HEARTS one of 14 MARC localities – Who are the others?

In an October 29th press release, the Health Federation of Philadelphia announced the 14 localities that would join the new initiative called Mobilizing Action for Resilient Communities (MARC), including the University at Albany’s HEARTS network of 15 nonprofit and health caring organizations.

Healthy Environments And Relationships That Support (HEARTS) received a $300,000 grant award from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation as one of the 14 networks chosen to participate in the $4.8 million MARC national initiative. In addition to the HEARTS network, the other 13 communities which range from Tarpon Springs, Florida to Alaska will receive grants of $100,000-$300,000 and join a two-year learning collaborative where they will share best practices, try new approaches and become models for other communities in implementing effective solutions for combating adverse childhood experiences (ACEs).

The complete list of communities and states participating in MARC are:

• ALASKA – Alaska Resilience Initiative (Alaska Children’s Trust)
• ALBANY, NY – The HEARTS Initiative for ACE Response (University at Albany Foundation)
• BOSTON, MA – Vital Village Community Engagement Network (Boston Medical Center)
• BUNCOMBE COUNTY, NC – Buncombe County ACEs Collaborative (Buncombe County Health and Human Services)
• THE DALLES, OR – Creating Sanctuary in the Columbia River Gorge (Columbia Gorge Health Council)
• ILLINOIS – Illinois ACEs Response Collaborative (United Way of Metropolitan Chicago)
• KANSAS CITY, MO – Trauma Matters KC (Chamber of Commerce of Greater Kansas City Foundation)
• MONTANA – Elevate Montana (ChildWise Institute)
• PHILADELPHIA, PA – Philadelphia ACE Task Force (Scattergood Foundation)
• SAN DIEGO, CA – San Diego Trauma Informed Guide Team & Building Healthy Communities Central Region (Harmonium, Inc.)
• SONOMA COUNTY, CA – Sonoma County ACEs Connection (County of Sonoma, Department of Health Services)
• TARPON SPRINGS, FL – Peace4Tarpon, Trauma Informed Community (Local Community Housing Corporation)
• WASHINGTON – ACEs/Resilience Team & Children’s Resilience Initiative (Whatcom Family and Community Network)
• WISCONSIN – Wisconsin Collective Impact Coalition (Wisconsin Office of Children’s Mental Health)

The MARC project’s advisory include leading researchers, health care providers and policy-makers in the field of ACEs and resilience. The University at Albany’s HEARTS will be represented in MARC by Heather Larkin, UAlbany associate professor in the School of Social Welfare. LaSalle School Clinical Director David Wallace also joined on behalf of HEARTS at the first gathering of MARC advisors which took place in Philadelphia from November 9-10, 2015.

LaSalle School is a leader in programs and services for youth and families in crisis offering a variety of programs designed to meet their needs including specialized residential placement, day service education, and alternative to detention services. The Counseling Center at LaSalle is an OMH and OASAS licensed outpatient behavioral health clinic located at LaSalle School, and currently implementing ACE treatment practices with youth and families. LaSalle is accredited by the Council on Accreditation (COA), and affiliated with the Council of Family and Child Caring Agencies (COFCCA), and the national Alliance for Strong Families and Communities.