Monday, September 15, 2014YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- As he completes his second month as CEO of Help Hotline Crisis Center, Vince Brancaccio has a feel for what needs to be done to make the organization more successful.
“We field 15,000 calls every month. Those are the individuals that know our organization and turn to us for help. Our goal needs to be continuing to get the word out about what we do. There are a lot of people that don't know what we do and are struggling out there,” Brancaccio said. “A lot of people know Help Hotline for our 211 service and our crisis line and the suicide hotline. But what people don't know is the 14 other programs we have that are an integral part of our community.”
In addition to the hotlines, the group offers its After Hours Crisis Service in five states, operates cold weather shelters for the homeless that provided almost 5,900 beds last winter and guardianship services in Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties.
Brancaccio intends to use community events to boost awareness of his organization, including expanding its guest speaker series. Among the speakers last year was the survivor of an attempted suicide at the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. This year's speaker will be an Iraq War veteran who has dealt with depression since returning to civilian life. The event, to be held Nov. 5 at Mr. Anthony's in Boardman, is “just another way of creating awareness,” Brancaccio said.
Brancaccio began as CEO on July 14. Before that, he was vice president of programming for Meridian Community Care. Taking over at Help Hotline was a logical step, he added.
“This was just the next step in my career. Coming to Help Hotline was a natural transition for me. The agency itself has a great reputation in the community,” Brancaccio continued.
Todd Marian, chief operating officer of the agency, said Brancaccio's experience will help it reach the goals the new CEO is putting in place.
“From his experiences, he has a good grasp on how to market and reach out to the players in the community, the COO said. “He can take over in a leadership role and steer the agency in the right direction.”
Brancaccio succeeded Duane Piccirilli, who assumed leadership of the Mahoning County Mental Health Board in May. From Day One, Brancaccio knew that he'd have a lot to live up to.
“The beauty is Duane, in his 23 years, built an agency that's solid. It has a great reputation and is well-known throughout the counties [we serve]. I just need to pick up where he left off,” he said. “There's not going to be a bump in the road. It's more about hitting the ground running.”
And hit the ground running he has, Marian said. Weekly meetings are more focused, Marian said, and Brancaccio has brought a new source of energy.
“Vince is a great communicator. He's a great leader. He stepped right into his leadership role. He knows the drug and alcohol part of mental health, so he knows both sides of this business,” he continued. “Vince and I have had a lot of great communication and a lot of good conversations over the clinical part of it. I'm looking forward to more of that.”
The cohesion of the staff has impressed Brancaccio in his first two months as has the breadth of the organization's activities.
“My senior staff right now has anywhere from eight years to 37 years of experience. We have that history. We have people who are dedicated,” he said. “When I interviewed for this position, I had a good idea of what Help Hotline did. Sitting in this seat now every day, I'm amazed at how much we do within the Valley.”
Copyright 2014 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
CLICK HERE to subscribe to our twice-monthly print edition and to our free daily email headlines.