NCTSI-III Greater Waterbury CARE Center (Community Access, Recovery, and Evidence-Based Care) - Greater Waterbury CARE Center Community Access, Recovery, and Evidence-Based Care Community Mental Health Affiliates, Inc. (CMHA) will establish the Greater Waterbury CARE Center to expand access to evidence-based trauma screening, assessment, treatment, caregiver support, and care coordination for children and youth ages 5–18. Serving Waterbury, Naugatuck, Wolcott, and Prospect, Connecticut, through CMHA's Waterbury clinic and participating Waterbury Public Schools, the CARE Center will create a coordinated regional pathway linking trauma identification, treatment, recovery, and family support. Services will begin within four months of award. Geographic Area and Population. The four-town catchment includes approximately 174,212 residents, including 38,600 children and adolescents. CMHA will serve 200 unduplicated youth in Year 1 and 300 annually in Years 2–5, reaching 1,400 youth over five years. The CARE Center will engage 150 caregivers in Year 1 and 200 annually thereafter. Participants will include male and female youth who have experienced or are at risk of abuse, neglect, domestic or community violence, traumatic loss, family separation, caregiver instability, medical trauma, serious accidents, or other adverse events. Clinical needs may include post-traumatic stress, anxiety, depression, emotional or behavioral dysregulation, school difficulties, functional impairment, and behavioral health crises. Participants may be involved with schools, child welfare, Mobile Crisis, healthcare, juvenile justice, or other child-serving systems. Military-connected family status and related stressors will be addressed when identified. Strategies and Interventions. CMHA will implement Bounce Back for elementary students, Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools (CBITS) for middle and high school students, and Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) for youth requiring individualized treatment. Three full-time trauma clinicians and two full-time case managers will provide services in partnership with Waterbury Public Schools, the Child Advocacy Center of Greater Waterbury, the Connecticut Department of Children and Families, Waterbury Police Department, Waterbury PAL, Waterbury Youth Services, Mobile Crisis, pediatric providers, juvenile justice, and other community organizations. The Child Health and Development Institute (CHDI), an NCTSI Category II partner, will support training, fidelity, implementation, evaluation, and continuous quality improvement. Goals and Measurable Objectives. Goal 1 is to increase timely access to trauma services. Beginning in Month 4, at least 90% of referred youth will be screened within 10 business days, and at least 70% of eligible youth will begin recommended treatment within 30 days of assessment by the end of Year 1, increasing to 80% by Year 3. Goal 2 is to deliver evidence-based trauma interventions with fidelity and improve outcomes. By Year 2, at least 85% of reviewed cases will meet fidelity benchmarks, at least 70% of participants with paired measures will demonstrate clinically meaningful improvement, and at least 75% of youth beginning an evidence-based intervention will complete treatment or a clinically planned course. Goal 3 is to strengthen Greater Waterbury's childhood trauma response system and contribute to the National Child Traumatic Stress Network by training at least 100 professionals annually, convening partners quarterly, and participating in at least one NCCTS workgroup or project each year.
