Together, our team
moves mountains.
A look back at our 2022 milestones and the compassionate, committed people who made them possible.
If you’ve taken an airplane…
to travel for vacation or business, then you might have heard some variation of the following at the end of the flight: “Thank you for flying with us today—we know you have a choice of airline when traveling, so we appreciate you choosing us.”
When it comes to employment, it’s a similar proposition. Citizen Advocates’ employees can work anywhere, but they choose to work here.
Why?
Here’s the why—we think big, and we act big. We give our employees the tools and resources they need to succeed and then we get out of the way.
When reflecting on our highlights from 2022, we realized two things. It was a year of unprecedented growth for Citizen Advocates, and that growth was the result of a dedicated and compassionate workforce. Individually, each member of our team embraces their role with unrivaled commitment and passion for the people we support—and the communities we serve. From our facilities crew to our nurse practitioners, day in and day out, our workforce delivers exceptional results.
The strength of our workforce is no accident.
A few examples:
We’ve increased our training capacity by doubling the size of our professional development team.
We pay for relevant college courses for anyone on the workforce who requests it.
At any given time, we have 4 to 5 employees earning advanced degrees for a variety of professional roles.
This approach—specifically, this investment—is personal. Citizen Advocates is where I got my start in social work. I began on the front lines and worked my way up. I wouldn’t have the opportunities I have today were it not for the supervisors who gave me the runway to be the best at what I do. I’m exceptionally grateful.
In 2022, our entire team was the best at what they do. Whether it was providing compassionate care and support to vulnerable individuals, or launching new services to meet the emerging needs of the communities we serve—our workforce is truly an inspiration.
We are building a better future for northern New York, and none of that would be possible without the 750-plus employees who choose to make lives better every day.
James Button
Our team sets us apart
Each member of our team embraces their role with unrivaled commitment and passion for the people we support—and the communities we serve.
2022 Impact & Figures
At a glance
$56,674,414
total operating expense
67% salary & wages14% employee benefits9.4% general expenses6.4% occupancy1.8% supply expenses1.4% purchased services
86,842
outpatient clinic visits
Were it not for nonprofits in our community, many individuals would have to travel significant distances at personal expense to receive many of the mental health and addiction services they have access to locally.
863,985
miles traveled
Transportation in rural areas can pose a major road- block to those needing our services. We traveled these miles to bring services to our community and transport people to and from the care they need.
39,178
tele-mental health visits
With tele-mental health, more patients can receive treatment from Citizen Advocates—providing an ideal solution for individuals who cannot leave their home, work unconventional hours or live in rural or remote areas.
55,800
meals given
The Backpack Program provides eligible children in grades kindergarten through 6th with nutritious food on the weekend throughout the academic year. To support the Backpack Program, visit FieldstoneFoundation.net.
Breaking Ground
Throughout 2022, Citizen Advocates reached many high notes, establishing a recurring theme of growth and major accomplishments for the workforce.
Harison Place Project
In 2022, Citizen Advocates officially announced the final piece of funding support was received for the Harison Place Project. As a result, the construction of safe, stable and affordable housing in a revitalized downtown Malone is on its way to becoming reality.
In the works since 2017, the Harison Place Project is ambitious in scope, and successfully navigated a series of complex challenges in order to make the bold initiative a reality. The reality was made possible by a strong team represented by Citizen Advocates leaders, external experts, community stakeholders and advocates who kept the project moving forward, even when a global pandemic shifted our collective focus to more urgent matters.
With the total project funding in place, there was only one thing left to do—break ground and start construction. On a warm, sun-filled day in July, the work commenced with the ceremonial breaking of ground. Since then, the new structure has rapidly emerged from the site that was once filled with blighted and fire damaged buildings.
Once complete, the mixed-use development will feature 40 residential units, offering a blend of affordable and supported housing. Services will include mental health services, career and training support, tenant education, financial planning and literacy, life skills, healthcare coordination, addiction services and more. Citizen Advocates is providing the services and supports to those living at Harison Place.
On the ground floor there will be five commercial spaces that are all Americans with Disability Act (ADA) compliant, and complementary to existing business and community needs.
Externally, Harison Place is designed to complement the surrounding historic architecture. Its 19th century-style façade includes a flatiron shape made of engineered stone and brick with embellishments.
Major construction of the complex is expected to be completed in December 2023. Learn more about the Harison Place Project on the Citizen Advocates website here.
Once complete, the mixed-use development will feature 40 residential units, offering a blend of affordable and supported housing.
Breaking Ground:Malone Behavioral Health Urgent Care Center
In the summer of 2022, a ceremony was held to break ground for the new home of 24/7 mental health and addiction services in Malone, marking the newest chapter in Citizen Advocates’ transformational approach to leading-edge, high-quality care.
Breaking Ground:Watertown Behavioral Health Campus
When Citizen Advocates broke ground for its newest outpatient Behavioral Health Campus in Watertown, the ceremony was a celebration of two important milestones.
Corporate Social Responsibility
Citizen Advocates sees itself as more than a provider of health and human services. Providing essential services to vulnerable or underserved individuals is just the beginning.
As a major employer and key community institution, Citizen Advocates is committed to making lives better for all – for generations to come.
Investing in people
We are encouraging greater independence and access to emergency services through training for individuals supported by Citizen Advocates’ Community Support and Community Living departments.
Emergency Services Training
We are encouraging greater independence through training for individuals supported by Citizen Advocates’ Community Support and Community Living departments. Just as Citizen Advocates employees are given the tools and resources they need to thrive in their jobs, training is an important element for the individuals the agency supports. For example, when an emergency arises, what is your first course of action? Where is the nearest exit? Who do you call, and when? Having the knowledge to react quickly and appropriately can be the deciding factor in averting disaster.
To that end, Citizen Advocates’ Population Health and Planning team held an emergency services presentation for people supported by the agency’s Community Support and Community Living departments.
The presentation was the result of data uncovered by Population Health and Planning through Personal Outcome Measures® (POMs) interviews, showing that while all the individuals interviewed felt safe in their daily lives, around half of interviewees only felt safe because they received assistance. Follow-up interviews found that these participants wanted to gain more independence around accessing emergency services.
“We let the data tell the story,” said Jodie Poirier, Associate Director of Population Health and Planning. “The data we collect and evaluate is what leads our quality improvement initiatives, whether that’s the quality of services we provide, or our agency’s business processes. It’s all in the numbers.”
The emergency services presentation was led by Sandra Nichols, Senior Communications Specialist for Franklin County Emergency Services, with assistance from Lukas Kompan, a Population Health and Planning Data Collection Specialist who serves as a volunteer firefighter with the Constable Fire Department.
Participants asked questions and presented hypotheticals to Ms. Nichols, some of which were inspired by scenarios seen on television and in film. Discussion topics included the basics of calling 911, making a safety plan in case of a fire, proper use of extension cords and electrical outlets, and the dangers that severe weather like lightning and flooding can bring.
The presentation culminated with Mr. Kompan suiting up in his full firefighter gear, including respirator and helmet, to demonstrate that despite all the equipment, firefighters are nothing to be afraid of.
“This is the coolest thing I’ve ever seen!”
—Robert Emerson, participant
LEFT Data Collection Specialist Lukas Kompan leans down to speak with Robert Emerson through his respirator as Kim McMahon looks on.
CENTER Professional Development and Training Department members Victor Ortiz and Mary Jo Carter-Codling break down a recent team-building workshop for Citizen Advocates’ Direct Support Professionals.
RIGHT From left to right: Mary Jo Carter-Codling, Manager of Professional Development; Katie Chodat, Staff Training Specialist; Victor Ortiz, Staff Training Specialist; Diane Mackey, Staff Training Coordinator; and Amanda Tagliarino, Director of Professional Development and Training.
Professional Development Opportunities
As Citizen Advocates’ services have grown in complexity and number of people served, so has the scope of its Professional Development and Training Department, a dynamic unit of five employee educators supporting a workforce of 750-plus from Plattsburgh to Watertown.
While continuing to provide required trainings for healthcare privacy regulations and basic lifesaving skills, the department has become a knowledge base for the agency and other providers in the region.
“We want to adjust the perception of training,” said Amanda Tagliarino, Citizen Advocates’ Director of Professional Development and Training. “Too often, training tends to be seen as a burden, something we all must do every once in a while, that takes us away from our important work. However, training truly is a vital part of professional development: this is an investment in you, the employee.”
Part of that investment is to continually add new training modules to the department’s repertoire. Recent offerings include Mental Health First Aid for Adults and Therapeutic Crisis Intervention. Both are courses that Citizen Advocates staff previously had to go elsewhere to receive. On the horizon for the training team are courses in Mental Health First Aid for Youths and Basic Life Support for Healthcare Professionals.
“…training is a vital part of professional development: this is an investment in you, the employee.”
—Amanda Tagliarino, Citizen Advocates' Director of Professional Development and Training
Educational Opportunities
The Professional Development and Training Department continues to expand its professional development opportunities with the launch of a twice monthly “Lunch and Learn” series to leverage the knowledge that exists within the agency’s leadership team.
They have also added educational workshops for Citizen Advocates’ workforce and developed a team-building program, which is being piloted internally before being offered to outside agencies and individuals.
The Mental Health First Aid for Adults course is already being offered externally, with professionals participating from as far away as New York City.
Leveraging Technology
The Professional Development and Training team recently launched a new, more user-friendly online learning management system that allows employees to complete training from their smartphones, if they prefer. They’ve also incorporated tablets into the new employee orientation process, eliminating the need for paper knowledge checks and removing any delay in training records reaching an employee’s training portfolio.
Additionally, there is a supply of laptops on hand for any employee without access to a computer—or a quiet space— to complete a required training.
Training Center
The Professional Development and Training team is in the early stages of planning an expansion of its space on Citizen Advocates’ Creighton Road campus in Malone that will allow the department to offer multiple trainings concurrently and become a regional training center.
Celebrating our DSPs
Citizen Advocates commemorated National Direct Support Professional (DSP) Recognition Week, celebrating the vital role of these specialized caregivers in supporting individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Ogdensburg BHUC Grand Opening
Citizen Advocates celebrated the opening of its newest clinic in Ogdensburg, providing residents of St. Lawrence County access to 24/7 behavioral health urgent care.
Citizen Advocates celebrated the opening of its newest clinic in Ogdensburg, providing residents of St. Lawrence County access to 24/7 behavioral health urgent care.
In fact, the Ogdensburg location is the first to bear the Behavioral Health Urgent Care Center name, which refers to the around-the-clock mental health and addiction services provided at the clinic. Citizen Advocates previously referred to the treatment model as a Crisis and Recovery Center, but the name only partially reflected the full scope of services. The new name—Behavioral Health Urgent Care—is a more accurate description signaling that it is a place where life-saving mental health and addiction services can be accessed.
The Behavioral Health Urgent Care Center offers 24-hour, walk-in access to mental health and addiction treatments covering:
Mental health & addiction counseling
Co-occurring conditions
Outpatient detoxification
Individualized treatment and recovery plans
Voluntary respite stays
Case management
Care coordination
Therapy groups
Peer-run groups
Ogdensburg BHUC Center by the numbers:
8,500 total square footage*
2.4 million project cost
8 months construction time
25 employees
*6,885 square feet used for clinical space.