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Providing health services to children in need
Health ServicesThe main objective of our Health Services division is to improve and promote the overall health status of the children in our care by ensuring that each child receives comprehensive health services from infancy through young adulthood. A secondary objective is to ultimately improve the total health and well being of the children and birth families through health education, empowerment strategies for health advocacy, anticipatory guidance and support services. This secondary objective becomes even more critical for our adolescents who may never return home or do not have parents who can advise, model or advocate.
Clinical ServicesOur Clinical Services division ensures that each youngster receives assessments of developmental and psychological well-being that identify strengths and problems, as well as to ensure that appropriate interventions are provided. Assessments provide plans for interventions that will promote personal healing and growth, support permanency planning, move the child closer to achieving identified functional outcomes and be consistent with the child's cultural heritage.
Skilled Medical ProfessionalsThe medical and clinical staff for our Foster Boarding Home Program and Girls Group Home Program includes Nurse Care Managers, a Pediatrician, and Behavioral Health Specialists who have advanced degrees in psychology, a Licensed Psychologist, Board Certified Child Psychiatrists (on site consultants) and clerical support staff. Hayden House - A Program Nurse who provides direct care and care management, as well as two consulting psychologists and a consulting Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist who is affiliated with St. Vincent's Hospital, Westchester provide medical and clinical services at Hayden House. All of our medical units operate under the auspices of the Agency's Administrative Director for Health and Clinical Services, a licensed Psychologist.
Family Involvement
Promoting healthy development must start with the individual child, but to be truly successful we aim for a high degree of participation by both the biological and foster parents (and residential staff) in the assessment and treatment of a child. Their concerns, needs and resources are given high priority as treatment plans are developed. From the beginning of placement, the birth families are encouraged to be active participants in their child's care through attendance at assessments and at the Individualized Child Health Planning (ICHP) Conferences. Care managers actively encourage and facilitate contacts between the parents/foster parents and all health and behavioral health providers, as well as participation in behavioral health therapy to the degree that it is clinically indicated.
Community Based PartnershipsCMS has long recognized the need to diversify Medical and Behavioral Health service options through the use of community-based providers. This mixed model of agency based and community based providers enables us to make available a full range of prevention, primary care, specialty services and behavioral health services. In addition, the use of our preferred providers establishes community based medical affiliations that can continue after children are discharge from care. The community based programs, agencies, hospitals, specialists, labs, clinics, Early Intervention Programs, special education facilities and private practitioners comprise our network of "preferred providers" or partner agencies.
Ensuring Quality CareSkilled and Credential Health Care Partners - We only use medical providers who have valid NYS licenses and certifications. Board Certified providers are preferred. All hospital and clinic-based providers have been credentialed by their respective facilities and/or by third parties, such as the Joint Commission or the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). Meeting the Highest Standards - All health and behavioral health services are designed to meet or exceed existing Federal, State and City laws, rules and regulations and to be consistent with the policies, procedures and standards promulgated by the NY Administration for Children's Services and Westchester DSS, as well as the current standards set forth by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Child/Teen Health Program (C/THP).
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