Two Decades of Experience

RHI began in 2002 with a group of community residents committed to the health and well-being of youth in our community. Recognizing the many issues young people face, they created a community coalition focused on the prevention of youth substance abuse, school dropout rates, teen pregnancy, delinquency, and youth violence. They named the coalition Cortland Area Communities That Care (CACTC). They chose to use the Communities That Care operating system in order to formulate a community-wide plan to reduce and prevent these behaviors.

From its beginning, CACTC has employed a process for data drive decision making. At the same time, it only implements community level strategies known to increase positive outcomes and behaviors (protective factors) and reduce negative outcomes and behaviors (risk factors).

RHI's focus is, and always will be, based on a data driven approach to prevention across all areas that affect the health and success of individuals and communities.

Milestones

  • 2024

    • Overhaul the design of our Cortland County Youth Survey report to focus on the changing needs of the community and help make the data more accessible and legible to more people. You can read the 2023 report here and read about our process here.

    • We have worked to implement our survey instrument in neighboring counties to start building a regional dataset. Chenango County students took the same survey at the same time this year as Cortland County students, and we're talking with Tompkins and Madison Counties about similar expansion.

    • We have worked with partners to create communications campaigns as contract deliverables or as part of our own grant-funded work. We developed one focused on normalizing harm reduction and are running that, with several partner agencies, in 3 counties. We also developed a campaign focused on helping people with disabilities find healthier coping strategies than substance use and one focused on helping make more alcohol-free spaces welcoming and safe for LGBTQIA+ youth (still in development, but you can view some finalized images here).

    • Either on our own or with partners, we applied for and won grants/contracts to fund direct service harm reduction work and referrals in Cortland (OASAS), an overdose response team in Cortland (NYS DOH), improvement to the Cortland mental health system of care (SAMHSA), primary prevention work in Tompkins County, coalition coordination to assess and find funding for lead poisoning prevention (Mother Cabrini). 

    • Facilitated the Cortland County Housing and Homelessness Coalition in fundraising and opening a low-threshold daytime resource center where people experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity can come to stay warm, stay safe, rest, get some basic needs met, and, if they want, access social and health services.

  • 2023

    • CACTC collaborates with Access To Independence to successfully apply for the 5-year OASAS Partnership for Success grant focused on special populations

    • Access To Independence contracts with CACTC to fulfill the part-time Data Coordinator role. This is CACTC's first long-term data contract.​

    • CACTC formally adopts the public health institute mode and renames as RHI and joins the National Network of Public Health Institutes

  • 2022

    • A full-time Community Engagement Coordinator is hired as part of the HEALing Communities Study, bringing the CACTC staff up to 7 full-time employees.

    • The Cortland County Youth Development Survey data is integrated into the the Cortland County Community Health Assessment and Community Health Improvement Plan.

    • CACTC is contracted to manage the Literacy Coalition of Onondaga County, which includes executive leadership, coalition management, data support, and media support.

      • CACTC hires a full-time Literacy Coordinator to oversee the Cortland and Onondaga Literacy Coalitions. Funding is provided by the CNY Community Foundation.​

    • CACTC, in partnership with Seven Valleys Health Coalition, develops a customized Life Needs Assessment for Cortland County, a tool developed in Onondaga County.

  • 2021

    • CACTC contracted to conduct a comprehensive community assessment for the CAPCO Head Start/Early Head Start Program.

    • CACTC contracted to develop a vaccine social marketing campaign for Cortland County Health Department.

  • 2020

    • CACTC performs assessment for the Cortland County Suicide Prevention Coalition.

    • Cortland County contracts with CACTC to staff and implement the NIDA-funded HEALing Communities Study.

    • A Project Director and second Epidemiologist are hired. ​

    • CACTC designs an Opioid Disposal Awareness Campaign to educate the residents of seven counties in Rotary District 7170 about the importance of safe disposal of medications.

  • 2019

    • CACTC is awarded the 5-year $1.5 million SAMHSA Partnership for Success grant targeting underage drinking.

      • First full-time epidemiologist is hired​.

      • CACTC staff work to formalize and codify processes/ products like needs/capacity assessments, strategy reports, project and data management guidelines, and data dashboards.

    • Since 2005, Catholic Charities of Cortland County served as the fiscal sponsor for CACTC providing administrative support. In 2019, CACTC officially became a standalone organization.

  • 2018

    • CACTC contracted to develop and design a social norms campaign targeting 18-25 year old students attending Onondaga Community College.

  • 2016

    • CACTC formally partners with two New York State prevention coalitions as part of the OASAS Partnership For Success grant to develop health communications materials.​​

  • 2015

    • CACTC establishes the Cortland County Literacy Coalition with funding from the Central New York Community Foundation.

    • ​CACTC is awarded the OASAS Partnership For Success grant, providing a framework of concepts and strategies that become core agency tools​.​

      • $625,000 over 5 years aimed at reducing rates of prescription drug, heroin, and other opioid use among 12-25 year-olds in Cortland County​.

  • 2012

    • CACTC is awarded the SAMHSA STOP ACT grant.

      • $200,000 over 4 years aimed at reducing alcohol use among 12-20 year-olds in Cortland County​.

  • 2007

    • CACTC incorporates as a nonprofit organization.

  • 2005

    • CACTC is awarded first Drug Free Communities grant.

      • $1,125,000 over 10 years, aimed at reducing substance use among youth by addressing risk and protective factors with environmental strategies​.

  • 2002

    • CACTC is founded as a youth drug prevention coalition.

    • CACTC conducts the first Countywide Youth Survey.