TCOM Spotlight: The Hume Center

In this summer edition of the Alameda TCOM newsletter, our spotlight agency is Portia Bell Hume Behavioral Health and Training Center (aka The Hume Center). Founded in 1993, The Hume Center started as an outpatient program serving the unserved population in Central Contra Costa County.  It now offers 15 programs providing comprehensive behavioral health services across Alameda, Contra Costa, San Francisco, and Santa Clara counties.  
 
The Hume Center began its implementation of the TCOM tools three years ago. The Hume Center caught our attention for being one of the first behavioral health organizations in Alameda County that trained all of their clinical supervisors as CANS trainers.  Today it gains recognition for its implementation practices that align with the TCOM philosophy.

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The Hume Center staff and volunteers at the Sevathon fundraiser and cultural celebration.

Over the past few years, The Hume Center has seen transformation in their services, beginning with intake assessments, noting that the CANS and ANSA structure has helped to ensure a highly comprehensive assessment.   Clinician Dr. Jamie Sayers, a 5-year Hume veteran, valued many aspects of the implementation.  Dr. Sayers described the CANS and ANSA as "really helpful," and went on to say, "I’m glad we update it as frequently as we do.”  Per Dr. Sayers, the county requirement to update the assessment at 6-month intervals has ensured routine review of progress in treatment, which has helped to highlight changes beyond the areas being tracked through treatment plans. Knowledgeable supervisors were listed as critical to this process.  At The Hume Center, supervisors help to highlight treatment priorities and assist clinicians in developing the “golden thread” between the assessment and treatment plan.
 
One program manager and clinical supervisor, Dr. Shannon Stovall, weighed in on what makes The Hume Center unique in its use of the CANS & ANSA. She noted that they integrate training on the CANS and ANSA at the beginning of every training year, discussing how to use these as tools for conversation as well as to assist in monitoring clients’ needs. This has shifted the use of the CANS & ANSA to more than “just a form,” and instead has influenced conversations on clinical teams. Dr. Stovall reminds, “One child, one CANS,” emphasizing the importance of minimizing over-assessment of children, and encouraging providers to collaborate with one another and with families with the aim of identifying a shared vision for care. Now that’s what we call Transformational Collaborative Outcomes Management!