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NEWS

A&C Therapeutic Foster Care Team Celebrates the Holidays

Therapeutic Foster Care staff gather together with Santa Claus for a holiday photo

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Staff, families, and friends of Adult & Child’s Therapeutic Foster Care (TFC) team gathered recently to celebrate the holiday season.

“Thank you all who attended our 2023 Holiday Party. It was a huge success!” said Megan Trible, Director of Child Welfare Services. “We thoroughly enjoyed spending our day with you and we hope that you enjoyed it too.” 

The holiday cheer was amplified this year by the generous donations of those who supported TFC’s Winter Gift Drive. Donors provided gifts for youth in TFC homes through in-person donations and purchases from an Amazon Wish List.

Chrystal Smith, of Chrystal’s Book Buzz, made a large donation of brand new books to A&C foster youth.

“Helping kids through books is my passion. I am thrilled to have been able to partner with an organization that supports foster children this year. I chose books that I felt would be fun but also supportive for individual needs that children in foster care might be experiencing,” Chrystal said.

Several books featured themes of bravery, resiliency, positivity, and strength. She included guided journals and workbooks, as well as a variety of fiction titles.

“I am a firm believer that children from all walks of life need to have books to call their own. Book ownership has both educational and emotional benefits,” she said. “The gift of a book is a gift that keeps giving and I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to work with Adult and Child and plan to do so again in the future!”

The team also received support to make the holidays brighter through sales of an “ugly sweater” Bonfire Apparel design. This particular design will be available through February 2, 2024, but other items will remain available on the store for anyone looking to support TFC and other Adult & Child teams.

The team also received support to make the holidays brighter through sales of an “ugly sweater” Bonfire Apparel design. This particular design will be available through February 2, 2024, but other items will remain available on the store for anyone looking to support TFC and other Adult & Child teams.

“During a time of year when spending time with family is often a priority, children in foster care can feel forgotten and alone. When communities come together, we can all help children remember they are special and loved,” said Trible. “Thanks to the efforts of our community, we brought smiles to the faces of children who may have been struggling.”

TFC’s Winter Gift Drive Bonfire Apparel design

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Agency News

A&C 75th Anniversary and Irvington Clinic Grand Opening

Integrated health care is a concept that recognizes how a person’s physical health and behavioral health affect their overall wellness and quality of life. Adult & Child Health celebrated integrated health at a combined celebration of history and growth at its Irvington clinic in Indianapolis April 30.  The event served as both a 75th anniversary celebration for the Adult & Child Health organization, and as a grand opening for the clinic on Washington Avenue, which opened in early 2025.  Adult & Child operates three clinics in Indianapolis and one clinic in Franklin. At the Irvington clinic, primary care providers, psychiatric care providers and licensed therapists see patients in the same building.  “Our goal is to help people live happy and healthier lives and have them be able to succeed in whatever it means for them,” Dr. Christine Negendank, President and Chief Medical Officer at Adult & Child Health said. “Many of our patients have been stigmatized — even in the health care setting — so we are very careful to make sure everyone is welcome here, no matter their circumstance and no matter their level of illness.”  Clients of all ages come to the Irvington clinic for psychiatric and primary care. “Integrated care clients,” as they are called, can come to the Irvington clinic to have multiple needs addressed in one place. It’s a combination of providing the best practices and ease of care for each client.  “It’s so wonderful to see a patient who tells me, ‘I’m out of my blood pressure meds,’ or ‘I have a severe headache,’ and I can say, ‘Well, you know, we have primary care across the hall; why don’t we go get you connected?’” Negendank explained.  A client can get primary care, psychiatric care, therapy and connections to housing programs in a single trip to the Irvington clinic.  “They leave with so much more hope,” Negendank said. “We really try to make it easy for our patients when we can. We offer someone a safe place to come, to feel welcome, to leave feeling better and to leave feeling better about themselves.”  A&C offers addictions treatment at the Irvington clinic. Addictions treatment involves one-on-one therapy, medication assisted treatment (MAT), activities of daily living support, psychoeducation, peer recovery services and case management. The average wait time for a new patient to schedule their first appointment is less than three weeks.  Be Well Bell art installation  The Be Well Community movement is designed to ring in a new narrative about brain health through a variety of programs, including the public display of ceremonial bells that symbolize hope and healing. The bell in Indianapolis was unveiled to the public during Adult & Child’s 75th Anniversary event April 30. Be Well Initiatives works with community partners to bring visibility to the mental wellness movement. The Be Well Bell program offers blank bells to be painted with a meaningful design by an artist(s) or as a community arts project.    Brightli Director of Be Well Initiatives Bailey Pyle, LPC, explained that the art installation includes a QR code that smartphone users can scan to access information on the Be Well program and on mental health services available at Adult & Child in the Indianapolis metro area.  “These aren’t just bells that we’re creating and plopping down into a community, but they are truly reflective of the community in which they exist,” Pyle said. “We know from lots of research that that’s when the bells are the most impactful and meaningful.” The Be Well Bell at the Irvington clinic is the 21st for the program and the first Be Well Bell in Indiana.  Adult & Child Health’s history  Photo Gallery

Sarah Miller, PMHNP-BC

Sarah Miller works with the addictions team, general psychiatry for adolescents and adults, and the competency restoration team. She is board-certified as a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. Her specialties are working in addictions and with people who experience serious mental illness.

Miller graduated from Indiana University with a psychology degree and went back to school for nursing. She received her nursing degree from Indiana Wesleyan University and worked in a nursing home and also spent time working in a group home with adolescents. She received her master’s degree from Vanderbilt University.

She enjoys hanging out with her family and her two dogs, and going to sporting events.

Joanna Chambers, MD

Dr. Joanna Chambers is a psychiatrist who began seeing Adult & Child Health patients in November 2021. She graduated from Medical College of Georgia with her Doctorate of Medicine in 1996 and completed her residency in psychiatry at Yale University School of Medicine. In addition to bringing a wealth of experience, she currently serves as an associate professor at Indiana University School of Medicine where she teaches Clinical Psychiatry. She is certified in Addiction Medicine and has a special interest in treating pregnant and postpartum women. She is President of the American Academy of Psychoanalysis and Dynamic Psychiatry Organization as well as a sitting member of many medical association boards. Recently, she has won the Residents’ Award for Teaching Excellence in 2020 from Indiana University and has received “Best Doctors Award” in 2010, 2011, and 2014. Dr. Chambers is incredibly active in the medical, academic, and research realms of medicine. She is currently accepting new patients on Wednesdays.