We stand at a critical moment in history. As adults, we have the capacity to contextualize the mental health crisis we are living in. However, for a child, this “moment” accounts for a disproportionate percentage of their life – it’s all they know. As Mississippi’s largest and most comprehensive non-profit provider of children’s behavioral health, educational and family support solutions, it is vital that we move with great speed and urgency to bring real-world solutions to this moment of crisis that not only brings immediate hope to a child, but changes the trajectory of a generation.
In many ways, 2023 has been a seminal year of both planning and action. Thanks to the tireless efforts of our unparalleled, mission- driven team, we have responded to this challenge with another pinnacle year when it comes to the metrics that matter. This includes high watermark outcomes in the number of children served, satisfaction ratings from our families, reductions in barriers to access care, creating seamless transitions of care, producing financial strength that ensures our mission thrives, reducing staff turnover, engaging and honoring all voices and stakeholders, and so many other life-changing outcomes.
In 2023, we began unfolding our robust strategic plan focused on three core pillars:
- Strengthening Our Roots: To enhance our organizational effectiveness, we invested in improving measurement, data, learning, clinical expertise, communications and digital transformation efforts. Notably, we successfully transferred our 20 Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility (PRTF) Certificate of Need (CON) beds to our Jackson Campus, with the intent to create Mississippi’s first comprehensive trauma center. This significant step marks our commitment to deepening our clinical expertise and staying at the forefront of best practices to address unprecedented challenges.
- Building The Canopy: Significant progress has also been made in expanding our sphere of influence through strategic partnerships. By moving beyond transactional vendor relationships to transformational partnerships with business partners, foundation supporters, donors, and key stakeholders, we have enhanced our ability to deliver high-quality solutions to children where they are, such as in schools and pediatrician’s offices. These partnerships are crucial in providing the second-order change solutions needed at this critical moment, enabling us to make a tangible impact on the lives of children and families in Mississippi.
- Pursuing New Growth: We have been intentional in driving innovation and growth through a systematic process. In 2023, we mapped our innovation and growth process, which guides ideas from concept to scaling. This process includes building a value proposition, designing a pilot implementation, launching the idea, and finally scaling it, with clearly defined feasibility stages at each step. This approach empowers us to exercise both fanatic discipline and empirical creativity, ensuring that we continue to
grow “taller” and reimagine mental wellness for the future.
The theme for 2023 was “Be the Best Me in 2023.” We have a stewardship responsibility to be our very best, both individually (“me”) and collectively (“we”). While we focus on improving our own health and wellness, it is essential that we also work together to respond to the changing needs of our community. Now more than ever, the community needs healthcare partners to move in sync, providing clarity, comfort, evidence-based care and hope. This unity is reflected in our low turnover rates, our designation as a “Great Place to Work,” and reinforced through intentional activities such as Town Halls, CEO luncheons, engagement meetings, stay interviews, leadership development training, and seminars on health, sleep and self-care. These investments in the individual (“me”) and our collective efforts (“we”) help us improve together.
In short, being the best “Me” and being the best “We” are inseparable. As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. put it, “We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” Together, we will create pathways to empower our children and families to thrive.
Today, we are more disciplined, organizationally healthier, and well-resourced with the most-mission driven team in Canopy’s history. In short, we are poised and ready to rise to the greatest mental health challenge of our lifetime and awaken hope coupled with life-changing solutions. The future is getting brighter for the children and families of Mississippi.
John D. Damon, Ph.D.
Chief Executive Officer
Lisa Bemis
President, Board of Directors
