Essentials of Public Benefits 
and Influence of Culture on Service Delivery 

Presented by Kristin Hartsaw, M.S. Public Health

 Friday, May 17, 2019 - 9:00 am to 4:15 pm

Morning session - Public Benefits   9:00 AM – 12:00 PM (2.75 CEU's)
Afternoon session - Cultural Competency  1:00 PM – 4:15 PM (3.0 CEU's)

 FREE: 5.75 CEU's for attending both trainings  (IAODAPCA Included) 
Lunch is on your own

Who Should Attend: Psychiatrist (MD), Psychiatric Nurse (RN), Psychologist (Ph.D), Social Worker (MSW), Mental Health Counselor, Mental Health Therapist, Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner (ARNP), and other mental health professionals. 

AM Overview - Making the Connection: Essentials of Public Benefits 

Navigating public benefits is complex. This training is designed to increase understanding of the public benefits system in Illinois.  The program will provide an overview of commonly accessed programs such as SNAP, Cash assistance and Medicaid.  Policy and program updates will be discussed.  

 Learning Objectives:

• Review core eligibility rules of commonly accessed public benefits
• Explain the application, interview and approval processes for benefit programs
• Identify key factors to help consumers understand their benefits
• Understand how to navigate the application systems to ensure access to benefits

PM Overview – Influence of Culture on Service Delivery

This session provides a review of the factors relating to cultural influences.  The training includes a variety of learning activities, including discussion, small group activities, and lecture.  The training is designed to promote understanding of the influence of culture on participants’ work. Learning activities are designed to increase participants’ self-awareness of their own worldview and how that shapes interactions with others.

 Learning Objectives:

• Discuss the influence of culture on your work
• Define key terms related to cultural competency
• Introduce the topic of implicit bias
• Identify strategies to increase cultural fluency

Presenter: Kristin Hartsaw, M.S. Public Health 

 Kristin Hartsaw is the Director of Training and Technical Assistance with the Federation on Human Services Reform. Kristin develops and conducts training programs including Making the Connection: Accessing Public Benefits, Cultural Competency, and Mental Health First Aid. She has provided enrollment assistance to families applying for health coverage and served on the State of Illinois training team to deliver Health Insurance Navigator/Assister training.

Ms. Hartsaw currently serves as the State Team Lead for the SOAR initiative, a SAMHSA Best Practice Model working to increase access to disability benefits for persons who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. 

Prior to her current role, she worked for fifteen years in public health.  Kristin received a Master of Public Health with a concentration in Health Policy and Administration from the University of Illinois-Chicago.  In addition to her work with the DuPage Federation, Ms. Hartsaw is an adjunct faculty member with the MPH Program at Benedictine University.