Apply for Newest Health Disparities Leadership Program - National Council For Behavioral Health

http://www.thenationalcouncil.org/training-courses/addressing-health-disparities-leadership-program/

The National Council is pleased to announce the Call for Applications for the 2014-2015 Addressing Health Disparities Leadership Program. Selected participants will join a highly-competitive 12-month leadership program comprised of mid-level managers from diverse ethnic backgrounds who currently work at community mental health and addiction provider organizations. Through participation, you will gain knowledge and skills to lead effective initiatives to improve health outcomes for the diverse populations you serve.

The National Council is committed to doing our part to foster a diverse mental health and addictions workforce, inclusive of development opportunities for emerging leaders within community behavioral health organizations. As such, we are pleased to continue to offer this program at no cost for applicants from member organizations, including all program activities (webinars, coaching, etc.), and all travel and hotel expenses for in-person meetings.

The National Council established the Addressing Health Disparities Leadership Program in 2010 to help participants leverage their growing leadership potential to benefit their colleagues, organizations, and communities throughout the length of their careers. Each year, we see the intense impact of workforce and training shortages on provider organizations and the people they serve. National Council members, similar to other healthcare providers, struggle to recruit and retain a diverse workforce that has the appropriate training to adapt clinical practices to individuals’ backgrounds and health needs. In the context of implementation of the Affordable Care Act — the importance of a highly skilled and diverse workforce is all the more important.

PROGRAM OVERVIEW
From October 2014 through September 2015, the Addressing Health Disparities Leadership Program includes three in-person meetings in which participants will engage in a robust learning forum to enhance their management and leadership skills and knowledge regarding change strategies to reduce health disparities and improve health outcomes. During the first meeting, participants will begin developing a customized “stretch project” that directly relates to your organization’s strategic priorities and your own leadership goals.

In addition to in-person meetings, participants will engage in bimonthly webinars, monthly 1:1 calls with faculty trained in professional coaching, and peer-to-peer support through monthly calls and social media. All program activities support implementation of stretch projects, and the final in-person meeting highlights participants’ successes and promotes sustainability. 

Participants acquire knowledge and skills on a variety of topics including: adaptive leadership techniques, managing system change, building collaborations and working in teams, developing shared goals, change management, and conflict resolution.  In addition, you will define your own professional growth and development goals and receive individualized support through coaching and peer-to-peer activities.

APPLICANT ELIGIBILITY
Individuals are eligible for the Addressing Health Disparities Leadership Program if they are a “middle manager” at a community mental health and addiction prevention, treatment, or recovery setting. Middle manager is defined as being an intermediate supervisor who has direct reports and reports to others within the organization. Applicants do not need to be clinicians, but must have the ability to directly influence practices to address health disparities.

This program is only open to National Council members; if you are accepted into the program without membership, your organization must join the National Council prior to the program introduction webinar on October 14, 2014.

APPLICATION SUBMISSION
For consideration, please complete the online application form by 5:00pm EDT on Wednesday, August 20th, 2014. Questions about the application can be sent to Adam Swanson, Policy Associate, Policy and Practice Improvement. We will make every effort to select participants from provider organizations in varying states serving diverse communities.

For more information about the Addressing Health Disparities Leadership Program, please contact Mohini Venkatesh, Vice President, Practice Improvement, at (202)684-3730 or MohiniV@thenationalcouncil.org