The West Virginia Mental Health Consumers Association/Consumer
Organization & Networking Technical Assistance Center is dedicated to the empowerment,
education, and rights protection of individuals with psychiatric disabilities. By
providing assessment, linking, crisis management, transportation, skill teaching,
education, planning advocacy, monitoring and employment development. Promotion has been
actualized by outreach initiatives such as media coverage, quarterly newsletters, consumer
satisfaction surveys and thousands of man-hours of site visitation. In addition, we have
collaborated with other organizations on several goal oriented projects that will help
insure a more productive and efficient use of all of our resources. In the past year our
offices throughout the state have worked with more than 300 businesses, organizations,
government entities, and academic facilities.
Larry Belcher, MA,CAGS the CEO of WVMHCA and Director of CONTAC is involved in numerous
State and National committees dealing with issues ranging from consumer satisfaction to
managed care to advocacy and education. All staff and many members of the organization
have been through the WV Leadership Academy Training, and, as a result, have received
specific advocacy skills/empowerment training in areas such as problem identification,
issue presentation, group development and leadership, and strategic planning.
Eighty percent of the Trainers for the WV Leadership Academy are consumers affiliated
with WVMHCA. Of approximately 230 Leadership Academy graduates nearly 40% have remained
active in the statewide consumer network. Linkages, by way of teleconferencing, training
seminars, Mental Health Planning Council participation and many other activities are
maintained, promoted and predictable. The organization has also provided training to
providers, consultation, assessment of Community Behavioral Health Centers desires
relative to what they would like to see in non traditional programs (within the limits of
the program’s vision mission and values). WVMHCA has received and has given seed
money for peer support initiatives. In 1997 WVMHCA operationalized and established outcome
measures for deliverable services.
Two Technical Assistant Groups have been formed, one for Evaluation and Outcomes and
one for Cultural Competency. The Evaluation and Outcomes TAG is made up of professional
researchers and headed by Jean Campbell, Ph.D. from the Missouri Institute of Mental
Health School of Medicine. Jaime Delgado, from the University of Illinois has committed to
leading the TAG regarding Cultural Competency.
The Cultural Competency TAG is responsible for addressing the regional cultural issues.
Dr. Delgado is presently designing a Cultural Competency program at the University of
Illinois. The TAG members are representative of native-Americans, Latino population and
rural women issues and are specialist in their respective field. It is the charge of this
TAG to develop methodologies to encourage networking, training, and writings that are
culturally and linguistically appropriate. Materials will also be developed and
disseminated to ethnic minorities utilizing appropriate outreach practices that are
customized for these populations.
Within the first year of the project it is the duty of the Evaluations and Outcomes TAG
to help develop and distribute a needs assessment. This will help focus on the actual
needs and not the expected needs of consumers nationwide.
An anticipated problem that may be encountered involves timeliness in reaching the
United States in this hands-on approach to technical assistance. This is being addressed
through early marketing strategies and plans to visit providing technical assistance
facilities and organizations. To initially address the problem CONTAC has devised a plan
for six scholarships per year for Leadership Academy/Organizational Development training
teams to provide services in six states. Six, fifty-percent scholarships will be granted
per year for Leadership Academy/Organizational Development training teams to provide
services in six additional states. Six visits by experienced qualified staff are earmarked
for peer-support and/or organizational structure.
The lines of communication and authority are described in a three tiered system. The
upper tier consists of WVMHCA Board of Directors, which provides direct
program oversight for the CONTAC Director, is responsible for reviewing, approving, or
altering as necessary the activities of CONTAC staff and supporters and maintains
communications with the Director on a routine basis. In day to day operations the CONTAC
Director has full discretionary and operational authority over the organization
subject to the above stipulations.
