OpeN i Ng dOOrS TO ChildreN WiTh SpeCial healThCare NeedS New Alternatives for Children, Inc. 2009 annual report BoARD of DIRECToRS KEY STAff President Arlene Goldsmith, LCSW, P h.D. Marykutty Thalachira, LMSW Virginia aaron executive director director of homefinding Vice Presidents Patricia Bryant-Reid, LCSW Minerva Sepulveda, LMSW John r. Cannell, esq. associate executive director, Therapeutic Foster Boarding Jonatha n a. Knee Clinical & program Services home program Coordinator patricia S. levinson andrew p. Mezey, Md, MS Adrienne Lawler, LCSW Eric Sweeting, MA associate executive director, director of educational Services Secretary Management & Operations Barbara r. rauch, lCSW Wendy Geringer, Ph.D. Leonard Saul The Comprehensive healthcare Treasurer Chief Financial Officer Center director louis lipschitz Carolyn Synol, MPA Harvey Mar, Ph.D. President Emerita development director director of Mental elizabeth S. pforzheimer health Services Jenny Traslavina dian e abbey Senior development associate Michael Vergara, MD Terri d. austin, esq. Medical director Bryan Beller Jessica I. Lutzke, LMSW pascal desroches director of Volunteers Marcia Thomas, RN, MSN Vivian Farah & Community relations director of Nursing & Clinic alan r. Fleischman, Md administration robert l. Friedman John Encandela, Ph.D. Jill Sabin garner director of research Nancy Hughes, LCSW Susan g. gevertz & evaluation Mental health Clinic Supervisor Carol gutman peter r. haje, esq. Mark Woltman, MSW Lincoln Hess, MD Joseph r. ianniello director of Quality assurance psychiatrist ronald iervolino Thomas a. Jarecki Gail Auchterlonie Khalid Khan, MD Mark N. Kaplan, esq. director of human resources psychiatrist Meryl r. Kaynard, esq. Fern June Khan, MSW Marilyn Green Laura Parsons, Psy.D. Jennifer goodman linn director of Office Services early Childhood developmental robert d. Marcus psychologist adam l. Miller Ed Caquias eugen e a. pinover director of information Services Linda Peck, MA, ATR, LCAT Sanford B. prater director of the henry geldzahler eric J. rosen Cindy Cavalli Creative arts program glenn rufrano executive assistant to Meryl Sherman dr. goldsmith/Benefit Coordinator Kristine Claphan, MSW Susan M. Slater director of B2h alma T . Young, MSW, ed.d. Michele Gogliucci, LCSW-R healthcare integrators director of preventive Services Advisory Directors Michael Celentano, MA Margaret grey, dr. p.h. Stephanie McGill, LCSW director of recreation, Sandra e. lerner director of partners in parenting auxiliary Services & B2h K.d. hendricks-Mu ñoz, Md Waiver Service providers Cecily Truett Martha Morgan, LCSW director of Foster Care Barbara Babikian Directors Emeriti & adoption animal -assisted Therapy iris abrons Coordinator dale g. Berger Carla Riccobono Michael p. gaertner assistant director of Foster David Shichman, MSW louis g. Maloof Care & adoption resource Specialist Wayland M. Mead, esq. Stephen richardson, ph.d. Carol Hirsch, LCSW Amy Pacifici, LMSW lorrain e Tregde, Mpa director of the post legal Vocational Specialist duncan Whiteside adoption Network Mary C.Wolf Executive Director arlene goldsmith, lCSW, ph.d. Mission Statement New alternatives for Children (NaC) was founded on the belief that all NAC ’s mission is children, including those who are chronically ill or physically challenged, to provide innovative, have the right to live in safe, loving and permanent family homes. NaC ’s high quality services in mission is to provide innovative, high quality services in support of birth, support of birth, foster, foster, and adoptive families who are caring for children with special and adoptive families who are caring for medical needs at home. Working primarily with children whose birth children with special families live in poverty, NaC seeks to enable them to remain in, or medical needs at home. return to, their homes whenever possible, or to be adopted by loving families when necessary. 1,376 Ch ildren & 770 families Served NaC ’s innovative services ensure that the physical, social, educational, recreational, health care, and mental health needs of medically fragile children are met. By supporting families, NaC prevents the institutional - ization of children, precludes lengthy stays in foster care, and facilitates the timely discharge of children from hospitals where they may have lived well beyond medical need. NaC builds on family strengths, provides opportunities, and assists all family members in reaching for and realizing their dreams. AN oVERVIEW of ouR Medical Clinic ‰ Developmental Pediatricians and Nurses on staff 2009 Programs ‰ Developmental and medical evaluations ‰ Coordination and referral & Services of services ‰ Home Health Aide services Preventive ‰ Nutritional services Services Mental Health Clinic ‰ Psychiatric and psychological diagnostic assessments of all children ‰ Parental evaluations NaC ’s Children’s Center ‰ Individual, family and group therapy ‰ Alternative therapies in of excellence model pairs art, music and drama each family with a Bridges to Health (B2H) social worker in one Partners In ‰ Intensive support services of four programs. Parenting to children in foster care (PIP) Educational Services ‰ Educational advocacy Families have access to and support for all school-aged children the multi-disciplinary ‰ Early Intervention services (ages 0 to 3) ‰ College Bound Program team of professionals ‰ Tutoring and services that ‰ Parenting education support NaC ’s four Recreation and Foster Care Volunteer Services core programs. and Adoption ‰ Mentoring Program ‰ Special workshops and outings ‰ Group programs for medically-challenged children, siblings and parents ‰ Holiday parties ‰ Pet-assisted Therapy ‰ Summer camp placement ‰ Corps of over 300 volunteers Referral, Advocacy and Emergency Services ‰ Homelessness prevention Post Legal ‰ Vocational services ‰ After school and Adoption recreational referral Network ‰ GED and ESL referral ‰ Entitlement advocacy (PLAN) ‰ Food, clothing and toy bank ‰ Emergency financial assistance ‰ 24 hour hotline Transportation ‰ A fleet of wheelchair-accessible vans with drivers to transport children and families AN oVERVIEW Costs of Care NAC Prevents Long-Term Hospitalizations and Saves Taxpayers Money The specialized population of children that NaC serves is the most expensive to neglect. Cost of hospitalization Cost of Cost of providing Cost of providing Cost of providing of a child with a institutionalization Special Medical foster Special Medical aftercare services chronic medical of a child with Care for a child with Preventive Services for (NAC’S PIP AND PLAN condition a disability a profound medical a family caring for one PRoGRAMS ) for a condition or more medically family caring for one fragile children or more medically fragile children $365,000+ $185,000 – $300,000 $41,000 $15,000 $5,000 annually annually annually annually annually * CoSTS ArE APProxIMATE 2009 Program outcomes and Accomplishments N AC Families in 2009, NaC served 1,376 unduplicated children from 770 families .* by Geography The majority of NaC clients served were enrolled in one of NaC ’s four main programs: Special Medical preventive Services, Special Medical Other Foster Care & adoption, partners in parenting (pip) and the post legal 8% adoption Network (plaN) . Queens Clients Served by Program* Children families Parents 12% Special Medical preventive Services 539 202 Special Medical Foster Care & adoption 235 220 Bronx 37% partners in parenting (pip) 147 66 post legal adoption Network (plaN) 267 118 Bridges to health (B2h) 108 90 article 28 Medical Clinic 806 – 80 article 31 Mental health Clinic 79 – 34 Brook lyn Manhattan 17% 26% Family Forum 88 88 alumni group 9– * The unduplicated total count of children and families is less than the sum of all children and families served in each program, as some were served through more than one program. Accomplishments N AC Children by Ethnicity ‰ NaC has prevented the placement of children in foster care for more than 98% of children in its Special Medical preventive Other Services program. Caucasian 3% 4% ‰ Of the 66 families participating in NaC ’s post-prevention partners in parenting (pip) program in 2009, 62% have at least one parent who is working or in school. ‰ 30 children who were in foster care at NaC were either safely reunified with their birth family or adopted by their foster parents in 2009. African ‰ Latino American among safety, permanency and well-being, NaC is the second 47% 46% highest ranking foster care agency in New York City and the highest among agencies serving medically fragile children. ‰ according to the NYC Children’s Services Scorecard, NaC ’s preventive Services program received 100% in six scored categories related to safety, well-being, and casework – a score rarely achieved by other agencies. NAC Children by Age ‰ Children at NaC who are eligible for adoption are adopted at a substantially higher rate, approximately 98%, compared with the 22+ Years citywide average of 73.1% – despite the fact that NaC ’s children 1% 0-5 Years have serious and complex medical conditions. 30% ‰ NaC has the lowest rate of adoption dissolutions among all foster care agencies in NYC . No child has ever returned to foster care after being adopted at NaC since the inception of the post legal adoption Network (plaN) in 1994. ‰ among NaC children who were school-age and in educational programs in which they could be promoted or could graduate at 13-21 Years 6 -12 Years the end of the 2009 school year, 91% were promoted a grade level 31% 38% or graduated from