Why Does My Team Want a Change Agent?

Teams may wonder, “Why does my team need a Change Agent?” So I asked our team supervisors what Change Agents did for their teams.

"What the change agent has done for TAY is provide us with information and support to work with our youth regarding co-occurring. The information provided to us via the newsletter is extremely helpful in keeping us informed of the new drugs (which are growing at an accelerated rate). Thank you for everything the change agents do."

- Brenda Story, TAY

"My change agent makes me think co-occurring every day, looking for new research to use in "Got Change?" She makes our team look good by producing the Transformer. She keeps the system informed with trainings. She asks the hard questions and keeps asking until things change. She was a founding member of our SAC committee to build staff morale."

- Terry Willey, WRAP

"Our Change Agent Julie Olguin, who joins us on Specialty Services/Blanton, has enriched our team discussions with her extensive knowledge and her unique perspective. We review newspaper articles related to CCISC and substance abuse during our team meetings. Julie never fails to teach us something new that we were either unaware of or had never thought of before. Likewise with our JPPS team Change Agent Cisco Maldonado, who keeps it real and is very aware of the downside of discussion related to the idea of legalizing substances."

- Marsha Greenstein, Specialty Services & JPPS (Juvenile Hall)

These are just a few of the many benefits to having a Change Agent on our teams. Do you have one? Please ask your Change Agents questions about co-occurring services, stages of change and drugs that are of concern to you. And if you don’t have one, Get One!!! For more information becoming a change agent, please contact me at 868-8206.

By Christina Cornejo-Felix