Background
Collective Care for Communities (CC4C) is an integrated program which includes curriculum and evidence-based tools from two separate programs that have shown to be successful in supporting others, Past the Pandemic, and Greater Resilience Information Toolkit (GRIT).
Past the Pandemic: Individual Wellbeing, Connection and Support was a successful, live, virtual series provided to over 1500 health care workers in 24 cohorts over the course of the last 4 years, starting during the COVID-19 pandemic. The program goals included validating stressors, worries and concerns, in order to name and label their impact, then finding effective strategies to manage them. This program focused on promoting active, tangible tools for individuals and teams in healthcare settings through various modules including the Biology of Stress, Grief and Loss, Relationships and Connection, Mindfulness, and Sleep. This program had consistent outcomes for those who attended the series, including feeling less professionally isolated at work, feeling more capable of managing stress, and understanding self-awareness tools like the Stress Continuum Model and Battery Snapshot as a way to manage stress. Past the Pandemic was developed and implemented by faculty in the Department of Psychiatry at the Anschutz Medical Campus at University of Colorado in Aurora, CO.
GRIT (Greater Resilience Information Toolkit) was created at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic with the intention of continuing and increasing social connections while staying safe. It has since been adapted to promoting social support during any community and/or personal stress and disaster. The program teaches easy steps in reaching out and having meaningful connections with those in one’s natural support network. The program is rooted in self-efficacy and encourages users to promote individual strengths and provide resources when helpful. Since its launch, over 4,500 individuals worldwide have accessed the training and report feeling more empowered in their own resilience and their ability to reach out to those around them. GRIT was developed and implemented by mental health professionals at the Lyda Hill Institute for Resilience at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs.
What is Collective Care for Communities (CC4C)?
CC4C offers elements and learning objectives from both Past the Pandemic: Individual Wellbeing, Connection and Support and GRIT (Greater Resilience Information Toolkit). Supported by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) CO-CARES program, CC4C remains relevant to the mission of health care and public health workforce’s retention and resiliency, as set forth by Colorado Senate bill 226.
CC4C will offer up to 18 specialized trainings, from October 2025 through June 2025. The trainings will last 4 hours and be offered to integrated health care workers, targeting by area of practice. Each training will be geared towards the population in effort to promote connection through sharing common experiences of stressors and barriers to wellbeing. Targeted populations may include behavioral health and integrated health, rural health care clinics, primary care, long term care and skilled nursing facilities, public health, and emergency medical responders. Health care and public health workers will be encouraged to register for the targeted training for their area of practice, but all trainings will be open to all health care workers.
This training will last a duration of 4 hours and most trainings will be offered virtually. There is some availability for the CC4C training to come to your organization or team and offer an in-person training. At least 30 participants must be registered in order to schedule an in-person training, and snacks will be provided.
The training will include the following topics:
- Stress impact and occupational stress injury
- Biology of stress
- Implementation of the Stress Continuum model and Battery Snapshot
- 5 elements of psychological first aid, including connection, calm, efficacy, safety, and sense of future
- Collective self-care through implementing above concepts in helping others
- Role management
- Proactive communication
- Detecting signs of mental health distress, burnout, or stress in others
- Providing support to others
- Directing others to resources
- Increasing resilience
- Creating a culture of care
We hope to see you in a future training! If you have any questions or feedback, please contact us.