Adult & Child Health Receives Federal Funding to Expand and Optimize Telehealth Technology
Adult & Child Health (A&C) was awarded grant funding from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for healthcare technology to improve efficiency and access to care. Announced in early November, the FCC awarded Adult and Child Health and 74 other healthcare organizations grants through its COVID-19 Telehealth Program. As a part of the CARES Act, the COVID-19 program supports the efforts of health care providers to continue serving their patients by providing reimbursement for telecommunications services, information services, and connected devices necessary to enable telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic. Adult & Child Health was awarded $516,208 for laptops, tablets, Wi-Fi hot spots, a telehealth platform, and remote patient monitoring devices such as glucometers, otoscopes, stethoscopes, and blood pressure monitors. This allows providers to treat patients remotely and directly in the community from homeless shelters to schools – and to support treatment not only for COVID-19, but also for health care conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and chronic respiratory issues, among others. As a Federally Qualified Health Center Look Alike program, Adult and Child Health’s four family medicine clinics have been providing telehealth services since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Expansion of telehealth services funded by the FCC grant coincides with and complements a larger healthcare technology initiative as A&C moves to a new medical records system. In December 2021, A&C will switch to a new electronic medical record system (EMR), NextGen. The implementation of this industry leading EMR will lead to improved customer services, access, efficiency, and improved health outcomes. Working within NextGen, A&C providers will have access to a telehealth platform fully integrated within the patient medical records or seamless workflows and ease of use for both patients and staff. “We are very excited about this program. There is a lot of reach within this technology project. We’ll be able to better equip our patients to monitor their chronic conditions from home, our staff to provide high quality remote care. We’re also able to better support our community partners in homeless engagement projects and school-based telehealth services for parents,” said Kerri Lewis, Chief Information Officer at Adult & Child Health. “It’s very exciting because ultimately it improves the health of the patients who have serious chronic health conditions and need additional monitoring.” Adult & Child Health will utilize FCC grant funding to purchase new end user hardware, medical testing devices, waiting room kiosks, and remote monitoring technology. The NextGen EMR, with integrated telehealth capability, is scheduled to be implemented in early December and remote patient monitoring will be available for rollout in early 2022. Adult & Child Health is an accredited nonprofit primary care, behavioral health, and social services provider with multiple locations in central Indiana. We strive for caring communities, where every child, adult and family have the opportunities they need to live healthy, happy, productive lives. For more information about Adult & Child Health programs, please contact Tina Serrano, Director of Strategic Initiatives, at 317-882-5122.
Adult & Child Health Receives Kendrick Foundation Grant to Support Morgan County School Mental Health
Adult & Child Health (A&C) was awarded grant funding from the Kendrick Foundation, a 501 (c)(3) organization that supports education and initiatives that improve the health and well-being of Morgan County residents. A&C was one of two nonprofit agencies awarded through the Kendrick Foundation’s $540,000 initiative to provide mental health services, supports, and resources to students in Morgan County schools during the current academic year. This grant is part of a three-year commitment from the Kendrick Foundation to strengthen school-based and school-linked mental health services for Morgan County school-age youth. A&C currently provides behavioral health services to over 130 schools in Central Indiana. Since 2013, A&C has partnered with Morgan County public schools to reduce at-risk behaviors through prevention and intervention programs. Funding from the Kendrick Foundation will support additional mental health services at Mooresville Consolidated School Corporation, Metropolitan School District of Martinsville, and Monroe-Gregg School District. Students will be invited to participate in voluntary supportive services consisting of individual counseling, family therapy, and case management. “We are incredibly excited to improve access to our services across Morgan County over the next 3 years. I am thankful to have the opportunity to partner with the Kendrick Foundation and offer expanded services to students in each district,” said Elizabeth Stirn, MSW, LCSW, Assistant Director of School-Based Services at A&C. “This initiative is a true testament to the hard work, dedication, and passion that our school leaders, teachers, and providers have put into serving school-age youth and families.” A&C’s school-based mental health program is a voluntary service approved through caregiver consent and delivered by mental health professionals. The program will help students by placing staff in schools who are trained to support and assist students experiencing behavioral and mental health issues, delayed development, and/or other life stressors that interfere with their ability to learn. Schools are a natural setting to promote youth mental health and increase access to family-centered resources. Early treatment for mental health can be effective and result in helping young people stay in school and on track to achieving their life goals. Untreated or inadequately treated mental illness can affect academic achievement and lead to higher rates of school dropout, unemployment, substance use, arrest, incarceration, and early death. The partnership between A&C, Kendrick Foundation, and Morgan County schools will facilitate access to needed services, reduce barriers, and increase positive outcomes for students and families. “When we invest in children’s mental health to make sure they can get the right care at the right time, we improve the lives of children, youth, and families — and our communities,” said Keylee Wright, M.A., Kendrick Foundation Executive Director. “As a result of this initiative, Morgan County residents will have greater access to mental health practitioners and services regardless of their ability to pay.” Adult & Child is an accredited nonprofit primary care, behavioral health, and social services provider with multiple locations in Central Indiana. We strive for caring communities, where every child, adult, and family have opportunities they need to live healthy, happy, productive lives. For more information about Adult & Child Health programs, please contact Tina Serrano, Director of Strategic Initiatives, at 317-882-5122.
Adult & Child Health and Perry Township Schools Partner to Aid Student Learning
Adult & Child Health and Perry Township Schools are proud recipients of Indiana’s Student Learning Recovery Grant Program to help accelerate student learning. They were awarded $5.3 million of $122 million in state grant funds awarded to 110 schools and community partners by Governor Eric Holcomb and the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE). The Student Learning Recovery Program provides grants to schools and partners to support K-12 students who have fallen behind academically due to the COVID-19 pandemic and other challenges. As Perry Township Schools educators help bridge learning gaps in math, literacy, and college/career readiness that may have occurred during remote learning, Adult & Child will use evidence-based programming to help teachers and staff address the stressors or traumas that students may be navigating. Adult & Child delivers life-enhancing physical, social, and behavioral healthcare services so families can live happy and healthy lives. When behavioral health concerns, delayed development issues, or other life stressors interfere with a child’s ability to learn, Adult and & Child specialists intervene to get students back on track. “With the expertise of Adult & Child, along with our school social workers, we can meet the social-emotional needs of our students more effectively,” said Vickie Carpenter, Assistant Superintendent of Elementary Schools. “The pandemic has caused many of our students to feel isolated since they’ve had less interaction with their peers. Extra support from Adult & Child will help our kids with social-emotional learning and relationship building, which are critical components of achieving academic success.” “Community partners and educators are teaming up like never before to accelerate student learning this summer and in the years ahead,” Gov. Holcomb said. “We know that igniting student learning demands unprecedented collaboration from us all — educators, local leaders, community groups, parents and, beyond. As these programs launch now and over the coming weeks, it’s an exciting time to be in an Indiana classroom.” With grant funding, Adult & Child will provide SEL Specialists will provide individual and group support to students based on their academic and social/emotional needs. In addition, the SEL Specialists will work with families to provide a comprehensive level of support. Our SEL Specialist will also train teachers and staff in understanding trauma and its effects on student learning. This training will equip educators to support students’ social, emotional, and behavioral needs in school and at home. Social-emotional wellness can remove barriers to education, decrease tardiness and absenteeism, and improve classroom behaviors. “Social-emotional health is crucial, in general,” said Tara Elsner, Adult and Child Director of School-Based Services. “But as we examine how the pandemic has impacted the mental health of children, it is essential for all of us to look beyond grades and address signs of anxiety, depression, or trauma-related conditions.”
Why Maintaining a Daily Routine for Children in the Summer is So Important
These last 14 months haven’t been easy on children, for several reasons. The phrase “daily routine” morphed into a quaint, almost yesteryear-like premise during that time. It’s even more challenging for children who experience mental and/or behavioral health issues. Our School-Based Services assist children in conquering all types of barriers to school success, including social, behavioral, and developmental, through 1-on-1 therapeutic support & skills development. Naturally, these types of students face challenges whenever something disrupts their daily routine. When school ends and summer vacation begins, it’s inevitable. We talked with Kelly Esposito, Team Leader on Adult & Child Health’s Marion County School Based III team. She emphasized the importance a daily routine has in children’s lives, particularly those with mental health issues. RELATED CONTENT: Why School Reopening Might be Challenging for Your Students How our School-Based team works with students During the school year, Esposito and her team meet with students as issues arise, but the dynamic changes when the school year ends. She said therapists and skills development specialists will meet with students anywhere from one to three times weekly, depending on need, and take them to places like a park, library, or an A&C building where they can build on the skills they’ve learned throughout the school year while they participate in fun activities. “When we’re in school, it’s not as structured as far as session time,” Esposito said. “You’re often responding to needs that arise in the moment and we find ourselves putting out a lot of fires. In the summers, we typically have a much more structured time with the kids. It’s usually a set appointment each week, which gives the providers time to plan a lesson, curriculum or activity ahead of time. We go from seeing the kids in the school setting 90% of the time to being home-based or community-based once school lets out.” Kelly works with Indianapolis Public Schools students, and she said each therapist or skills development specialist works with anywhere from 15 to 35 kids at a time. She added that it’s common for caseloads to decrease significantly during the summer, although it’s typically due more to circumstances than apathy. “We have a lot of transient families that move during the summers due to circumstances that are out of their control,” Esposito said, adding, “If that student ends up back in one of our schools next school year, we are often getting another referral for them once school starts back up because a lot of skills were lost during those summer months without services.” RELATED CONTENT: See How Our Youth Development Program is Helping its Participants Excel Why daily routine is so important Kelly said a big reason those referrals happen again is because the kids don’t have much structure to their lives during the summer months. “Mental health issues don’t stop just because school’s not in session, so it’s important that families continue sessions with their mental health providers if they are able to do so,” she said. “Structure is very important, and it can look different for everyone. Some kids need more structure, while others are better at managing their free time. You can gauge what each kid needs based on behavioral changes. If they’re acting up and starting to have outbursts, they might need a little more structure. Wakeup times, bedtimes, set meal times … that transition when school starts up again will be much easier. If the parents are good about keeping some sort of structure, for example, not letting them sleep until 2 p.m. or stay up until 2 a.m., it’s pretty good for the most part.” Esposito said the summer can be a crucial time for developing better therapist-student relationships. With no school day to interfere, there’s more time for 1-on-1 care. “We don’t always have that full picture of what they’re like outside of school,” she said. “We’re not always able to have fun sessions a lot of the time during the school year. We often don’t have time to play games because we’re responding to meltdowns or misbehaving, but during breaks we can spend more time together, get to know them more holistically, and make it more fun for them. In the summer, they don’t have those stressors of school, so instead of putting out fires, we have ample time to teach clients the skills to use during future situations that might arise.” What can parents do? Child Mind Institute suggests several tips to keep children on track during the summer months, so when school resumes, they can hit the ground running. Here are a few ideas they provided: Maintain your schedule. While you may never be able to duplicate the structure school provides, it helps to maintain the school year’s daily schedule, right down to meal times and bedtime as much as possible. Make it visual. Kids who thrive on predictability and are prone to panic over transitions — including those on the autism spectrum —benefit from posted schedules that outline what will happen throughout the day (i.e., 7 a.m.: wake up, go to the bathroom, wash face…8 a.m.: breakfast…) Depending on your child’s developmental level, simple pictures can also help. Make plans. Try to schedule as many activities as possible, as early as possible, and keep your kids posted. This can mean anything from “we’re going to Aunt Mary’s house at 5 p.m. Thursday for dinner” to having a set routine that every day, weather permitting, you’ll be going to the playground or pool. Ingrid Prueher, a pediatric and adult sleep expert, added a few more suggestions: Don’t forget about nutrition. While you focus on good nutrition during the school year, you may be tempted to substitute less healthy choices in the summer. Be sure to keep your child hydrated, and don’t sugar them up with too much juice and candy and, as always, avoid processed foods. Have a weekly family planning meeting. Since children thrive on a daily routine and become anxious when they can’t predict what’s coming, have a
