A bright future
Our capacity for confronting the unprecedented has never been greater. At this moment, much uncertainty remains around what a post pandemic world looks like. The uncertainty is justified. Our lives have been changed forever. But as we adjust to the unknowns, another reality is emerging. It is showing us what we are capable of, not just as individuals, but as a community.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise—our resiliency is what sets us apart in Northern New York. We band together, apply our ingenuity and overcome challenges.
Much like we greet a warm spring day after a cold winter, Citizen Advocates is energized to help our community where the need is greatest.
Where the pandemic has created problems, Citizen Advocates is laser focused on applying solutions. We are rising to the challenge by investing in new clinics for mental health and addiction treatment, focusing on the needs of students and schools, and making sure individuals with a disability have access to basic needs such as housing, transportation or job training.
Developing these vital solutions hasn’t been easy. However, thanks to a dedicated Board of Directors who volunteer countless hours, along with key stakeholders and regulatory agencies, we are able to take bold, decisive steps forward.
That said, we’ve only scratched the surface. There are emerging needs we have yet to identify, so Citizen Advocates remains nimble and poised to pivot where our support is needed most.
Yet, none of this would be possible to accomplish were it not for our greatest asset: The Citizen Advocates workforce. As we reflect upon our journey since the start of the pandemic, we are humbled by our employees and their selflessness to protect the health and safety of those we support. They also cared for one another—together, our workforce is our competitive advantage.
The passion for their work, and commitment to their colleagues, is nothing short of inspirational. It is also what defines our culture at Citizen Advocates—it is one that celebrates courageous communication, accountability, genuine respect for one another and teamwork.
As our community pulls together to prevail over tough times, so does the Citizen Advocates workforce. It’s because our mission of Making Lives Better means we are here for one another as much as we are for those we support and the community.
We see it in action every day throughout a six-county region—from Plattsburgh to Watertown and all points in between—as our 850 strong and dedicated professionals provide services to thousands of people. We do this because we care deeply about the community, but are only able to do so because we care for one another.
This is our promise to each other—as a community of many voices working together, we celebrate this unique bond with the hashtag #oneteam. It is our rallying cry as an organization, and celebration of what we accomplish together, by lifting each other up with the shared goal of providing best-in-class care and services to those
we support.
As #oneteam, we will all emerge stronger, together.
James Button, CEO
James and Camelia Button
A year in numbers
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34,100 meals given
The Backpack Program provides eligible children in grades kindergarten through 6th with nutritious food on the weekend throughout the academic year. This year we gave 34,100 meals through 2,400 hours of volunteering.
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45,533 tele-mental health visits:
With tele-mental health, more patients can receive treatment from Citizen Advocates—providing an ideal solution for individuals who cannot leave their home, work unconventional hours, or live in rural or remote areas.
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692,359 miles traveled
Transportation in rural areas can pose a major road- block to those needing our services. We traveled these miles to bring services to our community and transport people to and from the care they need.
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82,701 outpatient clinic visits
Were it not for nonprofits in our community, many individuals would have to travel significant distances at personal expense to receive many of the services they have access to locally for day-to-day life.
BOARD OF
DIRECTORS
The Citizen Advocates Board of Directors is a group of civic-minded community volunteers representing a wide range of professional backgrounds, and is directly responsible for the ongoing governance and stewardship of the organization.
Leadership
Team
Our vision is to be the recognized leader of exceptional services and employer of choice. We do this by providing high-quality, person-centered care, through sound financial management, best-in-class customer service, and fostering a workplace culture that matters.
New clinics
Currently, Citizen Advocates operates a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) program through its clinics and satellites in Malone and Saranac Lake. This innovative program delivers a full array of services to support individuals with a severe or chronic mental health and addiction diagnosis. The federal government has extended the initial two-year program due to the success of programs like it, and its ability to deliver critical services to an underserved population.
In the winter of 2021, a $4 million grant was awarded to Citizen Advocates to expand the delivery of comprehensive services through this program in Massena. Citizen Advocates pursued the grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) in order to expand the CCBHC program into St. Lawrence County.
As one of only 13 CCBHC programs launched in New York State, Citizen Advocates implemented a first-of-its-kind 24/7 Crisis and Recovery Center for the delivery of urgent care to treat mental health and addiction. It also launched a broad range of care coordination programs in conjunction with other healthcare organizations, public safety and veteran’s groups.
Building on this success, Citizen Advocates replaced a blighted piece of property with a new, modern clinic, known as a Behavioral Health Urgent Care Center.
As an extension of Citizen Advocates’ Outpatient Behavioral Health Clinics, the 24-hour center located in Ogdensburg, will offer many of the same mental health and addiction treatment therapies.
The Behavioral Health Urgent Care Center offers 24-hour, walk-in access to mental health and addiction treatments, such as:
• Mental health & addiction counseling
• Co-occurring conditions
• Outpatient detoxification
• Individualized treatment and recovery plan
• Voluntary respite stays
• Case management
• Care coordination
• Therapy groups
• Peer-run groups
Looking ahead, Citizen Advocates is excited to open a similar clinic in Watertown, in early 2023.
Housing that cares
Safe, stable and affordable housing is a cornerstone of good health, especially for individuals living with chronic or serious illness.
Teamwork
Keeping people safe is a team effort. This was the case in the Village of Saranac Lake one day in the summer of 2021.
Urban mission
Citizen Advocates proudly presented a $10,000 donation to Watertown Urban Mission in support of the inspiring work it does to help community members in need.
Flowers for main street
Each year, Citizen Advocates—in collaboration with the Village of Malone and Chamber of Commerce—places large, self-watering planters along Main Street.
Safe, stable housing
Success stories
Pedro
Pedro Martinez’s home is at one of Citizen Advocates’ Independent Residential Alternatives, where he is loved, supported and advocated for. A place that taught him how to achieve his goals and ultimately allowed him to live a self-directed life he finds productive and fulfilling.
Aaron Jock
Like many of us, Aaron Jock joined the workforce after graduating from high school in 1997. But something was missing—he missed his peers and needed to build on his soft skills to grow his career.
Highlights from our blog
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7 Ways to Calm Anxiety
Feeling anxious is a normal part of life. It can play a role in focusing our attention or alerting us to potential threats, however, experiencing it frequently and with no clear cause can painfully disrupt our lives.
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Handling major life transitions
Some people handle change caused by transitions better than others. How well you handle these changes depends on how you react to things that are out of your control compared to those that are under your control.
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7 Benefits of group therapy
Let’s face it. Seeing a therapist is not easy. To benefit from the process, you really have to put yourself out there. It’s a very personal experience that involves disclosing things about yourself and your feelings that you wouldn’t be inclined to tell your friends or family, let alone a stranger.