The Cortland County Mental Health Department (CCMHD) is the leading agency for the Cortland County Integrated System of Care Expansion. The Cortland County System of Care is a spectrum of effective, community-based services and supports for children, youth, and their families with or at risk for mental health, substance use, child welfare, and juvenile justice, medical, developmental, social or other challenges. A system of care is organized into a coordinated network, builds meaningful partnerships with families and youth, and addresses their cultural and linguistic needs, in order to help them to function better at home, in school, in the community, and throughout life. Key partners in this initiative include Family and Children’s Counseling Services (FCCS), SUNY Upstate Medical University, and Cortland County Community Action Program (CAPCO). The Cortland County Integrated System of Care Expansion Initiative aims to improve mental health services for youth between 12-18 years old, particularly those at risk for or experiencing Serious Emotional Disturbances (SED), and their families in Cortland County. The System of Care Expansion Initiative seeks to strengthen the local mental health infrastructure for young people, focusing on improving referral systems, enhancing provider training, optimizing data management, and promoting awareness of available services. This effort is expected to foster a more effective System of Care (SOC) that meets the needs of youth and families dealing with SED. To promote awareness of available services and promote the expansion of the local SOC, a targeted marketing campaign will be developed to highlight SOC work, reduce stigma, raise awareness of services available, and to promote a newly created SOC webpage. This campaign will focus on populations with health disparities and those at high risk for SED/SMI, addressing substance use, suicidality, adverse childhood experiences, bullying, and limited access to healthcare. Using a mix of traditional and digital media, the marketing campaign aims to reach a broad audience and will be supported through collaborations with local schools, healthcare providers, and community organizations for wider impact further supporting the community's mental health literacy and sustainability of the SOC programs and service. The ultimate goal of the marketing campaign is to increase community awareness of SOC programs and services as measured by community surveys by 25% by September 2028.
