Hillsides is dedicated to healing children and young adults, strengthening families, and transforming communities through quality comprehensive services and advocacy. We support policies that strengthen behavioral health delivery, improve the child welfare system, and meet the needs of all communities. This includes strengthening the behavoiral health workforce by seeking opportunities to improve retention and expland pooled resources. We advocate for increased investments in equitable systems that improve access to high quality programs and services. From providing prevention services to treating those experiencing acute mental health challenges, we promote a whole-community approach to an integrated system of care. To accomplish our mission, Hillsides aims to achieve the following objectives through advocacy and public policy engagement.
Mental Health Continuum of Care
Ensure that children and young adults have access to an integrated system of care by providing a comprehensive array of mental health services in a range of settings.
- Preserve access to specialized and intensive care, treatment, services, and supports in appropriate settings.
- Promote a whole-community approach to integrated mental health care with cross-sector partnerships.
- Support reforms in mental health service delivery that reduce health disparities and focus on high-need populations.
- Advocate for behavoiral health parity throughout the commercial insurance review process to support continuous coverage and establish appropriate levels of care.
Transition-Age Youth
Successfully support and prepare youth aging out of the foster care system to achieve self-sufficiency and well-being into early adulthood.
- Increase access to supportive services including housing, substance use prevention and treatment, and diversion programs.
- Ensure transition-age youth receive appropriate resources and support in continuing their education, establishing career pathways, and developing independent living skills.
- Connect transition-age youth to family and mentors that will provide stable support and lasting relationships.
Prevention and Early Intervention
Increase access for children, youth, and families to a range of programs and services designed to prevent child welfare system involvement and foster care entry.
- Strengthen and expand evidence-based, trauma-informed prevention services.
- Invest in zero-to-five services to improve systems and give families the tools they need during a child’s most formative years.
- Advance equity and system-level change by reducing barriers to effective delivery of prevention supports and services.
Family-Based Care
Strengthen family-based care by improving resources and support services for resource families.
- Advocate for sufficient resources and services to ensure that our resource families have adequate support.
- Invest in evidence-based training for new and existing resource families to strengthen practices and improve experiences.
- Enhance community partnerships and linkages to support resource families and family-based care.
- Expand care and services to special populations of youth.
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