Hello Community Partners,
I am pleased to bring you another update on the status of our case management transition.

IMPOWER has concluded all interviews and hired 43 case managers with two more offers pending for a total of 45 positions that will have been filled. Of these, IMPOWER has hired 23 external applicants, all of whom will begin their pre-service training class on Monday May 12, 2014. The new case management staff comes from all walks of life and they all share the passion to impact positive change in the lives of our children, teens and families. They come from various backgrounds, yet each will be an asset to our community-based system of care.

In response to the feedback from the field, IMPOWER has made the decision to increase the number of Family Support Workers from four to eight. This demonstrates their commitment to BFP’s core values of voice, choice and inclusion in decision making.

IMPOWER continues to hold weekly forums with staff and partners to ensure transparency and openness. They have met with Judge Mahl, attended BFP’s April board of directors’ meeting, and continue to meet with leadership and convene weekly calls to review the status of the transition plan and related activities. The next phase of transition involves conducting reviews of every case to ensure continuity of care.

We are grateful for all of our partners who have stepped up to assist with ensuring a seamless transition and especially to Judge Mahl for graciously agreeing not to schedule hearings the week of June 30-July 3 so that we can solely focus on the case transfers and technology transition which will occur.

In my last letter, I introduced you to IMPOWER’s Amanda Dawson who is managing the transition from our central and south care centers. This week, I’d like to introduce you another team member who is helping to lead the transition for IMPOWER in Brevard County, Lisa Summers Peyton, LMFT, Chief Operating Officer.

Ms. Peyton has been an executive leader and manager in the mental health field since 2002 and has been working with children and families for over 20 years. She has managed a wide range of mental health and child welfare programs, and has a demonstrated record of developing strong collaborations with state and local entities, turning around underperforming programs, and deriving efficiencies in operations.

Throughout her career, Ms. Peyton has brought the vision and skills needed to exact change while engaging those around her in the mission of caring for those in need. Her innate talent to engage employees at every level has benefitted those organizations in which she’s worked by instilling loyalty and enthusiasm among staff and partners. Her well-developed employee relations, motivation, management-development and training qualifications are demonstrated by higher than average retention rates within those organizations.

Ms. Peyton prides herself on operational excellence and a strong focus on quality, customer satisfaction and employee engagement. She attended Stetson University in Deland where she obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a Master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy. Ms. Peyton has been a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist since 2001 and a state approved Licensure Supervisor since 2009.

Ms. Peyton is currently a member of CFAM FT, The Osceola Chamber of Commerce, and is active in many community groups and charitable projects. Her most recent volunteer experiences include a trip to the Blue Ridge Mountains and to Guatemala to work on improving sub-standard living conditions for families in need.

Until next week…With thanks to everyone,
Patricia