Ken Huey 0:00

Welcome to The Voice of Hope, where bold leaders and healers share how they're building hope, not just talking about it. I'm Dr. Ken Huey. Let's meet the changemakers transforming lives from the therapy room to the boardroom. Hello, today's guest is Tom Kozatinski, Chief Advancement Offerer of At Compass Health, where he has spent more than a decade leading fundraising, public relations, and community engagement efforts to expand access to behavioral health care for children, youth, and families across Northwest Washington. Tom, thanks very much for being with us. Thanks so much for having me, Ken. I'm excited. Fantastic. So what drew you to behavioral health work, especially from the advancement and community leadership side?

Thomas Kozaczynski 0:45

Yeah, that's a great question, Ken. So as you mentioned, I lead the fundraising and marketing efforts here. That's what I've been doing for my entire career. The type of work that I do is at every nonprofit in the country almost, but I have a personal history, both myself and in my family, of mental health issues. And this is something that's deeply, deeply personal to me. And so when I was deciding what I wanted to spend my time and effort on, I chose something that really meant so much to me and my family, where I could use my skill set to help others who haven't had some of the life experiences that allow me to get the help that I need, because we primarily serve folks on Medicaid, people who have barriers to entry into the system, have other compounding life issues that make receiving care even more challenging. So when I thought what I want to do with my career and how I wanted to help individuals, this is really something that was a calling for me. And again, deeply personal and something that I enjoy doing and get a lot of satisfaction out of. So fantastic.

Ken Huey 1:49

So talk about your role at Compass Health. How has it shaped the way you think about healing on a systems level?

Thomas Kozaczynski 1:56

Yeah, so really what I've found in my time here is just how incredibly complex the system is. As I mentioned earlier, particularly when working with the Medicaid population as we do, the level of coordination that needs to happen in the community is so profound. And so I've been really fortunate that part of my role, a big part of my role, is working with other nonprofits that help support the work that we do here at Compass, be that through advocacy, be that through programs where we partner, or be that through funding. And so for the population that we serve that really does need a wraparound model, has different aspects to their care that really comprise whole person care, physical health care, food insecurity, housing. A big part of what I've learned is that it really does take a concerted effort to make that happen. So a great example of that is we have a partnership with the Bellingham School District here in Waucom County in Washington, where we've actually created a telehealth model for the students at that school. So instead of them having to come to us, as I mentioned, that transportation may be a barrier. We've worked on actually integrating telehealth into the schools, which required the partnership of the school district, which required a funding source that allowed us to actually implement that, requires teachers and other caregivers to be part of the work that we do to actually address the mental health issues of those students. And so, really, what that comes down to is meeting the people where they are and allowing us to provide that really vital care. So, in my role, if all those pieces of that don't come together, we're not able to serve the community. And it's such a wonderful part of my job to actually figure out how that complexity fits together and how do we actually create those systems of care that address the needs of our community.

Ken Huey 3:51

You've tried to spoke into it, but talk a little more about community support and why it's so important when it comes to mental health care for children and families.

Thomas Kozaczynski 4:00

Well, that's a great question, Ken. Rarely, if ever, is it just the individual that receiving care that is in charge of their healing journey? So I really struggle to find a situation where I've talked to someone where they have not experienced some sort of mental health issue on their own, had someone very close in their lives that had a mental health issue. And then to expand on that a little bit, rarely is it just them that then is seeking care or needs a level of support beyond just themselves. And so when you take that into account and you actually start to think about what it takes for someone to be successful, it really takes a wraparound model. It takes individuals coming together to help that person through their care and treatment. And even more so, again, as I have to keep going back to the fact that for our population, the Medicaid population that is predominantly low income, it really does require those various support systems to all come together to help them through an oftentimes complex system. And so when we try to form our programs and when we're working on the care model, we always keep that in mind. We're always trying to figure out how do our programs activate all those people in their lives? How do we support those other individuals who are part of the healing process and make sure that we're not only supporting the individual, but supporting their care system as well.

Ken Huey 5:27

So, what are some of the biggest barriers that low-income families face when they're trying to access behavioral health services?

Thomas Kozaczynski 5:34

Yeah, I think I've touched on a few of those pieces. I think historically we have siloed a lot of the opportunities for these families to receive the care that they need. The funding is siloed for sure, and then some of the service delivery is siloed for sure. And so there has been a huge push, not only here at Compass Health, but nationally, to really work on de-siloing some of that to make sure that when we're talking about how do we set up these programs that we're thinking about those models working together and integrating versus you go to one area to address this particular need, you go to a different area to address this particular need. And so when we design the services and programs, that is really a key aspect of ours, is making sure that we keep that in mind. Some of that, for sure, we have some control over it. Some of it does require those partnerships, open communication and dialogue with our other partners in the community. And thankfully, in our region, we have a very collaborative model. We have nonprofits and other healthcare providers that are really committed as committed as we are to making sure that those systems work together, not sort of siloed or at times that in the worst case scenario, sort of against each other. And so that really for me is are really the key aspects of that.

Ken Huey 6:58

One of the problems that we see so frequently is really the stigma around mental health care and behavioral health care. What can we do to help reduce that so that lower-income families can get that care?

Thomas Kozaczynski 7:10

Yeah, oh my gosh, that has been something that has changed so much in my time here at Compass Health. So I've been here just over 13 years. And even in that time frame, the stigma and the conversations that happen around mental health care have changed dramatically. As I mentioned, I really have struggled to find a scenario where I'm sitting with somebody, be that a donor, be that a community community advocate, where if you start to talk to them, they don't have some sort of personal story of impact. And so part of that is I think there is a recognition that this is part of a person's health journey. It's not just physical health care when you talk about health care. It really is whole person care, which encompasses the mental health aspect. And so I think for us and for Compass Health, we've continued to approach our conversations in an open way. We encourage individuals to talk about it when we talk with our partners in the healthcare community or with first responders, be that police or EMS. We always try to humanize the conversation around mental health care. And I have seen a significant shift in that, both nationally and here regionally, and a willingness to talk about that openly. And so what that does downstream is it really does make the individuals that we serve feel comfortable talking about their own issues. It allows us to advocate for them, and it does create a deeper connection and understanding of the challenges that our patients and clients face. I started this conversation by openly telling you that I've struggled with my own mental health issues. And so if you had asked me 15, 20 years ago, that would not have been something I was comfortable sharing. But that is exactly why I started the conversation like that, because it is part of the supporting the destigmatization of the people that we serve in the community.

Ken Huey 9:02

Yeah, I really appreciate that level of openness. I talk about the same kind of thing that I've got a very high ACES score, and really I love finding my people and helping them elevate their lives and do better. So I appreciate that. Talk a little more about your background with mental health and how it has shaped you.

Thomas Kozaczynski 9:22

Yeah, for me, really, I think it was a realization that some of the things that I was experiencing personally in my life were not a result of some sort of deficiency, or not a result of me not trying hard enough, or not a result of me having a perspective I shouldn't have on life. And so when I realized that was then also affecting my physical health care to a degree, some of that really clicked for me. And so for someone like myself who deals with a fairly high level of anxiety in my life, that's just for most of my childhood and early adult life, it was just something I learned to live with, right? And when I actually started to realize that when I would go to my physical health care provider and they were having more open conversations with me about not only my physical health care, like what's your cholesterol look like? All right, let's do blood panels, but then also, how are you getting along with A, B, and C in your life? And having those conversations more openly, then allowed me to realize, oh, I can see how this all plays together in my own journey. And then when I started to address those issues, not only was my personal life and satisfaction so much higher, but then my physical health care improved, it really was a personal enlightenment, I guess for me is the right word. And then a lot of this happened during my time at Compass Health and really even strengthened my passion for the work we do even more, really, really solidified that I'm doing the work that I should be doing and gave me a perspective also on those individuals that we serve, where I had all the resources in the world available to me. And it still took me time and effort to address it. And so when I started to sort of have empathy for those that we serve, not to at all imply I didn't before, but the heightened level of empathy really allowed me to double down on my own work and to try to do everything I can to help those that we serve in the community.

Ken Huey 11:11

How can organizations better serve families with dignity, respect, and ongoing care in mind?

Thomas Kozaczynski 11:18

Yeah, that's another great question, Ken. And so what I think about in this particular to answer this particular question, I think it all ties back to a couple items that a couple of the few items we've already talked about. One was the stigma associated with the work that we do, or the changing of the perception of the stigma in the community. When you couple that with the population we serve, oftentimes what has happened is because of the funding model, the dignity and respect part, which has always been a core tenant of the work that we do in the community, wasn't represented accurately in, let's say, our physical plants, our actual physical spaces where we provided care. Well, that also is changing, right? So we've just recently completed the Mark Healing Center here in Everett, Washington. It's a 77,000 square foot facility, state of the art, brand new, replaced a very old facility that the community sort of associated with not only the services we provided, but also had a deep connection with the stigma that we had talked about earlier. Now, when you look at this facility, where it's beautiful, it's on par with our physical healthcare providers in the commercial space. Then all of a sudden, that is another example of us sort of changing the perception of the work that we do in the community, changing the perception of the people that we serve, working to address some of those areas of stigma that still may be out there. And so for me, I think really the more that we can continue to do that, and the more that we can continue to invest in those type of projects, in addition to investing in our workforce, who are the backbone of our work. The people that come here every day, it's a people business. And so that also reflects on them. If they're coming to a facility that is reflective of the care that we provide, and we're advocating for appropriate funding models so we can retain those folks, all of that plays together to making sure that we're doing what we can for those that we serve.

Ken Huey 13:16

Let's talk about hope for just a second. I'd like to think of what role hope plays in those that are seeking care. And then I'd like to know what gives you hope for the state of mental health care and behavioral health care at this point.

Thomas Kozaczynski 13:29

Yeah, hope is not sort of a amorphous term that we use in the work that we do. It is a key part of the work that we do with those that we serve. And it goes back also to what I just mentioned is to the people that come and show up here every day to do the work with those that we serve because our staff, our workforce members are so deeply committed to those that we serve out in the community. And this is a key terminology that we use all the time: meeting people where they are. And that is when someone is in a crisis situation or is in a mental health crisis that they've never experienced before, when we've got staff who really do have that desire and that that training to meet people where they are, it immediately sets the stage for that hope, right? Because that is ultimately what drives the treatment model. Ultimately what drives the ability for us to provide services. If people feel hope themselves and our workforce members are instilling that in them, they're more likely to come back for more care. It allows us to help integrate the care models and make sure that they're getting all the access to care that we can possibly provide them, or helping in those partnerships where we might need to help coordinate with a food bank or find another nonprofit partner that could assist with their housing. All of that requires that level of hope to make sure that they can see a better next outcome, if that makes sense.

Ken Huey 14:57

It does. Okay. So the weak people listening that feel disconnected or overwhelmed, what is one step that someone can take toward here being healed, finding some support right now?

Thomas Kozaczynski 15:11

Yeah, great question. And I think just like I had mentioned in my own personal story, just like I had mentioned in some of the examples I had talked about, is really taking that first step to ask for help, right? That can be with someone in your support circle. That can be taking that first step to accessing care. That can be just the acknowledgement that there are people out there that are trained and ready to help. I think really taking that first step to to getting care oftentimes is the hardest. And so once we do everything we can as an agency to make that as easy as possible, and certainly very much feel that is that's a core tenant of how we operate, but that still is very challenging for people. And so I can just speaking from personal experience, right? It is that was really the key for me, which was taking that first step to ask those questions and then realizing how much the conversations around this particular issue have changed. And I think we're going to continue to advocate as much as we can for that moving forward. We're going to continue to have conversations openly and honestly about those that we serve and making sure that we're uplifting those stories of the tens of we serve over 12,000 people in the community here, uplifting those stories and showing that there really are agencies and other nonprofits out there that are willing and ready to help.

Ken Huey 16:43

And Tob, I really do appreciate it. You're serving a population that we serve at the Hope Group 2. Medicaid and public funds are pretty much all that we receive. And I appreciate the work that you're doing to help the same population. Thank you so much for spending time with us. You're very welcome. Thank you so much, Ken. Uh thanks for joining us on The Voice of Hope. If you were inspired, share the light. And remember, uh hope's not just a feeling, it's a force. We'll see you next time.