CREOKS Advisory Work Group
The mission of the CREOKS Advisory Work Group is to represent the individuals served by CREOKS, considering demographic factors such as geographic area, race, ethnicity, sex, gender identity, disability, age, and sexual orientation, as well as their health and behavioral health needs.
The Advisory Work Group is responsible for helping CREOKS identify, design, and implement innovative programs to meet the unique needs of clinics certified as Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHCs). Our goal is to integrate the perspectives of those receiving services into leadership and decision making processes.
Our Advisory Work Group utilizes a meaningful participation approach, ensuring that individuals in our Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic areas with lived experiences related to mental health or substance use are actively involved in the following activities:
- Identifying Community Needs, Goals, and Objectives
- Service Development, Quality Improvement, and Activities
- Fiscal and Budgetary Decisions
- Governance (Human Resource Planning, Leadership Recruitment and Selection, etc.)
- Advisement to the Board of Directors
A Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic is a specially designated clinic that provides a comprehensive range of community-based mental health and substance use disorder services, while also promoting the integration of behavioral health with physical health care.
Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics are funded in a way that allows them more freedom to find, design, and apply services tailored to the specific needs of the community and its individuals. Compared to traditional clinics, Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics can serve anyone who walks through the door, regardless of their diagnosis or insurance status.
CREOKS Advisory Work Group Members
CREOKS Advisory Work Group Meetings
The CREOKS Advisory Work Group meets monthly on the third Tuesday of each month at 10 a.m. via Zoom. Our members share their valuable insights and make suggestions based on their own experiences. During each meeting, members of the Advisory Work Group review minutes from the latest Board of Directors meeting, discuss upcoming changes within CREOKS, and review suggestions from staff and clients.
CREOKS staff who regularly attend the monthly Advisory Work Group meetings include Chris Flanagan, Director of Grant Administration and Development; Sarah Martinez, Process Improvement Manager; and Brandi Smith, Chief Clinical Officer.
Please feel free to share your suggestions. We value your input and will review all submissions at our upcoming meeting. If you are interested in joining the Advisory Work Group or would like to get in touch with an Advisory Work Group member from your area,please contact us at AWG@creoks.org for more information.
*Please note, CREOKS’ Advisory Workgroup is not a complaint committee. Please contact your local clinic if you need to make a complaint.