Cornerstone Wellness Center(CWC)  is a non-profit, ODMH certified agency that was founded in 2001.  Our mission is to promote community wellness by bringing leadership, service consultation and education in behavioral health to the places where the members of our community live, work, learn and recover.  We are committed to improving the well being of each individual through facilitating service accessibility and strengthening partnerships to better serve the community needs.  Our staff includes four PhD psychologists, an LISW, a LPCC, an administrator and is often supplemented by student interns.  FTEs depend on current grants and projects, but include four professional staff members.  Our annual operating budget is approximately $150,000. Cornerstone Wellness Center is governed by a board of directors from a number of different expertise backgrounds including…

       CWC programming focuses on education, prevention and consultation.  CWC staff provides direct service to the community through parent education groups, prevention services to high risk students in the schools and prevention services to older adults.  Staff also provides community wide screenings for depression, substance abuse, sleep and eating disorders.  Finally, mental health and wellness education seminars are provided when requested by area agencies or organizations.

       One of the important roles that CWC has played in the community is to offer consultation and support in evaluation and program design.  Because our staff includes a significant number of professionals trained in statistics, research design and evaluation, we have been able to assist other agencies in our county.  In addition, we have a long history of collaboration with agencies and organizations within Medina County.

       Dr. Amy Benza and Cindy McQuown, LPCC, CCDC, IIIE are the two principal staff members assigned to this project. Their efforts will be supported by two interns during the 2007 grant cycle.  Dr. Benza earned her doctoral degree in clinical psychology from the University of South Florida.  Research and statistical analysis provide the foundation of her training.  She is the lead evaluator and has experience with research, program evaluation, and statistical analysis.  She has been the lead evaluator on this program from the beginning and has been intimately involved with all aspects of our OTPF initiatives.  In addition, Dr. Benza has the lead evaluator for the Medina County Health Department Adolescent Clinic grants for the past seven years and Medina County Help Me Grow Well Child grant for the past year.  Dr. Benza presented research findings from the Medina County Health Department Adolescent Clinic at the Ohio Psychological Association Annual Fall Convention in 2002 and was invited to return in 2003 to present further findings.

       CWC has a unique strength in the delivery of evaluation services in that CWC has deep roots in schools and health care delivery in Medina County.  CWC has been able to work closely and collaboratively with all sub-grantees to obtain data, monitor progress and fidelity and to make course changes.

       CWC has provided evaluation services to MCTIP since the original capacity building grant award.     Early on it was discerned that if CWC was to be effective staff would need to be embedded in the process and intimately involved with program delivery and goal setting.  To that end, in addition to providing evaluation services, data collection training and procedures,  and service delivery site visitation CWC has maintained bi-weekly meetings with the Tobacco Coordinator, bi-weekly meetings with the youth sub-grantee staff  (SBHC) and monthly meetings with the sub-grantees providing service to pregnant women (OFCC and MGH).  CWC staff attends all MCTIP coalition meetings and subcommittee meetings.   As a result of this collaborative process, CWC has been able to accurately monitor progress, assist sub-grantees in recognizing and capitalizing on program delivery strengths and problem solve for proactive solutions/changes to address barriers and challenges faced.  The result of this collaborative process is substantial, quantifiable progress over the first two years of implementation.