Continued on page 4

Coming Full Circle 2 Director’s Corner

6 Partnership Helps Women

7 Putting People First

8 Report Shows Immigrant Contribu-tions and Impact

10 DCHS Highlights

12 Hello Goodbye

14 News You Can Use

C nnectTHE NEWS YOU NEED | THE PEOPLE YOU WORK WITH

J U L Y | A U G U S T 2 0 1 8

DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY AND HUMAN SERVICES

Two DCHS Youth Development workers return to their roots.

Many DCHS staff members value how their work contrib-utes to the wellbeing, safety and self-sufficiency of Alexandria residents, yet for two Youth Development workers, their posi-tions at DCHS hold a special meaning.

Emma Beall and Rashad Price, who both grew up in Alexan-dria, are now working in the very programs they participated in as a youth.

Beall, who was recently hired as the coordinator for the Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition of Alexandria, was a junior at T.C. Williams when a teacher shared an opportunity to participate in designing a multimedia campaign for the Alexandria Campaign on Adolescent Pregnancy. The opportu-nity fit well with Beall’s interest in writing and journalism, so she applied.

The project ended up founding Keep It 360, the current ACAP campaign to foster open and honest conversations about teen pregnancy. With other students, Beall helped cre-

Emma Beall as a teen volunteering with ACAP

Rashad Price (center) when he was president of the Untouchables.

2 C O N N E C T

Director’s C rner

DCHS Director Kate Garvey

At the beginning of each fis-cal year, we produce our Work Plan to highlight some of the critical activities that we will be focusing on in the coming year. Some items build on past work while others are new initiatives that have been developed to respond to emerging needs. The Work Plan allows us to keep things in our sights that need our attention and action and go beyond the ongoing day to day work.

Below are some of the highlights of the DCHS FY19 Work Plan. Many of the items have come from feedback and issues raised through the Organizational Assess-ment. Please review them and see where you are already engaged in the work and areas where you might like to get involved.

Unified Department Approaches• Establish a single comprehen-

sive services DCHS facility.• Adopt a department-wide

approach to serving aging clients--use expertise within the department and de-velop standards across the continuum of services.

• Adopt a department-wide approach to employment

The DCHS Workplansupports and economic security.

• Adopt a department-wide housing approach.

• Develop expedited/stream-lined access to/referrals from other services across DCHS.

Access, Quality and Outcomes• Pursue a trauma-informed

approach across the de-partment.

• Implement same day access.• Implement Medicaid Ex-

pansion.• Complete Technology Plan

that is in concert with ITS plan.

Staff / Development• Improving/automating on-

boarding and off-boarding process for staff.

• Increase ways to strengthen support and development opportunities available to supervisors. Review current HR listings and recommend trainings and explore other ways to support supervisors.

• Review administrative sup-port across the department with a goal of aligning resources appropriately to achieve maximum effec-tiveness.

Fiscal Stewardship• Participate in Priority based

budgeting.• Continue to strengthen

billing and reimbursement processes.

• Pursue or diversify revenue, funding strategies.

Select Center Initiatives

Center for Adult Services• Implement the Opioid &

Addictions Coordinator func-tion for City Wide initiatives.

• Collaborate with Sheltered Homes of Alexandria in ex-pansion of housing oppor-tunities in accordance with CSB Housing Plan.

• Increase resources to meet needs of older adults through expanded guard-ianship, case management, and competency evaluation funding.

Center for Children & Famlies• Measure program-level gains

in Developmental Assets and encourage use of these mea-sures among other programs in Alexandria.

• Implement integrated sys-tem of care practices to im-prove outcomes for youth and families involved with multiple service systems.

• Employ an equity lens

J U L Y | A U G U S T 2 0 1 8 3

Director’s C rnerThe DCHS Workplan

DCHS continues to work hard to meet a 2019 goal for a new consolidated site to house the majority of its services along with programs from the Health Department and Neighborhood Health.

Since the merger of the City’s social and behavioral health services into one de-partment in 2010, a single location has been the most frequently identified factor by staff at all levels across DCHS when it comes to improving employee communication and collaboration and increasing client access to services.

The DCHS Leadership Team has been working with the De-partment of General Services

... and the Consolidated Site

across the child welfare continuum of services start-ing with identifying root causes of disproportionality.

Center for Economic Support• Continue the implementa-

tion of Customer Service of Excellence, evaluate tools and processes for collect-ing feedback, and develop

strategies for utilizing the feedback.

• Research and develop procedures for addressing youth homelessness in Al-exandria. Develop strategies for identifying and serving the population.

• Increase access to career readiness focused on ESOL services to new Alexandrians.

(DGS) to finalize space needs and earlier this month the DCHS headcount and space requirements were finalized.

“This means we now have a final count of the number of people and floor space needed for DCHS for a new building location,” says Center for Operations Director Sharon Vaughan-Roach.

DCHS, the Health Depart-ment, Neighborhood Health and DGS also met with the consultant and architect regarding a “stacking” plan for proposed building locations, which helps visualize how pro-

grams could fit into possible buildings, floor by floor. These plans were discussed at the August 18 Leadership Team meeting and final changes were recommended.

Read prior updates and keep up with news and infor-mation about the consolidated site at alexnet.alexandriava.gov/DCHS—and keep an eye out for upcoming opportuni-ties to be involved and contrib-ute your input!

The entire Work Plan will be posted on Sharepoint, where you will be able to see the timelines, status of the work and the relevant strate-gic goals related to each. As always, please look out for opportunities to participate in moving these items forward and for acknowledgements when progress is made.

4 C O N N E C T

ate a student club to promote ACAP’s message and engage students at school; she also coordinated a blog associated with the movement. After the campaign launched, she was offered a paid position to con-tinue writing for the blog.

“As a student who loved writing and wanted to be a journalist, that was really cool,” Beall recalls.

Beall continued her involve-ment, serving as president of the club, volunteering as a youth representative for the Children, Youth and Family Collaborative Commission and serving on the interview panel for the current ACAP coordina-tor, Lisette Torres.

As Beall worked with ACAP, she found her career aspira-tions began to change, and she developed a deep interest in public health.

“One push from a teacher led to that work,” Beall explains. She was impressed by one of ACAP’s approaches to reduce teen pregnancy: educating teens and empowering them to make informed choices..

“And that led me to explore public health as a course of study and my career,” she says.

After she graduated from T.C. Williams, Beall went to Tulane, where she received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in public health in five years. Beall kept in touch with Torres, and in addition to work-ing with the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, interned with ACAP during two summers.

Beall appreciated that expe-rience. “I was able to translate what I was learning into real

work during those summers,” she says.

As part of her internships, she worked together with other Youth Development programs, including SAPCA, which focuses on reducing substance use and abuse in youth. So, when the coordinator position came open last spring, it wasn’t a big leap for Beall to apply.

Learning about the oppor-tunity was a surprise for Beall. “I never thought I’d come back to Alexandria,” she laughs. “But now I’ve come full circle and back to the community I grew up in—and I’m making a differ-ence where it is really needed.”

And that difference has a lot to do with what Beall reso-nated with as a high schooler: empowering youth.

“Really, working with youth is my favorite thing about this job. We aim for all our work to be youth led, to give them a platform to share their experi-ence,” she says. “It’s hard to be an adolescent, and it helps to have supportive adults in their lives. I can still name the people who supported me both in professional and personal settings. It is important to have them listen and value what you are saying.”

Now, Beall is doing the same thing for the youth in the com-munity she grew up in. “I really value helping them see what’s next,” she says.

Price, who was hired as a Youth Development Counselor, lived across the street from the Charles Houston Recreation Center as a kid. When he was in sixth grade, his grandmother walked him over to the center and signed him up for The

Untouchables, a program facili-tated by Youth Development Counselors Theodore “Teddy” Jones and James “Chucky” Moore that focuses on leader-ship development and mentor-ing with the goal of supporting male youth into becoming suc-cessful men who live healthy and productive lives.

Price also signed up as a volunteer for the Peer Advisor Program, another Youth Devel-opment program in which youth participate in mentoring and tu-toring children at the Rec Center and Brent Place Apartments.

DCHS provides staff support for both programs.

By the time he was in eighth grade, Price was The Untouch-able’s president and a lead peer advisor.

Price credits these programs with shaping his life and career.

“It was great growing up and learning from older positive men that looked like me,” Price says of his time in The Untouch-ables, adding that the majority of his African American peers in the program are now leading successful careers. “And all my jobs have centered around what I did as a peer advisor. It put me in a position to be a real model in the community.”

After graduating in 2005 from T.C. Williams, where he played football and basketball and served in youth leadership roles, Price attended Ferrum College and West Virginia State University, where he graduated in 2009 with a bachelor’s de-gree focusing in sports manage-ment and marketing.

Price immediately returned to the Alexandria area, where he worked at Charles Houston

Emma Beall, fourth from the right, SAPCA Coordinator.

COMING FULL CIRCLE - CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

J U L Y | A U G U S T 2 0 1 8 5

Rec Center and a teen center in Fairfax County as well working as a gang intervention and pre-vention specialist in Montgom-ery County, where he mediated between gang members and helped steer clients out of gang life and into opportunities like colleges and the military.

Price also engaged youth as a high school basketball and football coach as well as through a travel basketball organization he created in Montgomery County.

Price, who still works part-time in Montgomery County, says his work with gang involved youth and adults underscores the potential for youth.

“No matter where a kid is at, they still have the opportunity to be a positive person,” says Price. “It’s always the guys you think don’t have a chance who end up surprising you.”

No matter where he was, Price’s heart was always in Al-exandria. Even while in college and working in Montgomery County, he frequently returned to speak with community groups and teens in the City—and even took a turn coaching football at T.C. Williams.

“I’ve always been plugged into what was going on in the City,” he says.

So, ending up here is, as Price puts it, “a blessing and not really a surprise.”

As a Youth Development Counselor, Price values working with the programs he partici-pated in as a youth.

Of particular importance to him is preserving the history of the Untouchables and retelling the story of the program.

“There is a lot of history there,” Price says. “A lot of suc-cessful people and profession-als in Alexandria went through that program.”

He is also working to bring more young men into the peer advisor program and recruit-ing at-risk youth for the Young Successful Stars afterschool program at T.C. Williams.

Programs like these, says Price, helped him get to where he is, so he wants to help oth-ers have the same chance.

“Meet kids where they are and help them the best you can and you’ll put them in a posi-tion where they have options to be successful,” Price says.

The Youth Development Team values the return of Beall and Price to the programs.

“I think that Emma’s early

experience as a youth leader with ACAP really helped shaped her future in prevention and youth development,” says Torres. “She found her pas-sion in serving the Alexandria community and helping young people make healthy choices. We are so lucky that she chose to return to Alexandria as the SAPCA Coordinator. Everything has come full circle for her!”

“We are proud to welcome Rashad back to our team in a new capacity,” says Jones. “It’s a blessing that he has the desire to give back to the community that nurtured his development. The experiences he gained as a Peer Advisor give him a unique insight into working with the current youth in our programs and a fresh insight into the work we do.”

YOUTH DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS

More about..The Youth Development Team provides services that promote healthy youth

development and prevent alcohol and drug use, pregnancy, emotional problems, violence and school drop-out. Evidence-based programs and practices include: Too Good for Drugs, LifeSkills Training, Be Proud! Be Responsible!, Girls Circle, Untouchables, Peer Advisors, Young Stars Success, Kids are Terrific Camp and Decisions 101. The team also provides skill-building groups, school-wide campaigns, parent outreach and education, mediation, after school programs and supportive counseling.

Youth Development programs are located at: T.C. Williams Main Campus and Charles Houston Recreation Center Hammond Middle School Campus, T.C. Williams Main and

Minnie Howard Campuses and Charles Houston Recreation Center Hammond Middle School Campus and after school programs at

George Washington Middle School Tucker Elementary School and Brent Place Apartments Ramsay Elementary School Patrick Henry Elementary School

To learn about Youth Development programs and services, click on the Center for Children and Families link at alexandriava.gov/DCHS; Youth Development information is at the bottom of the page.

Rashad Price, Youth Development Counselor.

6 C O N N E C T

Partnership Helps WomenWomen offered free mammograms at Del Ray event

The Vola Lawson Breast Cancer Fund partnered with Neighborhood Health to pro-vide free mammograms at the Well Ray event held in Del Ray on Saturday, June 24.

Women received the free screenings in a “mammo-van” operated by the George Washington University Medical Faculty Associates Mobile Mammography Program.

The event was an effort by the Fund to help uninsured and under insured Alexandria women receive free mam-

mograms and other diagnostic screenings. These efforts were originally funded by the Al-exandria Walk to Fight Breast Cancer, which was established by former City Manager Vola Lawson in 1994. When the annual walk was permanently cancelled in 2014, the Vola Lawson Breast Cancer Fund was established to ensure that women who remain in need received these critical screen-ings.

The Fund is operated by the Alexandria Commission

for Women, Friends of the Alexandria Commission for Women and DCHS. It is a com-munity effort, and there are several ways to support the Fund. The Fund accepts dona-tions year around. A donation of just $200 will fund a free mammogram for one woman in Alexandria. There are also collaborative opportunities to partner with the Fund to sup-port local women. For more information about donating to or partnering with the Fund, email alexandriawomen@gmail.com.

Women who are in need of a mammogram, live in the City of Alexandria and do not have insurance or lack coverage for a mammogram should contact Neighborhood Health to have a mammogram scheduled and sponsored by the Vola Lawson Breast Cancer Fund. Call 703.535.5568 or visit www.neighborhoodhealthva.org/alexandria.html.

J U L Y | A U G U S T 2 0 1 8 7

Putting People First Using people first language increases respect

According to the CDC, about 50 million Americans report having a disability, and most Americans will experi-ence a disability some time during the course of their lives—and how we communi-cate with and about individu-als with a disability makes a difference.

The CDC urges the use of “people first” language to speak appropriately and respectfully about an indi-vidual with a disability. People first language emphasizes the person first not the disability. For example, when referring to a person with a disability, refer to the person first by us-ing phrases such as: “a person who …”, “a person with …” or, “person who has…” For in-stance, rather than referring to an individual as a schizophren-ic or handicapped person,

using people first language like “a person who has schizo-phrenia” or “a person with a disability” is less stigmatizing and more respectful.

The Florida Department of Children and Families recom-mends the following rules of thumb to reduce stigma and increase respect:

Don’t focus on a dis-ability. Focus instead on issues that affect the quality of life for everyone, e.g., accessible transportation, housing, af-fordable health care, etc.

Don’t portray success-ful persons with disabilities as super humans. This carries expectations for others and is patronizing to those who make various achievements.

Don’t sensationalize a disability. This means not using

terms such as “afflicted with,” “suffers from,” “victim of” and so on.

Don’t use generic labels such as “the retarded,” “our mentally ill,” etc.

Don’t use psychiatric diagnoses as metaphors for other situations, e.g., a “schizophrenic situation.” This is not only stigmatizing but inaccurate.

Do emphasize abilities, not limitations. Terms that are condescending must be avoided.

For more examples of people first language use, see a CDC poster at www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/disabilityandhealth/pdf/disabilityposter_photos.pdf.

J U L Y | A U G U S T 2 0 1 8 7

8 C O N N E C T

Report Shows Immigrant Contributions and Impact“New Americans in Alexandria” details economic contributions of immigrants and impact on the labor force and city’s population growth

A new report, New Ameri-cans in Alexandria, details the economic contributions and impact of immigrants in Alexandria.

The report was compiled by New American Economy (NAE) in partnership with the City’s Workforce Develop-ment Center (WDC) and the Alexandria Economic Develop-ment Partnership and released during an event hosted at Northern Virginia Community College on July 30. Represen-tatives from local businesses

and immigrant groups, along with Alexandria Mayor Allison Silberberg, City Manager Mark Jinks and Department of Com-munity and Human Services Director Kate Garvey spoke during the event.

According to the report, immigrants in the City paid $364.6 million in taxes in 2016, including $262.4 million in fed-eral taxes and $102.2 million in state and local taxes.

In addition to their financial contributions, the new report shows the role that the im-

migrant population in Alex-andria plays in the local labor force as well as their impact on the city’s recent population growth. Though they account for 28 percent of the city’s overall population, immigrants represent 32.3 percent the city’s working age population and 30.5 percent of its em-ployed labor force. The report also shows that more than half of the city’s population growth in between 2011 and 2016 is attributable to immigrants.

Other highlights from the

New Americans in Alexandria

SPENDING POWER & TAX CONTRIBUTIONS

2

Given their income, immigrants contributed significantly to state and local taxes, including property,

sales, and excise taxes levied by state or municipal governments.

$262.4M went to federal taxes.2

$102.2Mwent to state and local taxes.3 Leaving them with $998.8M in spending power.

Amount earned by immigrant households in 2016: $1.4B

Immigrants in Alexandria also support federal social programs . In 2016, they contributed $150.0M to Social Security and $39.0M to Medicare .

Social Security

$150 .0M

Medicare

$39 .0M

12.3% of immigrants in the city received Medicare or Medicaid, compared with 18.4% of U .S .-born residents in 2016 .

About 55.8% of immigrants had private healthcare coverage, while 12.9% had public healthcare coverage .

12.3%

55.8%

18.4%

12.9%

Immigrants

Private

U .S .-born

Public

POPULATION GROWTH

Share of total population growth in the city attributed to immigrants

52.0%

Between 2011 and 2016,

the population in the city

grew by 10.8%.

The immigrant population

increased by 22.2%.

Total population

136,609 → 151,408

16+11+6+4+4+59Other countries of origin

59.1%

Ethiopia

16.4%

New Americans in AlexandriaA Snapshot of the Demographic and Economic

Contributions of Immigrants in the City1

Immigrant population

34,739 → 42,441

22.2%

10.8%

Top five countries of origin for

immigrants living in the city:

Ethiopia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 .4%

El Salvador . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 .3%

Honduras . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 .8%

Philippines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 .9%

Bolivia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 .5%

1

3

2

4

5

28+72RImmigrant share of the population, 2016

Number of immigrants living

in Alexandria in 2016: 42,441

28.0%

J U L Y | A U G U S T 2 0 1 8 9

Star Award Nomination Form: survey.alexandriava.gov/s3/

DCHS-Star-Award-Nomination-FormSuper Star Nomination Form:survey.alexandriava.gov/s3/

DCHS-Superstar-Award-Nomination-Form

JUNE 2018SUPER STAR NOMINEES

None

STAR AWARD NOMINEES

Bennie Blackley, Clara Roberson, Susan Tatum, Tamera Brown, Caitlin Mackay, Jennifer Sarisky,

Sorin Cetina, Annie Diaz, Tammie Wilson, Randy Gross, Jennifer Cohen-Cordero,

Joseph Davis and Carmen Andres

JULY 2018

SUPER STAR NOMINEES

None

STAR AWARD NOMINEES

Inidividual: Sonya Lee, Pamela AustinGroup: Jackie McCord, Angela White, Margaret

Serbeh, Michelle Walker, Jennifer Sarisky, Eugenia Jones and Darrell Wesley

DCHS Star Awards

Imag

es b

y fre

epik

.com

Report Shows Immigrant Contributions and Impact“New Americans in Alexandria” details economic contributions of immigrants and impact on the labor force and city’s population growth

report include: The top five countries

of origin for immigrants living in Alexandria are Ethiopia (16.4%), El Salvador (11.3%), Honduras (5.8%), Phillipines (3.9%) and Bolivia (3.5%).

12.3% of immigrants in the city received Medicare or Medicaid, compared with 18.4% of U.S. born residents.

Immigrants lay a critical role in several key industries in the city, inlcuding construc-tion (62.2%), hospitality and recreation (48.3%), retail trade (43.4%), healthcare (41.4%) and general services (32%).

Despite making up 28% of the overall population, im-migrants represented 34.2 of the entrepreneurs in Alexan-dria, generating $79.4 million in business income for the city.

The report also includes three profiles of immigrants in Alexandria, data about refugee and undocumented popula-tions and education and hous-ing wealth among immigrant populations.

Following a rigorous ap-plication process, the City of Alexandria was one of 25 communities in the country

selected to receive a Gate-ways for Growth award and research grant from the NAE in 2017, through which local communities received tailored research on contributions of immigrants. WDC was award-ed the grant for demonstrating a strong commitment from local government, business and civil society partners in recognizing and highlighting the contributions immigrants are making and for develop-ing concrete strategies and recommendations needed to maximize these contributions.

As a certified One Stop Cen-ter, WDC serves clients with a variety of skill levels, from those with advanced degrees and years of experience to those with limited education and experience, as well as provides a range of business services at no cost to businesses.

To read the report detailing the economic contributions and impact of immigrants in Alexandria, visit alexandriava.gov/105415. For more informa-tion about the City of Alexan-dria Workforce Development Center, visit alexandriava.gov/WorkforceDevelopment.

1 0 C O N N E C T

DCHS HighlightsABC GRANT AWARDED TO SAPCA

The Substance Abuse Prevention Coali-tion of Alexandria (SAPCA) was awarded $7,996 through an 11-month education and prevention grant from the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) Author-ity. SAPCA is one of 15 grantees named across the state that received funding to reduce underage and high-risk drinking in schools and neighborhoods.

While underage drinking rates in Alexandria have been decreasing since 2011, in a 2016 survey, nearly one in four Alexandria teens reported that they had used alcohol in the past 30 days. This grant will support SAPCA in continuing to reduce both availability and easy access to alcohol, as well as regular alcohol use among youth.

Planned initiatives include: Project Sticker Shock, an annual

event held in October. During this event, teams of youth and adults visit stores in Alexandria to place “warning” stickers on multi-packs of beer, wine coolers and other alcoholic products, highlighting the penalties for furnishing alcohol to minors.

Parents Who Host Lose the Most, a public awareness campaign that pro-motes the risks of providing alcohol to teenagers and educates parents, teens and community members about under-age drinking laws.

Activities throughout Alcohol Aware-ness Month in April that focus on increas-ing public awareness and understanding, reducing stigma, and encouraging local communities to focus on alcohol-related issues – particularly among youth.

Allen Lomax, SAPCA Chair, stated, “I am pleased that the Virginia ABC recog-

nized the great work our coalition is do-ing. While underage drinking rates have been steadily decreasing over the years, we must continue and even increase our work in preventing and reducing alcohol use by Alexandria youth.”

To learn more about SAPCA’s work, visit PreventItAlexandria.org, like SAPCA on Facebook and follow SAPCA on Twit-ter. If you are interested in learning how you can become involved with SAPCA, contact Emma Beall, SAPCA Coordinator, at emma.beall@alexandriava.gov.

YOUTH EMPOWERMENT WORK GROUP

The first Youth Empowerment Work Group was held on Tuesday, July 10. An initiative of the Children and Youth Master Plan, this work group, of which SAPCA is a member, aims to increase youth engagement and safety across the city and presents the opportunity for adults and youth to build a partnership and work together to develop and imple-ment strategies.

Five youth, including some of ACAP’s Peer Educators, participated in a youth panel and shared their experiences about being a teen in the city. The panel was followed by a community mapping activity in which the adults mapped their

J U L Y | A U G U S T 2 0 1 8 1 1

youth engagement activities across Alex-andria, and youth identified the places where they feel safe.

ACAP PARTICIPATES IN NATIONAL NIGHT OUT

On Tuesday, August 7, volunteers part-nered with the Alexandria Campaign on Adolescent Pregnancy, the Gang Preven-tion Task Force and the Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition of Alexandria to help “cover the City” with messages about their work during National Night Out.

Each year during this event , cities across the country host events, block parties and barbeques, with a goal of preventing crime by building a sense of community. This year, volunteers pro-moted the fifth annual Youth Leadership Conference, distributed “Teen Resources” magnets, shared flyers about the Gang Prevention Task Force and handed out information about local initiatives aimed at addressing the opioid epidemic. Thanks to the help of volunteers, the groups were able to connect with over 30 communities this year.

TEENSWORK! AT DCHSAlexandria youth ages 14 – 21 had the

chance to gain work experience during the Workforce Development Center’s six-week summer youth work program,

TeensWork! Each youth worked 30 hours per week in private and government sec-tor positions with WDC fully paying their salaries for the duration of the program.

The program, which ran from July 2 to August 10, also offered opportunities for vocational exploration, job readiness and skill building workshops and team building activities.

Summer youth employment provides young people with a sense of community, commitment and financial empowerment. Youth have the opportunity to network with diverse professionals while develop-ing the skills and attitude to prepare them for the world of work.

YOUTH CONFERENCE TRAINS YOUNG LEADERS

Over 50 students attended the 5th annual Youth Leadership Conference (YLC) hosted by the Alexandria Campaign on Adolescent Pregnancy (ACAP) and the Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition of Alexandria (SAPCA) August 13-15.

This free event for rising 9th – 12th graders aims to train young leaders and connect them with opportunities to become more civically engaged in the Alexandria community. For the first time, this conference was hosted and facilitated by ACAP’s six Youth Peer Educators.

The City collaborated with several of its departments to make the YLC a success. On Monday, Charles King from the Work-force Development Center (WDC) pre-sented a workshop on “Leadership 101,” which focused on leaders being respon-sible for bringing out the hidden talents of those they are leading. On the last day of the conference, community and non-profit leaders, elected officials and representatives from several local boards and commissions attended a networking fair with conference participants to pro-vide information about positions for youth in the City. During the networking session, an information table was set up by WDC that focused on employment, training and volunteer opportunities.

1 2 C O N N E C T

Hello & GoodbyeNEW STAFF

LAUREN BRODERICK Lauren Broderick recently

joined DCHS as a Caseworker at the William G. Truesdale Adult Detention Center. She recently graduated from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology with a Master’s in Forensic Psychology. She currently resides in Wash-ington, D.C., but is originally from northern New Jersey. She enjoys spending time outdoors and exploring new areas of the city with friends. She is grate-ful for the opportunity to work with the Jail Mental Health team.

MATTHEW BUCHANAN Matthew Buchanan is a part

time cook at Mill Road.

NICOLE HALL Nicole Hall is a Benefits

Program Specialist with the Center for Economic Support.

STEACIAN MUCHETTESteacian Muschette joined

DCHS as the Virginia Financial Success Network Coach, work-ing with WIOA participants in the Workforce Development Center. She recently relocated from New Jersey, where she worked with TANF clients as well as employment and volunteer services with adults with disabilities. She enjoys spending time with her family and looks forward to finding ways to avoid traffic in DMV!

GREGORY PATEGregory Pate joined DCHS

as a Senior Therapist for Sub-stance Abuse Outpatient Ser-vices. He is a North Carolina native who has resided in the DC Metro area for six years.

Pate has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and obtained his master’s degree, graduat-ing with honors. He brings a wealth of knowledge about working in addiction, having worked for seven years in resi-dential and outpatient. Pate enjoys watching football (Go Cowboys) and connecting with people as well as exercising and weight lifting.. He is very excited to return to the field of outpatient treatment, and more excited to be a part of DCHS and his Mill Road Team!

BRITNEY PITTSBritney Pitts joined DCHS

as the Senior Therapist for the Preschool Prevention Team. Pitts is from Portsmouth, Vir-ginia, and has spent the past five years in Maryland. She received her bachelor’s degree in sociology from Virginia Commonwealth University and her MSW from the University of Maryland School of So-cial Work. Pitts served as an Early Childhood Mental Health Consultant for the University

of Maryland’s Promise Heights Initiative in Baltimore City be-fore joining DCHS. She enjoys amusement parks, live enter-tainment and spending time with family and friends. She is excited to be in Alexandria and looks forward to serving with the DCHS team.

GENEINE RATCLIFFGeneine Ratcliff is an

Employment and Training Specialist with the Center for Economic Support.

JANET TRIJOJanet Trijo joined DCHS as

the Residential Support Coun-selor for the Alexandria Resi-dential Treatment Center. She has been in this field for over 30 years. She began her career in Alexandria’s Detox Unit and Woman’s Recovery Home in 1998 and then was hired by the Fairfax Falls Church CSB, Alcohol and Drug Services in 1990, where she spent almost 20 years working in Residential Services for Substance Abuse

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and Mental Health Disorders. She was part of a team that designed the Substance Abuse and Addiction Recovery Alli-ance and is proud to see how far it has progressed. She was also a clinical supervisor for the design and implementa-tion of New Generations, Steps to Recovery and spent 14 years as the Assistant Director for Fairfax Detox Center. She loves travel, beaches, cruises, raising her daughters and watching them raise her and her husband’s 11 grandchil-dren. Married 26 years to her husband Rick, Trijo calls him her biggest supporter of the career she chose. She feels blessed to be allowed into people’s lives to teach, counsel and watch them choose to make changes to promote a recovery oriented healthy lifestyle.

MAGGIE VALLADARES Maggie Valladares joined

DCHS as the psychiatrist for the PACT team and TRAILS. She

EDUCATIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS

In June, Kelly Robinson received her license in Clinical Social Work. Over the last three years, Robinson completed clinical supervision under Rhonda Williams, supervisor of older adult clinical services. To obtain the license, in-dividuals need an MSW, 3000 hours in relevant clinical social work experience, 100 hours of face to face supervision with a qualified LCSW, and to pass a test. In addition to her work as the Family Shelter Liaison in Homeless Services, Robinson co-facilitated support groups for survivors of intimate partner violence with the Domestic Violence Program to meet the work requirement.

In May 2018 Ramin Shaheedian graduated from George Mason University with a Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree. The MPA program, within the Schar School of Policy and Government, provides numerous courses to help gain a comprehensive understanding of how leadership, management, policy and politics intersect and help participants acquire tools to enhance communication, budgeting and analytic skills. “I really enjoyed the program because it covered a wide variety of topics on organizations that implement and manage public policies,” says Shaheedian. “I have grown as a person and professional as a result of the MPA program, and feel that adaptability is a key to long term success. It has really helped me establish a foundation to be an active and engaged team member in my organization.”

previously worked at Western State Hospital as a psychiatrist in a forensic unit as well as an assistant professor at the University of Virginia. She is passionate about working with individuals of all ages and backgrounds but special areas of interest include com-munity psychiatry and eating disorders. She is originally from Mexico, and her hobbies include cooking, meditation, running and reading.

JOB CHANGEJoanna Ahlering is a thera-

pist supervisor with the Center for Adult Services.

Joseph Perry is the PACT Therapist/Case Manager.

Sherry Ricci is a Senior Therapist for Emergency Services.

RETIREMENTPamela Hottenstein, a

senior therapist, retired after 18 years with the City.

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News You Can UseTAKING STOCK OF YOUR LOLLIPOP MOMENTS

Over the past two years, DCHS staff members at all levels have participated in the Common Ground Experience. Comments from many of the participants confirm that this experience offers an oppor-tunity to reflect on how to engage with colleagues and cli-ents and their role in creating a positive work environment.

One of the Common Ground Experience highlights includes the TED Talk video “Everyday Leadership” (www.ted.com/talks/drew_dud-ley_everyday_leadership), which focuses on the impact

we can have on each other. To paraphrase the presenter, Drew Dudley, “every single one of us can be a catalyst for a lollipop moment and can make someone’s life better with something we say or do.”

Each of us works directly or indirectly as team to serve the city’s most vulnerable residents. In the coming weeks staff will receive a messaged ribbon and with a lollipop. Take that opportunity to think of how many lollipop moments you have created along the way. Remember a time when you have been the beneficiary of lollipop moment and how it made you feel. No matter how long ago it happened, did you acknowledged the moment and say thank you?

Most importantly, remem-ber to take the time to pay it forward!

RECOVERY UNHOOKED

Recovery Unhooked, a free dance party, will be held on Saturday, September 22 at George Mason University. The popular recovery event, held the past two years in Rich-mond, is local this year.

This event is part of Re-covery Month and sponsored by VRI Region II, Community Services Boards of Northern Virginia and the Substance Abuse and Addiction Recov-ery Alliance (SAARA), and organized by Nick Yacoub, a person in recovery who has been a speaker at several events in Alexandria, including the Recovery Celebration and the Community Forum on the opioid epidemic.

Please share this event and a promotional YouTube vide (youtu.be/6hWtc3ah8xo) with people who are in recovery.

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News You Can UseTORPEDO FACTORY FALL WINTER CATALOG NOW AVAILABLE

Looking for something to do in Alexandria? Learn about upcoming programs and exhibitions at the Torpedo Fac-tory Art Center in their online catalog at torpedofactory.org/about-us/programs/.

Founded in 1974 in an old munitions plant, the Torpedo Factory Art Center is an Alex-andria landmark and home to the nation’s largest collection of working-artists’ open stu-dios under one roof. Located on the Potomac Riverfront, the center attracts approximately 500,000 visitors annually.

The center houses artwork in a wide variety of media—including painting, ceramics, photography, jewelry, stained glass, fiber, printmaking, and sculpture—in 82 artists’ stu-dios. Visitors can observe the creative process, ask questions and purchase original work for their own collections.

The fall catalog highlights programs and exhibitions like the Target Gallery Exhibitions, the Late Shift, Torpedo Talks, Gallery Receptions and more. Hard copies are also available at the Art Center.

CITY ROTATION OPPORUNITIES

Looking for an opportunity to collaborate cross-depart-mentally, meet colleagues from other City departments

Rotations allow employ-ees to learn about different aspects of the organization, represent their home depart-ments’ perspectives, develop additional skills and contribute in new ways.

The following rotations are open to all full-time, regular employees who have complet-ed their probationary periods and are in good standing.

Public Art Coordinator, Office of the Arts, Depart-ment of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities. This rota-tion will require approximately 20-40 hours per week in to work on various projects and initiatives for the City’s award winning public art program on numerous current and upcom-ing public art projects through-out the City such as trails and paths, King Street Park at the Waterfront, and Simpson Park Playground.

Gang/Violence Preven-tion/Juvenile Court Service Unit. This rotation can require 2 to 4 hours per week in the Court Service Unit’s Gang Prevention and Intervention

division. This rotation pro-vides the opportunity to learn improve facilitation skills and gain knowledge in many topic areas.

Office of Communica-tions and Public Information. This rotation will require ap-proximately 15-40 hours per week in the Office of Commu-nications and Public Informa-tion (OCPI), with the specific schedule to be determined between both departments. This rotation provides depart-mental staff with an opportu-nity to gain a citywide perspec-tive on communications, work closely with the City Man-ager’s Office and increase the City’s central communications effort. The rotation will also help OCPI staff better under-stand departmental perspec-tives and provides participants with valuable insight and skills to bring back to their own departments.

To learn more about these opportunities or to apply, visit alexnet.alexandriava.gov/Em-ployeeEnrichment.

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DCHS FUN DAYMark your calendars! This year’s DCHS Fun

Day will be on September 28 from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Hensley Park. The annual celebra-tion is a time for staff across the Department to relax and mingle with colleagues as they gather for fun, music, food and games. This year’s celebration will also feature kickball teams and karoke.

What is Connect?Connect seeks to inform DCHS em-ployees about initiatives, programs, services and changes within the Department. It also introduces staff to one another on a more personal level, recognizes employee and team accomplishments, and helps foster relationship between programs and employees across DCHS.

Have a story to share?We are always looking for news and story ideas. If you have an idea for content, email carmen.andres@alex-andriava.gov or call 5753.

See a Significant Error?To report significant errors in this newsletter, please email carmen.andres@alexandriava.gov.

Are you leaving the City?Don’t miss out on important news and alerts! Sign up for the Behavioral Health and Human Services subscription group on eNews to continue receiving Con-nect content. The City of Alexandria’s free eNews service lets you sign up to receive information on nearly 100 top-ics, including vital emergency alerts. Go to www.alexandriava.gov/ Communications for the link to sign up.

Want to know more about DCHS Programs?Check out our Department webpages at www.alexandriava.gov/DCHS or read summaries of our Centers and programs with these summaries published in Connect: Center for Adult Services, Center for Children and Fami-lies, Center for Economic Support and Center for Operations.

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