Meet Behavioral Health Lead Tracy Plouck

January 12, 2022

After more than three years, the Ohio Alliance for Population Health is a well-oiled machine fueled by meaningful collaboration.  The Alliance has led or participated in more than forty projects, and each has been undertaken because a partner identified a specific need and other partners rallied to help. 

One very recent example of this collaboration is the Appalachian Children’s Behavioral Health Symposium, which was sponsored by the Appalachian Children’s Coalition and planned & facilitated by the Alliance team at Ohio University.  Randy Leite, Executive Director of the Appalachian Children’s Coalition, wanted to convene leaders from across Southeast Ohio to take stock of strengths and continuing challenges related to children’s behavioral health.  “I wanted to bring people together to hear insight and engage in dialogue that can inform next steps within our region,” Leite said.  “This is an exceptional time – a wide variety of federal and state resources are available, but we must work together to thoughtfully plan and advocate if we want to deploy resources where they would matter most.” 

Mr. Leite asked the Ohio Alliance for Population Health staff to turn his vision for the event into a reality.  Tracy Plouck, who spent more than twenty years developing and implementing human services policy for the State of Ohio, took the lead in recruiting expert presenters from across the state and region.  She worked with Michal Searls, Program Coordinator within the Alliance, to develop a symposium that featured the perspectives of people with lived experiences in the system: as patients/clients, treatment providers, advocates, and even former Governors.  Members of the audience, both in-person and viewing online, had the opportunity to ask questions and share opinions.   

Reaction to the day’s offerings was overwhelmingly positive: 

• “This was excellent and informative.” 
• “No one agency or resource can solve the problems or fix the difficult situations facing our children. It truly takes all of us working collaboratively to make positive changes. Access to technology, mental health services, strong kinship supports, and trauma-informed providers all matter in the process.” 
• “Thank you for putting this event together. We are very excited about the work of the Coalition. Would love to be included on any next steps from here.” 

Collaboration was at the heart of this event – both in the planning phase, during the dialogue that unfolded at the October 15, 2021 symposium, and in the next steps that will be taken by individuals and organizations in follow-up. 

To talk with Tracy about assisting with one of your organization’s projects, contact her at plouck@ohio.edu(opens in a new window).