THE ASPIRE BLOG

What is Aspire’s Consumer Advisory Council (CAC)? Formed in 2012, it is a group of individuals who assists Aspire by providing consumer input into administrative decisions and clinical programming. CAC members are individuals that identify as people with lived experience and/or recovery from issues.

“This group was created because Aspire felt it was valuable to hear the voices of our consumers from all our service areas,” says Aspire Vice President of Community Partnerships dianna Huddleston, who acts as the CAC staff liaison. “This council has helped us make decisions — or sometimes rethink decisions — about how we’re offering services, our messaging and how we are communicating with the community.”

Also a requirement for being a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) is having a CAC that is a formal committee of the Board of Directors. More than half the board is required to be persons using Aspire services who have lived experience.

“I have the honor of being the staff liaison, and we’ve worked hard to make sure the CAC is kept up to date and informed,” Huddleston says. “I make sure the group gets to speak to other Aspire leaders and that those leaders ask for the CAC’s input and opinions on projects and how they can help guide our future.”

Current CAC members are Cheryl Tucker (Council Chair), Amy Graham (Council Vice Chair), Jennie Rhoads, Patrick Tarpey and Sam Bedal. Also a part of the group is Aspire Patient Experience Coordinator Spencer Johnson.

Graham, a founding member of the CAC, learned about the group from her provider and enjoys being an advocate for others. 

“Through the experiences of this group, I know I’m helping others,” Graham says. “And if I can do something to help others, isn’t that what it’s all about?” She also encouraged Tucker, who receives behavioral health services from Aspire, to join.

“Amy told me about the CAC and that it was a way to voice things I might have an issue with and work with other council members and Aspire leaders to get things done,” Tucker says. “And I really liked hearing that.”

Tucker has been a member of the CAC since 2015 and appreciates being able to offer the wealth of lived experience she and other members contribute.

“Everything that Aspire leadership has asked our opinions on or asked us to participate in, they have taken our input and turned it into a very positive outcome,” she says.

For example, Aspire’s Zero Suicide Committee reviewed the Prevention and Safety Plans that treatment teams complete with each individual served for behavioral health treatment. The committee wanted feedback from the CAC on which items they felt were most helpful for individuals in a moment of crisis.

“The CAC recommended there also be an option for having a condensed, more specific Prevention and Safety Plan that highlights an individual’s key coping skills,” says Director of Crisis Services Kaitlyn Ervin, who is Chair of the Zero Suicide Committee. “Based on their feedback of which questions to highlight, the Zero Suicide Committee created a condensed plan that pulls straight from the comprehensive one.”

In addition, Senior Vice President of Integrated Health Services Alex Welty asked the CAC to do “secret shopper” calls and provide feedback on the experience from a patient’s point of view.

“Members of the CAC called multiple times, and the feedback I received was positive about each of their experiences, which helps me to know we are providing good customer service, people can get through when they need to, and they can get connected to the services they need,” Welty says. “It’s always important to get feedback — good or bad — from the people we are serving. Our goal is to meet people where they are, treat them with dignity and respect, and help them improve in whatever aspect of their life they need it.”

“I think it can be hard to get into the perspective of the consumer if you’ve never been there,” Graham says. “We want to make sure Aspire is understanding these things so consumers are treated in the best way possible — and we’re moving in the right direction.”

The CAC meets monthly, along with any additional feedback needed or projects reviewed — totaling just a few hours of time a month. It’s a small time commitment for the big impact made.

“I learn something every time I meet with the CAC,” Huddleston says. “Their feedback and experiences inform me of how Aspire should respond or react to things or develop services. It’s invaluable to hear the voice of the people we’re serving.”

“The CAC is important for Aspire being able to serve its consumers because they are able to use their experience to help inform decisions that will keep Aspire being focused on person-specific care,” Ervin says. “As Aspire continues to change and grow, it is important we remember the reason is to serve the individuals in our communities, and what better way to keep that focus than to hear the voices of individuals who are involved in the services.”

“I think it’s very important for people to know there is a place where they can speak openly and honestly and from the heart, and have something be helped or fixed for them,” Tucker says. “We want people to know there is a place for your voice to be heard. And the CAC makes us feel like our voice matters.”

Are you or someone you know interested in becoming a member of Aspire’s Consumer Advisory Council? Please join us! Apply today:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc_VN8YWf3k40MTKbDo0ZvlSZAYhE0zrxyhYPlqnffyzyyTzA/viewform