Our Story
What exactly is the Care Management Coalition of Western New York
(WNY)? What does it do? The Care Management Coalition of WNY came
about as a result of the belief of area human service agency CEOs
that working collaboratively, sharing resources, and developing
an integrated service delivery system could improve and ensure
the quality of care for children and families in need.
After meeting for years creating committees to study best practices, training, human resources, and admission/referrals, the group decided to move forward on establishing a more concrete organization. The Care Management Coalition became incorporated as a 501c3 entity in 1998. At that time, employees from the four member agencies shared their training, clinical expertise, and a number of other resources. The next year, after developing four program prototypes projected to improve and enhance services, the Coalition's leadership applied for, and received, a John R. Oishei Foundation grant in order to hire executive staff and implement its mission. In April of 2000, Virginia Purcell was hired as the coalition's executive director.
The Agencies
The four agencies comprising the Care Management Coalition are:
Baker Victory Services, Child & Family Services, Gateway-Longview, and New
Directions Youth & Family Services. Each agency has its own rich and successful history of providing care to children
and their families. Each is an ardent participant and advocate for children's issues locally, state-wide, nationally, and
internationally.
Many key staff members from each of the four agencies actively participate on several teams, each addressing different opportunities to share and coordinate resources in such a way that the system of care for children and families would improve and each provider would become more efficient and effective.
Our Work
The teams of the Care Management Coalition have worked effectively
to create change in a number of areas that could have a significant
impact on service delivery. The creation of a coordinated intake
and referral process for Erie County Family Court is a major expression
of collaboration that is expected to reduce delays in placement,
thus shortening the length of time a youth remains in detention,
and providing therapeutic interventions sooner. The next phase
of the coordinated intake process will be foster family care,
and preventive services.
Several participating agency staff members have developed a number of proposals on behalf of the Care Management Coalition to various entities for the development and expansion of services. Of these, two have been awarded funding: Non-secure detention group homes for Erie County youths (16 beds), and Preventive Services in the form of After-Care Services to be provided in Erie, Chattaqua, Niagara and Monroe counties.
A number of the program proposals developed by the Coalition were in collaboration with a number of other community-based organizations, including the faith-based community. Some of these partners include: the Boys and Girls Clubs of Buffalo, Compass House, Lakeshore Behavioral Health, Child & Adolescent Treatment Services, and the Gethsemane Missionary Baptist Church. Two of the Coalition agencies have responded to a request made to the Coalition to provide on-site preventive services at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Buffalo.