CHOWC Empowers Staff and Improves Engagement with the Netsmart Resource Center

Introduction

For organizations navigating the complexity of child and family services, effective training is not a one-time event. It is an ongoing discipline.  

Headquartered in New York with locations nationwide, the mission of the Children's Home is to partner with children, families and communities to inspire hope, develop skills and cultivate healthy relationships for positive futures. For our partners at The Children’s Home of Wyoming Conference (CHOWC), the need for high quality training became increasingly clear as their electronic health record (EHR) evolved and user expectations shifted.  

By embracing the Netsmart Resource Center, CHOWC has redefined how its teams learn, adapt and grow within the CareRecord® platform. 

Problem

Like many provider organizations, CHOWC faced a familiar challenge: keeping pace with continuous system change while ensuring staff remained confident and capable. Traditional training methods were no longer sufficient in an environment where workflows evolve and new functionality is introduced regularly. 

“One of the biggest challenges has been keeping up with change. The EHR continues to evolve as new features are added and workflows change, and it can be difficult to stay current,” said Jake Baldwin, EHR Manager at CHOWC. 

Compounding this issue was the need for clear, current and practical guidance. Internal documentation required constant updates and often lacked the breadth of perspective needed to reflect best practices across different scenarios. Training approaches also had to accommodate a range of learning styles, from visual learners to those who prefer written instruction.

In less than one minute, I had what I needed – how many clients, diagnoses and other useful information.

Tom Petrizzo, Chief Executive Officer, Beacon Mental Health

Solution

CHOWC turned to the Netsmart Resource Center as a centralized hub for onboarding, ongoing education and issue resolution. What began as a supplemental tool has rapidly become a core component of their training strategy. 

“The depth and quality of the content available now is what really drove the decision,” Baldwin explained. “The Netsmart Resource Center feels more active and responsive. Changes and suggestions are clearly being considered.” 

Today, the team relies on structured guides and video content to support both new and experienced users. The Resource Center also serves as a first line of investigation when challenges arise, enabling staff to research issues, validate workflows and approach support interactions with greater clarity. 

This shift has reduced reliance on internally maintained materials while allowing CHOWC to focus its documentation efforts on organization-specific nuances rather than foundational system knowledge.

The depth and quality of the content available now is what really drove the decision. The Netsmart Resource Center feels more active and responsive. Changes and suggestions are clearly being considered.

Jake Baldwin, EHR Manager at CHOWC

Result

The impact has been both immediate and cumulative. Access to on-demand, multi-format learning has strengthened user confidence and improved engagement across the organization. 

“Having concrete examples, step-by-step instructions and multiple formats has helped fill gaps that sometimes occur with verbal training alone,” said Baldwin. 

The Resource Center has also streamlined operations behind the scenes. With searchable access to documentation, user groups and centers of excellence, CHOWC has significantly reduced the time spent troubleshooting and submitting support tickets. 

“Over time, this has likely prevented and resolved hundreds of tickets. It has been very useful,” Baldwin noted. 

Perhaps most importantly, the platform has enabled greater self-sufficiency among staff. New team members are not only learning the system more effectively, but also contributing ideas and driving improvements. 

“The Resource Center has helped our staff significantly… it has empowered us to make suggestions and contribute ideas,” Baldwin said, referencing the platform’s ability to accommodate new users. “It has clearly strengthened our knowledge and confidence with the system.” 

CHOWC’s experience illustrates the evolving role of training in healthcare technology. By leveraging the Netsmart Resource Center as a dynamic, centralized learning environment, the organization has reduced operational friction, improved user confidence and created a more agile approach to change.

The Resource Center has helped our staff significantly… it has empowered us to make suggestions and contribute ideas. It has clearly strengthened our knowledge and confidence with the system.

Jake Baldwin, EHR Manager at CHOWC