Center for Health & Learning

Our Vision: To serve as the nation's catalyst, inspiring optimal health for all. Our Mission: To build a foundation for healthy communities, through educational resources, professional development and practice improvement, research, policy development, evaluation, and consult. Our Guiding Principles: *Equity and Access *Evidence and Outcomes-based Practice *Innovation *Collaboration *Community-oriented Our Goals & Activities In our endeavor to achieve systemic and sustainable change through education, policy and environmental strategies, we: *Offer regional trainings and technical assistance through grant funding from federal, state and private agencies *Provide site-based traini... read more Our Vision: To serve as the nation's catalyst, inspiring optimal health for all. Our Mission: To build a foundation for healthy communities, through educational resources, professional development and practice improvement, research, policy development, evaluation, and consult. Our Guiding Principles: *Equity and Access *Evidence and Outcomes-based Practice *Innovation *Collaboration *Community-oriented Our Goals & Activities In our endeavor to achieve systemic and sustainable change through education, policy and environmental strategies, we: *Offer regional trainings and technical assistance through grant funding from federal, state and private agencies *Provide site-based trainings and technical assistance on request from school districts and community organizations *Develop online programs, student learning modules and curricula *Assist with professional licensure, CEU and graduate-level credit *Create strategic partnerships with other non-profit organizations and school systems CHL is an outgrowth of an initiative by the Center for Disease Control's Division of Adolescent and School Health to build local capacity for school and community health promotion through training centers that foster and deliver high-quality professional development and practice improvement initiatives. We have substantial experience designing and delivering projects, conferences and professional development opportunities. From instruction and technical assistance to research and report writing, curricula creation and evaluation resources, CHL has served over 20,000 professionals and community members, delivered services for more than 100 projects and developed and promoted numerous local and statewide comprehensive and coordinated strategic health initiatives. CHL has the following current programs and projects: 1. Suicide Prevention- * CHL supports state-wide suicide prevention efforts through the Vermont Suicide Prevention Center, a public/private partnership which seeks to foster a sustainable approach to suicide prevention in Vermont. *CHL manages the VT Suicide Prevention Coalition consisting of representatives from public health, education, state agencies, advocacy groups, youth, mental health services, and survivors. *CHL manages, develops and oversees state-wide suicide prevention trainings including Gatekeeper Training, a Zero Suicide Practice Institute and the Collaborative Assessment for the Management of Suicidality (CAMS) trainings; *CHL coordinates the VT Gun Shop Project in collaboration with the VT Department of Mental Health. *CHL implements the Zero Suicide approach in Vermont and coordinates Zero Suicide Pilot Projects. *CHL and the VT Suicide Prevention Center coordinate the annual Vermont Suicide Prevention Symposium, a cross-agency statewide event that brings together professionals across all sectors for a day of learning from national experts on critical topics and skills in suicide prevention, treatment, and recovery. 2. Prevention Training and Workforce Development - CHL coordinates and implements Substance Abuse Disorder prevention trainings and workforce development activities for the Vermont Department of Health/Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Programs for Regional Prevention Partnership professional staff. 3. Annual Symposia and Conferences: In addition to the Suicide Prevention Symposium, our cornerstone event, CHL assists with the coordination of annual Symposia and Conferences for various partners including the following events: o 4th Annual College Symposium on Substance Use o Community Solutions to the Opiate Issues Facing Vermonters for the VT Department of Health o Substance Abuse Workforce Development Conference for the VT Department of Health. 4. CHL Proprietary and Fee for Service: CHL has several proprietary programs developed and implemented by the organization: *Umatter Suicide Prevention for Schools and Umatter for Staff and Family Awareness -CHL developed this best practice training for school and community settings. *Umatter for Youth and Young Adults Mental Health Wellness Promotion and Community Action--CHL is moving the focus on mental health "upstream" from intervention and crisis to promotion and prevention (self-care, coping and communication skills, etc.). *Community / School District Trainings--CHL provides professional development, technical assistance and support for the implementation of coordinated approaches to school health, and conducts training on mental health, suicide prevention and alcohol, tobacco, sexual health and other critical health topics. *Family Engagement- CHL is building an initiative to promote effective practices for Family Engagement - an emerging interest across sectors