USF College of Behavioral & Community Sciences

May 24 - 30, 2020

Lynn Clingan's co-worker Lilly demanded her own chair. Every morning when Lynn sits down at her computer Lilly comes and dances on her hind legs until Lynn pulls Lilly's chair over and puts her in it.

Christine Rover participates in Wear Your Lifejacket to Work Day. Water Safety is an important program with the CARD team. Bailey the Bull supervises.

Top picture is Rocky Haynes in front of a makeshift green screen recording lectures from his apartment. Bottom photo is the edited results of the green screen recording.

Florida KIDS COUNT team meeting with special guest appearance from Storie Miller's dog.

Kelly Francis-Holmes counting down the minutes to start her work day.

CBCS COVID-19 photo contest. Submit your work from home COVID-19 photos to cbcsmarketing@usf.edu. We'll post the photos in Communique over the next few weeks, then vote on our favorite photos at the end of the Spring semester.
COVID-19 Update

Campus Access

Has time flown or what? Many of us have now been working remotely for two months! Recently, a number of you have asked, and we have granted, permission to access your office for additional materials. If you must be on campus please make sure you document where you go in the building in case you become sick and need to remember where you have been and who you have had contact with. Take note of the following:

  • Date and time you entered the building and which exterior door you used.
  • Whether you used the stairs or elevator, and if so, which one.
  • All room numbers for offices and rooms you entered while in the building.
  • Restroom if used.
  • Time you left the building and which exterior door you used.

Remember it is expected that you will wear a face covering when on campus, and to follow CDC guidelines regarding social distancing, hand washing, and sanitizing work spaces.
 


We invite you to share your COVID-19 stories in Communique. Let us know how you are coping with working remotely. Submit your photos and captions to cbcsmarketing@usf.edu

As always, you should refer to the official USF coronavirus webpage for the most up to date information. 

Stay safe

Virtual Fiesta by the Bay for Autism: Fun From Home!

The Center for Autism & Related Disabilities at USF (CARD-USF) was disappointed to cancel this year's signature fundraiser, Fiesta by the Bay for Autism due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. However, CARD-USF welcomed many sponsors, donors, friends and ticket holders for an online gathering via Zoom on Friday, May 8th. USF students in the Colleges of Pharmacy, Public Health and Nursing also participated to share their dance talents, enthusiasm and creative costumes.

Bailey the Bull led a dining room conga line as families joined CARD-USF from the North Carolina mountains to the Georgia countryside to poolside in Tampa Bay.

CARD-USF depends on the funds raised at the Fiesta by the Bay for Autism signature event to offer special programs and activities throughout the community. Learn more about CARD-USF Dollars at Work.

Plans are being set to celebrate with everyone in person at the Glazer Children's Museum in Spring 2021. Bailey the Bull will be announcing the date soon.

A two-part Zoom panel series (hosted by NYU and Drug Policy Alliance) will be held on Friday May 29th for public health researchers to learn from advocates, journalists, and policymakers about how they use research in their work. Journalists who study health-policy related issues will discuss the media landscape, their decisions and challenges around covering research, and best practices for engaging them. These panels will also help researchers understand how stakeholders use and consume research so that they can tailor their research dissemination strategies for these purposes. There will be time at the end for audience questions.

The Advocates Panel is 9:30am to 11am EST and the registration link is: https://bit.ly/AdvocatesPanel

The Media/Policymaker panel is 11:15 to 12:30pm EST and the registration link is: https://bit.ly/MediaPolicyPanel

Would You Consider Volunteering to Support and Counsel Local Patients Diagnosed With COVID-19?
Background: USF Health has established a Confirmed COVID ("CoCo") Clinic, in which patients diagnosed with COVID-19 who can be managed at home are followed closely by medical students, nurse practitioner students, medical residents, and attending physicians. The clinic is led by Drs. Asa Oxner and Elimarys Perez-Colon of USF Health's Department of Internal Medicine. As of May 13, they had enrolled 747 patients.
Rationale: Some patients are experiencing distress, depression, grief, and anxiety. To help distressed patients, Dr. Amber Gum (Associate Professor in the Department of Mental Health Law & Policy, and Psychologist with USF Health's Department of Internal Medicine) is working with the CoCo Clinic to establish behavioral health support for patients. We are looking for graduate students and/or faculty members who could join our team to support these patients.
Who is eligible to volunteer?
  • USF graduate students in a field related to counseling (e.g., mental health counseling, social work, psychology)
  • USF faculty who are licensed in a field related to counseling (e.g., LMHC, MSW, psychology)
What are graduate students being invited to do?
  • Commit to volunteering 5 hours/week for at least 3 months (including training, documentation, and supervision)
  • Call patients to check-in and offer brief support and resources
  • Some volunteers will engage in brief counseling with a small number of patients
  • Participate in weekly group supervision
  • ALL activities will be remote
What are faculty members being invited to do?
  • Faculty members may volunteer to supervise students (1-2 hours/week, including group supervision along with Dr. Gum, a licensed psychologist)
  • Faculty members may volunteer to engage in direct services with patients (e.g., brief counseling)
  • ALL activities will be remote
How can I learn more? Contact Dr. Amber Gum by email at ambergum@usf.edu
Donations Needed for People Who Are Homeless

As faculty, staff, and students in CBCS, we all share a mission to help those in need. Unfortunately, in light of the circumstances, many of the resources that have previously served people who are homeless and hungry have been forced to shut down. These past few weeks, we have met with two organizations that are still up and running and doing their best to help: The Coffee Shop (an outreach and engagement center provided by Gracepoint) and Hillsborough Hope (the new tent city in Tampa supported by Catholic Charities and the county government).

We are currently working to put together supply kits for these organizations, where they can safely and securely be put into the hands of those who need them. We are accepting financial donations here through GoFundMe.

Alternatively, if you are stuck at home and find yourself in a cleaning frenzy, we are also accepting donations of the following:

  • Bath towels
  • Reusable bags (like grocery bags, canvas bags, backpacks, etc.)
  • Blankets
  • Shoes (mostly men's)
  • Clothing (we really need men's clothes, especially pants!)
  • Socks
  • Nonperishable food
  • Depends (mostly for men)
  • Nonperishable drinks (juice, tea, ensure, etc.)
  • Hygiene items (especially sunscreen, razors, and nail clippers)

If you gather your donations in a bag and place them outside of your house, one of our team members will happily come pick them up or we can meet you at a convenient spot! Just email us your address when it is ready, and we will coordinate the rest. Please rest assured, we are taking safety precautions to sanitize and maintain social distancing. For questions, donation pick-up, or more information about our partners, please reach out to Amanda Sharp at amandasharp@usf.edu, Melissa Carlson at mbarongi@usf.edu, or Kathleen Moore at kamoore@usf.edu. Thank you for your kindness!

CFS Fall 2020 Online Courses

Fall 2020 Distance Learning Course: School-Based Mental Health Services
This course taught by Dr. Matthew Foster aims to equip students with fundamental knowledge and skills related to evidence-based behavioral health prevention and intervention in schools with an emphasis on cross systems collaboration and multi-tiered systems of services and supports.

FREE VIRTUAL 2020 SUMMER INSTITUTE June 2-3, 2020: Strategies to Support Children with Disabilities

These Fall 2020 online courses are part of the M.S. degree in Child & Adolescent Behavioral Health, Developmental Disabilities Focus Area, but students in Behavioral Health, Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling, Education, Social Work, Sociology, Psychology, Speech and Language Pathology, Applied Behavior Analysis, Public Health, and other related fields may also be interested.

CBCS In the News

Coronavirus investigation: DeSantis' 'whack-a-mole' approach fails the frail in nursing homes
News-JournalOnline.com and Jacksonville.com
Kathryn Hyer, director of the Florida Policy Exchange Center on Aging at the University of South Florida, lauded DeSantis' efforts in closing

New Publications
  1. Saavedra, J. E., & Galea, J. T. (2020). Access of Mental Health Services by the Adult Population in Metropolitan Lima, Peru: Characteristics, Perceptions and Need for Care. Community Mental Health Journal. doi:10.1007/s10597-020-00639-y
Adding News/Events/Publications to the CBCS Website and Newsletter

If you have news/events, or recent/upcoming publications you would like posted on the CBCS website and/or newsletter, please send the details and any attachments to CBCS Marketing. (CBCSMarketing@usf.edu)

Be sure to include all pertinent information in the format you would like to have posted (title, date, times, location, event description and contact information). Please provide your information in editable digital text format.

Articles included in the CBCS Communique may be disseminated to USF Media outlets and/or beyond.