.

• Mental health disorders can also interfere with a child’s healthy development, causing problems that can continue into adulthood.

“Policy ensures the efforts of BeWellPBC and its partners will result in long-term impact.”

- Weston Probst, BeWellPBC Support and Policy Manager

The potential for pediatric integrated care to effect positive, life-changing outcomes is significant:

Committing to Our Partners, Our Community

Birth to 22: United for Brighter Futures

BeWellPBC has an active role on Birth to 22 workgroups and holds a seat on the Steering Committee. Some highlights of our workgroup actions include:

•Racial Equity Core Team – Co-hosting Advancing the Mission Learning Cohort for organizations pledging to operationalize and institutionalize racial equity into their work.

•Becoming a Trauma Sensitive Community Workgroup - Promoting education about personal, community, and systemic trauma of youth and their families, and services/supports for a resilient community.

•Get Your Green On Campaign - Co-chairing the countywide planning subcommittee for the campaign focused on mental health awareness and trauma-informed care. May 2022 marked the 7th year of the campaign with approximately 3,000 people participating throughout the month.

Behavioral Health, Substance Use and Co-Occurring Disorder Steering Committee

BeWellPBC provided support to the steering committee that is leading efforts to execute the PBC Board of County Commissioners’ goal to establish a person-centered, recovery-oriented system of care. We were on hand to lend assistance as their strategic plan comes to fruition and new members join.

SIMPLE RULES IN ACTION: COMMIT

Through our partnerships with other changemakers in Palm Beach County, we are committing to dismantle racism and supporting anti-racist spaces, including:

• Organizing Against Racism

Palm Beach County Alliance

•Palm Beach Racial Justice

Action Team: Equity and Child Welfare project facilitated by ChildNet

•Culture of Health Network

Workforce Pipeline

BeWellPBC works alongside behavioral health professionals, education and community stewards, and students to grow and meet Palm Beach County’s workforce needs now, and in the future. Together we are fostering inclusion, diversity, and youth advocacy to build an equitable workforce with the supports they need for their own health and wellness.

Strengthening and Connecting the Pipeline

The current supply of Florida’s working mental health professionals meets only 21%* of the state’s need.

A shortage of this magnitude takes investment in every part of the workforce pipeline—starting before college.

BeWellPBC, behavioral health providers, education partners, and investors are strengthening and connecting every point along the pipeline for the future of behavioral health in Palm Beach County.

HERE’S HOW: HIGH SCHOOL

We’re offering opportunities for high school medical academy students to gain experience in the community and be better prepared for employment immediately after graduation through the new Behavioral Health Technician programming and state certification.

POSTSECONDARY

We’re connecting CareerSource, the School District, universities, providers, and stakeholders to guide young professionals after high school and through college to a career, and asking providers about the hiring support they need.

SIMPLE RULES IN ACTION: CONNECT

We’re connecting everyone who educates, mentors, trains, and places people in the behavioral health professions to build a robust community of support and belonging.

COLLEGE WORKING PROFESSIONALS

We’re creating an intercollegiate support network for college students attending behavioral health programs in Palm Beach County.

We’re providing opportunities for behavioral health professionals to network, encourage self-care, and share challenges and successes.

*Source: Kaiser Family Foundation

A New Generation of Behavioral Health Professionals

BeWellPBC’s Workforce Pipeline Action Team partnership with the School District of Palm Beach County’s Allied Health and Behavioral and Mental Health Departments reached an extraordinary milestone in 2022. The State Board of Education approved the new Behavioral Health Technician Program, a first-of-its-kind secondary curriculum created and designed by the School District of Palm Beach County and offered statewide, to prepare high school juniors and seniors for employment immediately after graduation and set them on a path to lifelong careers.

Long-term, the program aims to create a diverse and inclusive workforce pipeline and address the critical behavioral health professional shortage. Dr. Miguel Benavente, School District of Palm Beach County medical administrator, and colleagues wrote the curriculum with funding from Quantum Foundation and the Education Foundation of Palm Beach County.

The Behavioral Health-Focused School Project Team that came together to develop the program was led by BeWellPBC and the School District of Palm Beach County’s Choice and Career Options and Behavioral and Mental Health Departments and included:

•Palm Beach County Youth Services Department,

•CareerSource Palm Beach County,

•United Way of Palm Beach County and several other partners.

Launched in the 2022-2023 school year, high school students in the School District’s medical academies are now able to work towards a career in the field through instruction and internship opportunities. In addition, the Florida Certification Board worked with BeWellPBC and partners to design a new state certification attainable by recently graduated high school students that will be sanctioned in the very near future.

The School District estimates the program could benefit up to 6,000 students in 20 high school medical academy programs. Beyond local impact on the workforce in the near future, the program provides a pipeline to university programs for advanced degrees, helping to overcome industry shortages for higher level positions.

“Students learn about diseases and disorders, and they also learn about social impacts, including the opioid crisis, human trafficking, and trauma resiliency. Schools and teachers can tailor the curriculum to their students, communities, and those who need help locally.”

-Dr. Miguel Benavente School District of Palm Beach County medical administrator

Building a Robust Pipeline

BeWellPBC sees the potential of the Behavioral Health Technician Program as a long-term solution to build and fill the pipeline with diverse behavioral health professions desperately needed locally and across the state.

With a new two-year grant from the Frederick A. DeLuca Foundation, BeWellPBC is able to support students in the program by creating a network of co-instructors (from local

behavioral health providers), coordinating internships and scholarship opportunities, and encouraging youth to come forward with creative behavioral health ideas through the mini-grant process.

The foundation is also funding BeWellPBC to launch and support three new student-led behavioral health clubs in local high schools, places of belonging and where career aspirations may flourish.

"With the BHT Curriculum program, we will have a new pool of people who can get jobs right away and are on the pathway to a lifelong career. This program is the starting point for communities to develop their own professionals for generations to come.”

- Alita Faber,

BeWellPBC

Networks and Special Projects Manager

Claudia Montas, BeWellPBC Youth Coordinator

Dantona Leger, BeWellPBC Youth Coordinator

Thanks to the Frederick A. DeLuca Foundation, BeWellPBC welcomed two new youth coordinators in 2022, Dantona Leger and Claudia Montas. As local graduate students with experience in the behavioral health field, they are assisting with the initiative’s various youth efforts.

Community Solutions

BeWellPBC amplifies the voices of residents to promote change. We know our neighbors hold the key to creating greater belonging and civic muscle by connecting people who have not been represented in the past, leading conversations to change, and co-designing behavioral health solutions.

THEY:

BeWellPBC’s Community Solutions Team touches all aspects of the Simple Rules for Building Civic Muscle and Belonging. They are community members with lived experience creating the change they want to see in Palm Beach County’s behavioral health landscape.

COMMIT

Community Connectors continue to hold “Couch Conversations,” opening the door to insightful dialogue among diverse groups of residents and system leaders who are exploring behavioral health and wellness, equity, and related topics affecting health. These discussions were broadcast on Facebook Live and turned into podcasts. In October, 11 residents and local faith-based and community leaders along with Commissioner Mack Bernard and Palm Beach County Community Services Department director, James Green, had a hearty discussion about housing and mental health.

LISTEN

Community Connectors hosted in-person meet-ups – Let’s Connect - in various cities (Lake Worth Beach, Royal Palm) to connect neighbors, to encourage dialogue about mental health and local resources, and to get feedback from more residents.

INNOVATE

A Peer Leadership Council was proposed as an opportunity for peers (individuals who have lived with mental health challenges and are uniquely positioned to support others) to serve in an advisory role for local policy and practice. In 2022, peer leads presented at Southeast Florida Behavioral Health Network’s CQI meeting to share information about the Council and invite peers across providers and programs to join. Group leaders also held a barbecue later in the year to invite potential participants to learn more about the council and begin building membership.

SHARE

The Caregivers Club, in partnership with Healthier Boynton Beach, is a resident-led group that continues to plan fun events for caregivers across the county—a group that often feels isolated and alone. During 2022, the Club invited caregivers to activities like Painting with a Twist (painting class) and a ladies luncheon.

CONNECT

Students Connect, the student-led BeWell Club, took the behavioral health training they developed in 2021 and began offering it in the community. In partnership with Alpert Jewish Family Service and Palm Health Foundation, BeWellPBC received two OD2A grants from the Health Council of Southeast Florida to continue to work with a small team of youth trainers to offer "Mental Health for You(th)" workshops to teen groups throughout the county. In October, the youth were invited to present at the PBC Behavioral Health Coalition Stronger Together Now Youth Summit.

Mini Grants

The Be Well Do Well mini-grant program continues to provide grant awards for innovative ideas to improve behavioral health and wellness for Palm Beach County neighbors most in need. Nine awardees received grant awards up to $5,000 to implement creative programs and five awardees received funding to develop their own 4-episode podcast series with a professional podcast coach and producer (new to the grant process this year!).

Reflective of Palm Beach County’s diverse communities, many of the awardees’ ideas incorporate population-specific programming to respond to the unique needs of individual communities, including:

• A mental health campaign for children with Hispanic/Latino immigrant parents

• An online and in-person chair yoga program for African American, Latino, and Afro-Caribbean senior residents with mobility challenges in the Glades

• A rites of passage program for boys ages 15-19, focused on brotherhood, self-determination, community, accountability, integrity, and responsible success

Other programs focused on outreach and awareness, including a mental health and the church conference and support services for returning citizens.

2022 Mini-Grants

• 91 applicants

• 14 awardees, including 5 podcast awards

• Grants from $1,000–$5,000

• $50,660 awarded

Click on the photos below to learn more about our mini-grantees and their projects.

ABILITY

YOGA

BeWellPBC hired Deon, a 2020 awardee, to offer mentorship and capacity-building opportunities to 2022 grantees. Deon has been facilitating bimonthly meetings for awardees to encourage networking and to celebrate their progress. He has also been presenting a 5-part series of workshops open to all to all residents to learn from local experts about growing their ideas and programs. He also expanded the circle of support by inviting back former grants navigator Tessie Watts, and mentoring youth coordinator, Dantona Leger.

In January 2023, BeWellPBC is reviewing our first ever youth grants through Level Up! Mini-Grants process made possible with generous support from the Merrell Family Foundation. Applicants are between the ages of 15-18 years old and are presenting ideas that will benefit their peers across the county. Please visit www. bewellpbc.org/mini-grants/ to see the awardees when they are announced in February.

“This year’s BeWellPBC mini-grant awardees are reaching multiple communities through their actions and their words to promote resiliency and wellness.”

- Deon C. Jefferson BeWellPBC grants navigator

GARDEN MENTAL HEALTH AND THE CHURCH CONFERENCE

PROGRAM FOR IMPROVING BRAIN HEALTH

Giving Voice

BeWellPBC added podcasts to its mini-grant awards in 2022 to give community members a platform to connect their lived experiences with others in a highly accessible way. To offer grantees—all first-time podcasters—the best opportunity for success, we funded Rosler Oriol, CEO/Founder of Thinking Out Loud, to provide technical expertise and training that quickly became so much more.

“Podcasts allow people who might not necessarily have the chance to be heard the power to tell their stories.”

“Rosler is an awesome listener, giving you advice and critiquing you and helping you to progress as you need to,” said awardee Tracey Graham, host of the “She Is Me I am Her” podcast focused on nurturing the strengths of girls. “He has been absolutely phenomenal and patient in encouraging me.”

With degrees in IT and psychology, and podcast experience dating back to 2006, Rosler is highly skilled in production logistics and the coaching it takes to inspire hosts and their listeners. For BeWellPBC mini-grant podcasters, he took a three-pronged approach: “First, to give them the confidence and the knowledge to be able to continue with their podcasts and tell their stories. Second, for the community to find something relatable in the podcasts that they need to hear. And third, to highlight BeWellPBC, allowing regular residents to find them through podcasts about issues that need to be discussed.”

Rosler credits BeWellPBC for cultivating a supportive environment for creating the podcasts during the pandemic. “The approach is always, ‘take care of yourself, take care of your family, and once you are in the space to create, then we’ll do that,’” he said. “I communicate that same message to podcast recipients. I feel like I’m echoing the energy that has been put out by BeWellPBC and the rest of the team.”

For Rosler, the greatest reward is post-production. “Podcasts allow people who might not necessarily have the chance to be heard the power to tell their stories,” he said. “To express that they are experts in their fields and to see that people are listening and interacting with their podcasts has been really fulfilling. Hopefully the podcasts inspire people to start their own podcasts, and to spark change by getting in front of system leaders. "

Deon Jefferson, BeWellPBC’s grants navigator, sees the long-term effect. “This is a skill that mini-grantees will have forever.”

Tune In

BeWellPBC’s new podcast channel, Well Said PBC, hosts and houses the behavioral health mini-grant podcast shows and “Couch Conversations.” Listen in at wellsaidpbc.org.

“SPARC Up”* by Angel Wilson educates the public about autism awareness/ acceptance.

“She Is Me, I am Her” by Tracey Graham nurtures the strengths of girls.

“Unity in Shades” by Katrina Blackmon shares conversations relevant to the African American community.

“The Brie Hive” by Brieana Salter provides mental health resources, financial, and emotional support to individuals and families that are affected by Lupus and other chronic illnesses.

“Helping the Helpers: Self-Care for the Health Professional”* by the T. Leroy Jefferson Medical Society offers behavioral health and wellness resources for healthcare professionals.

*Airing now. Other podcasts will be added during 2023.

-Rosler Oriol, CEO/Founder, Thinking Out Loud

Rosler Oriol, CEO/Founder Thinking Out Loud Inc.

THE WELL OF PBC RUNS DEEP

The Well of PBC, BeWellPBC’s on-line, bimonthly behavioral health and wellness magazine grew significantly during 2022, attracting funding and national and international recognition. Julie Khanna and Surej “Sunman” Kalathil are the talented creatives behind the publication, inviting guest writers and artists to contribute to what has become a highly regarded and recognized community-driven space for behavioral health in Palm Beach County.

THE WELL OF PBC 2022 HIGHLIGHTS

APRIL 2022

The BJ and Paula Harris Fund, our first sponsor, underwrites the mental health awareness and trauma-informed care issue.

MAY 2022

Lauren Zuchman, executive director, serves on an international panel for ISSUU entitled “How to Market Your Nonprofit” to share about The Well of PBC and other efforts.

“We set out to be the behavioral health safe space for all of Palm Beach County. We want to sound like home, feel their journeys, and share their stories with our readers. Through The Well of PBC, we want every neighbor to feel connected, represented, and have access to the primary behavioral health resource powerful enough to create change for generations to come.”

- Julie Khanna, Editor-in-Chief

OCTOBER 2022

The first printed issue appears, underwritten by Palm Health Foundation and focused on the NeuroArts. Eleven hundred issues are distributed with the help of partners like the foundation, FAU Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute, and the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County. Another 2,000 people read it online.

DECEMBER 2022

During an international NeuroArts webinar, Palm Health Foundation CEO Patrick McNamara cites the October issue and it is shared and linked from the NeuroArts Blueprint website.

IMPACT REPORT 2022

Stewards Investing in Stewards

BeWellPBC’s funders - our Invested Partners - provide far more than monetary support. They are true stewards, coming together in the belief that we can transform behavioral health in Palm Beach County by putting community at the center of solutions, holding each other accountable for a more equitable and just system, and sharing resources to advance health and wellness for all residents. They serve on our stewardship council, action teams, co-planned programs, and mini-grants panel, reinforcing their all-embracing commitment to BeWellPBC and our community. We are grateful.

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