Redesigning Medicaid Healthcare Delivery in the Finger Lakes Region

Mayor Warren Announces Expansion of Persons in Crisis Team Services in Rochester

Four Certified Peer Specialists will allow for PIC to enhance the services, number and types of calls it provides for non-law enforcement responses.

Mayor Lovely A. Warren announced today that the City of Rochester Department of Recreation and Human Services, along with Finger Lakes Performing Provider System (FLPPS) has selected Recover Options Made Easy (ROME) to help expand the City’s Person in Crisis (PIC) program that responds to individuals experiencing a mental health or other crisis requiring intervention and support.

ROME will provide NYS Certified Peer Specialists to be integrated into the City of Rochester Crisis Intervention Services (CIS) teams, particularly its Person in Crisis (PIC) teams. The peers have lived experience which helps them relate to, and assist, people in crisis.

“By expanding our Person In Crisis teams to include certified peer specialists, we will be able to assist even more of our residents in need in a humane and compassionate manner,” said Mayor Warren. “In addition, by assisting residents in this new way, we are expecting that there will be a reduced number of people calling the PIC team because they are getting connected to the services they need.”

The PIC teams were first piloted in January 2021 to provide a non-law enforcement response to crises, with a particular focus on mental health crises. The PIC pilot was successful and is now looking at expanding its call response types, including responses to substance abuse, wellness checks, and domestic violence incidences. On July 1, 2021, the City’s CIS started the Community Support Counselor team, who provide follow up and case management to people involved in PIC calls and crime victims.

The peer specialists hired and supervised by ROME will join the PIC team in the field to provide person-centered support to City of Rochester residents experiencing crises such as, but not limited to, suicidal behavior, domestic violence and substance abuse. Additionally, peer specialists will provide follow up support, including referrals to needed resources with the City’s Community Support Counselors. The goal of this intervention is to provide the CIS with team members that have the lived experience and training to provide compassionate, responsive care to individuals undergoing crises and divert them from preventable emergency room visits.

ROME will support the hiring, onboarding, training, and ongoing supervision of four peer specialists that will be working with the CIS for a period of one-year. FLPPS will also support an evaluation of Peer Integration into the CIS team in collaboration with the City of Rochester Department of Recreation and Human Services. The arrangement is being made at no cost to the City to demonstrate the effectiveness of this innovative approach.

This collaboration with the City is part of a portfolio of projects supported by the System Transformation and Community Investment (STACI) program at FLPPS to support the expansion of community-based Crisis Response and Stabilization services in the FLPPS region.

“We at Recovery Options Made Easy are pleased to bring our experience in peer-based crisis response services to the City of Rochester in partnership with FLPPS. We believe that the integration of peer services into the PIC program will enrich these services in a meaningful way, and we are excited to be a part of providing greater access to peer support services to Rochester residents," said Shannon Higbee, Interim CEO & COO at Recovery Options Made Easy.

“I’m thrilled that FLPPS is partnering with such an innovative program that provides vital and needed support to our most vulnerable community members,” said Carol Tegas, Executive Director of FLPPS.

“So many people in our community are affected by mental health and substance use disorders and a variety of domestic issues,” Dr. Lyman-Torres, Commissioner of the City’s Department of Recreation and Human Services said. “Seeking help while navigating through a crisis can be challenging. Through the implementation of people with shared experiences I am confident that we will be able to reinforce our efforts to better serve citizens in a manner that will get them the appropriate care they need in the safest, most effective way possible.”

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Doulas play a crucial role in combating the discrimination, racism, and loss of autonomy that Black and Brown birthing people experience due to historical disinvestment.

Through its System Transformation and Community Investment Program, Finger Lakes Performing Provider System (FLPPS) is partnering with Healthy Baby Network, HealthConnect One, and Finger Lakes Community Health on a two-year initiative to innovate Healthy Baby Network’s Black Doula Collaborative, which will improve the health and well-being of women, infants, and birthing families.

The program will identify and train individuals who are trusted members of the community to provide doula services and help improve: prenatal care, raise breastfeeding rates, decrease unnecessary medical interventions, increase positive birth experiences, and improve parenting skills.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Rochester and Finger Lakes region maternal mortality is 51% higher for black moms than for white moms. Infant mortality is 300% higher for black babies than for white babies, according to the CDC. 

Utilizing HealthConnect One’s proven “train the trainer” model, the program based at Healthy Baby Network and Finger Lakes Community Health will hire, onboard, and train doulas, which includes 16 community-based training sessions. FLPPS will fund six full-time equivalent doulas, which will serve 250 Black and Brown women. The program will develop referral pathways with healthcare systems and federally qualified health centers to facilitate care. 

Medicaid reimbursement legislation in New York would establish doulas as medical providers and require health insurers to provide coverage for doula services

“I’m thrilled that FLPPS is partnering with these reputable organizations across the region that have deep expertise in addressing disparities.  This innovative Doula program will provide vital support to ensure patient-centered care and better outcomes for mothers and babies in the Finger Lakes region,” said Carol Tegas, Executive Director of FLPPS.

"HealthConnect One’s community-based doula reputation program has achieved astounding results for nearly three decades, and we are proud to co-develop the Black Doula Collaborative with our partners in Rochester. Through our decades of experience, we know how critical culturally reflective, community-rooted doula support is for improving outcomes for Black babies and birthing people,” said Dr. Twylla Dillion, Executive Director of HealthConnect One.” With the workforce development elements of this program, we will build new career pathways for women from under-resourced communities where the need for doula support is greatest. Legislatively, there is a lot of motion nationally and within NYS to develop sustainable funding for community-based doulas through Medicaid doula reimbursement. This project will provide additional evidence in support of community-rooted doula support."

“Healthy Baby Network’s Board and Staff are proud to partner with HealthConnect One, Finger Lakes Community Health, and the Finger Lakes Performing Provider System to innovate our Black Doula Collaborative as a hub for training Black Women to be Doulas and continuing to expand their work with health providers to bring lifesaving care and support for vulnerable Black pregnant and parenting women and their families,” said Sherita Bullock, Executive Director of Healthy Baby Network. “THIS is how we reduce and work to eliminate preventable Black Maternal Mortality and Morbidity in Rochester, NYS, and beyond.”

"We are excited to be a part of this work with FLPPS and our regional partners. Doulas provide emotional and physical support to our pregnant Moms who can be vulnerable to problems in pregnancy and birth. This program will positively benefit so many women in our region and help to ensure healthy maternal outcomes," said Mary Zelazny, CEO of Finger Lakes Community Health.

FLPPS Awarded $1 Million to Increase COVID-19 Access Throughout Western New York
The Finger Lakes Performing Provider System (FLPPS) has been awarded $1 million to
support regional community-based efforts to increase COVID-19 vaccinations in underserved
communities.
The funding was made available by the American Rescue Plan and is being distributed by the
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Health Resources and
Services Administration (HRSA).
The grant will mobilize community health workers, patient navigators, and social support
specialists to educate and assist people in accessing and receiving COVID-19 vaccinations.
FLPPS is the lead agency and is partnering with Human Service Development, IBERO, MC
Collaborative, Father Tracy Advocacy Center, Ardent Solutions, Western NY Coalition of
Farmworker, and S2AY Rural Health Network. FLPPS will oversee program delivery in
coordination and collaboration with the regional Vaccine Hubs across the 13-county FLPPS
region, along with Common Ground Health.
The FLPPS grant is part of $121 million in American Rescue Plan funding to 127 agencies
around the country.
“This grant will support trusted voices in local communities in sharing information about
vaccines, building vaccine confidence, and addressing barriers to vaccination for individuals

The FLPPS Learning Management System (LMS) is designed to support partners in their learning and development needs. LEARN MORE

On July 1, 2020, FLPPS Board of Directors unanimously supported the adoption of an Anti-Racism Declaration that accepts and endorses the Greater Rochester Black Agenda Group Declaration: "Racism is a Public Health Crisis" READ THE FULL DECLARATION

Presentations and video recordings for all four sessions of the FLPPS Partnership Showcase Series are now available. LEARN MORE