Our October staff highlight is the Data Analytics and Reporting Services (DARS) team. The DARS team is responsible for helping track, analyze, and report on data for our agency. Though it is easy to see the importance of our frontline staff, there are many teams behind the scenes that Encompass could not survive without and DARS is one of them. Data collection and analysis is a huge part providing high-quality healthcare. We need information to qualify and quantify how well we are doing for ourselves, our funders, and our clients. DARS spends countless hours designing data tracking software, pulling data for funding opportunities, and answering questions that help us better serve our community. This team does so much to keep our agency growing and thriving and we are so grateful for their amazing skill and dedication.

We are thrilled to share that Encompass has been awarded another three-year accreditation from CARF International for our integrated behavioral health programs for mental health and substance use disorders!

CARF’s Three-Year Accreditation decision represents the longest duration of accreditation given to an organization and demonstrates Encompass’s substantial conformance to the CARF standards, which prioritize delivering quality services that focus on clients’ specific strengths, abilities, needs and preferences. In order to receive a Three-Year Accreditation, an organization must put itself through a rigorous peer review process and provide evidence to a team of CARF surveyors in a multi-day survey visit that the programs and services we offer are measurable, accountable, and of the highest quality. 

“Maintaining our CARF Accreditation is not easy, and it is not a requirement. Encompass chose to pursue CARF Accreditation because we believe the people we serve deserve high quality, person-centered, evidence-based services that meet CARF’s stringent standards,” said Encompass CEO Monica Martinez. “The CARF Review Team reviewed our services against more than 1,400 performance standards to make their determination, and we are honored that our programs earned re-accreditation.”

Encompass is honored to join our partners across the county and country in celebrating National Health Center Week (NHCW) this August 7-13! NHCW is a week for health centers all over the country to connect, share their accomplishments, and hold space for future community health goals. Community health centers are champions of the American Healthcare system, lifting up and supporting their community’s well-being every day and Encompass is overjoyed to be included. Read on to hear more about NHCW...

Did you know that Encompass has a short-term mental health treatment program called El Dorado Center (EDC)? As one of five Encompass residentials, EDC's home-like facility offers services to help clients transition from a locked facility back to community living. The EDC team provides individual counseling, Therapeutic wellness groups, social activities, on-site psychiatric medication management, crisis intervention, and much more. They work hard to provide vital care that helps clients have a successful reintegration after a period of treatment. Read on to learn more about this amazing team and how you can help those who need support connect with these services?

We're thrilled to share that Community Foundation Santa Cruz has awarded Encompass a $40,000 grant to support our capital campaign to develop a new Sí Se Puede Behavioral Health Center in Watsonville! Once complete, Encompass’s new behavioral health center will have the capacity to deliver high quality, accessible, and culturally appropriate substance use disorder and mental health treatment services to 1,300 community members every year.

"Like so many communities nationwide, Santa Cruz County is in the midst of a substance use and opioid epidemic, yet high costs, limited program openings, and stigma around seeking treatment are significant barriers to getting our community members the support they need and deserve," said Encompass CEO Monica Martinez, "Our new Sí Se Puede Behavioral Health Center will reduce those barriers by providing bright, new, state-of-the-art facilities and personalized care that’s accessible to all. Through their generous support, Community Foundation Santa Cruz is sending a clear message that those seeking treatment are worth investing in and that our community supports their path to better health. We are deeply grateful for their support."

Did you know that Encompass offers Re-Entry Services that support individuals who are reentering the community after incarceration? Re-entry programs provide important supports to help individuals successfully transition to life outside of prison and avoid future involvement in the justice system. Get to know our Re-Entry Services team and programs in this post!

We're pausing to share some important updates on Encompasses work toward racial equity. First, starting this year, Encompass will be pausing to observe Juneteenth as a paid holiday. Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, and Liberation Day, marks a deeply significant point in our nation’s history. This holiday commemorates the day in 1865 that the last enslaved Black people in our country learned they had been freed from bondage. Honoring the joy, pain, and importance of this monumental day is long overdue. This year, since June 19 falls on a Sunday, Encompass will be observing the Juneteenth holiday on Monday, June 20. 

Did you know that Encompass Community Services has a Downtown Outreach program? This mission-driven team works to develop trust and respectful relationships with adults experiencing homelessness, substance use disorder, and/or mental illness in the Santa Cruz downtown corridor to help link individuals with crisis support and other services that improve their quality of life.

Treating every individual with dignity and respect is at the heart of what we do at Encompass. The Downtown Outreach team brings this mantra to life by connecting individuals with appropriate supportive services that reduce the risk of psychiatric hospitalizations and incarceration, and address a variety of housing, health care, substance use disorder, and mental health-related needs – all while honoring each person’s right of choice. Read on to learn more about this incredible team and how you can help those who need support connect with our services.

We aren't usually ones to toot our own horn, but we need to take a minute to share some BIG news! Our Head Start and Early Head Start programs received a PERFECT report on the biggest audit of our 5-year grant period. This is a rare accomplishment even in the best of times and is a monumental feat given the unexpected challenges our programs have faced throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. 

This achievement is reflective of so much hard work and diligence from our teams and from programs and departments across the agency who have supported their work – from the admin team to other Encompass programs that Head Start and Early Head Start referred families to for additional support.

Did you know that Head Start’s history is deeply intertwined with the Civil Rights Movement? Check out National Head Start Association’s article this month to learn more about how determined community leaders, many of them Civil Rights advocates ready to challenge the status quo, worked to build Head Start into the life-changing force we know. Additionally, in honor of Black History Month, children in Head Start classrooms across the country (including ours across Santa Cruz County) learn about and celebrate the impact of Black leaders.