Webinar Sponsorship (05 Feb 2025)

Wed, 05 Feb 2025 05:30:00 GMT

Thank you for your interest in sponsoring a webinar!

Please complete this registration to secure your spot and upload your logo and company information on the registration form.

You can also email Purumi@nyspha.org with additional information or questions.

Mental health in local New York communities: A conversation with the Directors of Community Services in Genesee, Seneca, and Wayne Counties (20 May 2025)

Tue, 20 May 2025 16:00:00 GMT

Mental Health in local New York communities: A conversation with the Directors of Community Services in Genesee, Seneca, and Wayne Counties

This webinar is part of the NYSPHA Mental Health Webinar Series sponsored by The JED Foundation, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention - Capital Region Chapter, the University of Albany College of Integrated Health Sciences, and the New York State Office of Mental Health.

Mental health and substance use are serious concerns in communities across New York State. Have you ever wondered who is responsible for bringing behavioral health services and supports to residents to address these major public health issues at the local level? While public health professionals in New York State tend to be familiar with local health departments (LHDs), there is less familiarity with Local Governmental Units (LGUs) who are responsible for this critically important work.

LGUs are the government entities in New York State that oversee services related to mental health, substance use, and developmental disabilities. Led by Directors of Community Services, these entities are responsible for addressing some of the biggest public health concerns the state is facing, including the opioid crisis and increasing rates of suicide.

Join us for a conversation with three Directors of Community Services to learn about the services and supports they provide their communities, successes and challenges they face, lessons learned, and how they use a prevention-oriented approach for greatest impact. The session will feature Lynda Battaglia, LCSW, from Genesee County, Sharon McDougall, MBA, MS, MSW, LCSW-R, from Wayne County, and Margaret Morse, LMSW, from Seneca County and will be moderated by NYSPHA President Brett Harris, DrPH. Because all three Directors serve rural counties, they will also explain the unique strengths and challenges their rural setting brings to their work.

Learning Objectives:

Following this session, participants will be able to:

Describe the work of LGUs and how it differs from Local Health Departments.
Identify at least two major behavioral health challenges that LGUs are addressing in their local communities.
Describe at least three prevention-focused strategies LGUs are using to address behavioral health challenges in their communities.

Panelists

Lynda Battaglia, LCSW, is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and has been in the field of social work for over 25 years. She has dedicated her career to clinical administration, direct practice and education and training. Ms. Battaglia graduated from the State of University of New York at Buffalo with her Master’s degree in social work. She started her career working for Crisis Services in Buffalo as a clinician for the Mobile Outreach Team. In this capacity, she worked in the community and conducted emergency mental health assessments for those in crisis. Next, Ms. Battaglia began her journey of 14 years with the New York State Office of Mental Health (NYS OMH) Western NY Field Office. In this capacity, she had oversight of Assisted Outpatient Treatment for the 19 counties within the Western region, while at the Field Office. She also assisted the counties with Forensic Services, Suicide Prevention and Community Outreach, and Disaster Mental Health Services. Ms. Battaglia then transitioned to become the Forensic Chief at Attica Correctional Facility where she was responsible for ensuring mental health services were provided for the inmate population. Currently, she has been the Director of Mental Health and Community Services for Genesee County for the last 5 ½ years. In this role, she is the Director of a county outpatient clinic licensed by the NYS OMH. As the Director of Community Services, she is also responsible for the planning of services within the Mental Hygiene Services for Mental Health, Substance Use and Intellectual Developmental Disabilities. Aside from her day job, she is an adjunct professor at the University of Buffalo for the Social Work program and has a private practice where she specializes in outpatient therapy for first responders and spouses.

Sharon MacDougall, MBA, MSW, MS Healthcare Leadership, and LCSW-R, has been honored to be the Director of Community Services (DCS) for three different counties over the last 12 years. She is a dedicated public servant who has worked for 25yrs with local and state government. As a Wayne County Department Head, Director MacDougall will lead the Wayne County Department of Mental Health and Wayne Behavioral Health Network (WBHN) services and address the evolving behavioral health needs of Wayne County's residents.

Director MacDougall brings a wealth of experience to her new position, having served as the County Director of Community Services for Cortland County Mental Health Services since 2020 throughout the pandemic. During her tenure, she provided executive leadership to obtain federal funding for a County mental health building, successfully implementing telehealth services and provided local implementation of the opioid healing communities study to improve community behavioral health services. Previously, Director MacDougall was the Deputy Commissioner of Mental Health and Director of Community Services for Tompkins County Mental Health Services. At Tompkins she played a pivotal role in achieving corrective actions to their outpatient services and the successful merger of mental health and public health departments. She is honored to bring her skill at guiding the successful development of county-wide behavioral health strategies within local government to Wayne County.

Margaret Morse, LMSW is the Director of Community Services (Mental Health Director) for Seneca County. She has worked in the human services field for over 35 years. Ms. Morse began her career working as an advocate, educator and counselor for survivors of sexual assault. Thereafter, she worked in community mental health as a clinician and Program Manager eventually moving to the Finger Lakes Region where she served as the Clinical Director of the region’s largest addictions treatment organization. In her current role as Director of Community Services, she provides oversight of all services to persons with Mental Health Disorders, Substance Use Disorders and Developmental Disabilities in Seneca County. In addition to her duties as Seneca County Director of Community Services , she serves as a co-lead for the Seneca County Threat Assessment Team; serves on the Board of Common Ground Health/Rochester RHIO joint entity, is Board Secretary for Integrity Partners for Behavioral Health IPA and Chair of their Clinical Quality Improvement Committee, is Vice Chair of the Seneca County Criminal Justice Advisory Board and is co-chair of the Conference of Local Mental Hygiene Director’s Alcohol, Substance Abuse and Recovery Committee. She is passionate about her work ensuring that all people in Seneca County in need of service have access to quality care.

Thank you to our Mental Health Webinar Series sponsors:

Holistic Support and Consultation for Farmers (24 Jun 2025)

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 16:00:00 GMT

Holistic Support and Consultation for Farmers

NY FarmNet Outreach Director Adam Howell will give attendees insight into one of the most unique farmer assistance programs in the country.

Based at Cornell University and funded by the NYS Department of Agriculture & Markets and the NYS Office of Mental Health, NY FarmNet helps farmers, farm families, and agricultural professionals navigate times of crisis, growth, and opportunity.

NY FarmNet’s unique support system provides farmers in need with both a family and financial consultant to help address any number of issues they may be facing. All of NY FarmNet’s services are provided free of charge and all cases are completely confidential. NY FarmNet was founded by the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University in response to the national farm crisis of the 1980s.

NY FarmNet still operates at Cornell as part of the Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics & Management. The Dyson School is part of both Cornell’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the SC Johnson College of Business.

Learning Objectives:

Attendees will learn how a holistic approach to farmer support provides the best outcomes by combining aspects of both financial planning and mental health support.
Attendees will gain insights into the operational model of NY FarmNet including the program's intake process, confidentiality standards, and farmer-driven support approach.
Attendees will learn about the common stressors and pressures facing agricultural producers.

Speaker Bio:

Adam Howell is an experienced writer, marketer, media relations, and communications professional with over 15 years of experience. Currently, Adam serves at the Outreach Director for NY FarmNet where he travels the state promoting the program’s work to farmers, partners with supporters, and manages all program communications.

Adam previously served as the Director of External Affairs for Partners for Automated Vehicle Education (PAVE) a 501c3 non-profit dedicated to educating the public on autonomous vehicle technology. At PAVE, Adam oversaw public sector outreach and development. Additionally, he led the organization’s media relations, external communications, marketing, and content creation efforts which included the creation and of a national scholarship program, hosting a weekly podcast series, and organizing a national digital forum for policy collaboration on AV technology.

Adam also spent 5 years as the Manager of Marketing and Communications for the Cornell Local Roads Program and, prior to that role, worked for nearly a decade in Illinois State Government.

Adam lives in Lansing, NY with his wife and children.

�廨��̳ upcoming events

Webinar Sponsorship (05 Feb 2025)

Mental health in local New York communities: A conversation with the Directors of Community Services in Genesee, Seneca, and Wayne Counties (20 May 2025)

Mental Health in local New York communities: A conversation with the Directors of Community Services in Genesee, Seneca, and Wayne Counties

Learning Objectives:

Panelists

Holistic Support and Consultation for Farmers (24 Jun 2025)

Holistic Support and Consultation for Farmers

Learning Objectives:

Speaker Bio: