ADULT & CHILD HEALTH CELEBRATES SOUTH INDIANAPOLIS COMMUNITY HEALTH CLINIC OPENING
INDIANAPOLIS (Sept. 25, 2019) – Adult & Child Health (A&C), a nonprofit health care and social services organization, recently celebrated the opening of its Garfield Park primary care clinic. Located at 234 E. Southern Avenue, the clinic was established in 1980 by Franciscan Health to serve low-income persons. Building on the clinic’s charitable 30-year history and recognizing A&C’s unique capabilities as both an FQHC Look-A-Like and community mental health provider, Franciscan Health and Adult and Child Health coordinated efforts to transfer the clinic to Adult and Child Health. The Garfield Park clinic becomes A&C’s 4th primary care clinic for underserved persons in central Indiana. RELATED CONTENT: Garfield Park Primary Care Clinic Continues Tradition on Indy’s Southside. Several health care leaders joined Adult and Child Health in the ribbon-cutting ceremony. In addition to comments from Adult and Child (A&C) leadership thanking partners and community stakeholders, distinguished guests offering comments in support of the clinic included Dr. James Callaghan, CEO of Franciscan Health; Terry Cook, Assistant Director of Indiana Division of Mental Health and Addiction; and Dr. Virginia Caine, Director, Marion County Public Health Department. With the Garfield Park site, A&C continues the approach of providing family medicine, behavioral health, and linkage to needed social services all from one location. “I’ve been here a few years and what drew me first to Adult and Child was the vision for whole health care. We’ve been striving to provide integrated care and this clinic and community will move us even more in that direction” said Chief Medical Officer Dr. Christine Negendank. Through integration, A&C expects better coordination of care and ease of access will lead to better health outcomes for persons served. RELATED CONTENT: Adult & Child Health Awarded Federal Qualified Health Center Look-a-Like Status. Adult & Child Health strives 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 services, please contact Adam Wire, marketing and communications specialist, at 317-882-5122 or awire@adultandchild.org.
ADULT & CHILD HEALTH EXPANDS ADDICTIONS SERVICES THROUGH FELLOWSHIP AGREEMENT WITH IU SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
Adult & Child Health Selected as Training Site for Addiction Psychiatry Fellows INDIANAPOLIS (July 29, 2019) – Adult & Child Health, an Indianapolis-based nonprofit health care agency, has reached an agreement with Indiana University School of Medicine to become a training site for Addiction Psychiatry Fellows. Under the supervision of Dr. R. Andrew Chambers, Director of the IU Addiction Psychiatry Training Program, Fellows at Adult & Child Health will receive education and treatment experience beyond what is available through general addiction psychiatry training. Through the new agreement with Dr. Chambers and Indiana University, Adult & Child Health is strengthening its use of evidence-based practices, increasing access to care, and helping more addicted patients get on the path to recovery. RELATED CONTENT: Franciscan Alliance and Adult & Child Health Announce Health Clinic Transition Dr. Chambers, board-certified in general psychiatry and addiction psychiatry, is author of “The 2 x 4 Model: A Neuroscience-Based Blueprint for the Modern Integrated Addiction and Mental Health Treatment System,” (Routledge, New York, 2018), a textbook for the development of fully integrated mental health and addiction treatment services. Drawing upon his research into the neural circuitry of addiction and mental illness, Dr. Chambers’ book serves as core curriculum for Fellows in training in Adult & Child’s health clinics. Prior to joining Adult & Child Health in March 2019, Dr. Chambers’ support for integrated models of care was of interest to A&C, whose clinics focus on the integration of physical and behavioral health services. RELATED CONTENT: Adult & Child Health Advances Affordable Housing Through Two Major Development Projects “The 2 x 4 model has been a great fit for our patients who frequently have co-occurring mental health and addictions disorders,” said Adult & Child Chief Medical Officer Dr. Christine Negendank. In turn, Adult & Child has been a productive training site for addiction psychiatry Fellows. “Adult & Child was hungry to move into the medically assisted treatment (MAT) direction, so it’s been a synergistic match,” Dr. Chambers said. “The way Adult & Child is set up is really nice for developing an integrated approach.” Adult & Child Health also welcomes Addiction Psychiatry Fellows Dr. Kevin Masterson, Dr. Danielle Patterson and Dr. Rohit Shah, who will train within A&C’s community health clinics for a period of one year. Adult & Child Health strives for caring communities, where every child, adult and family can have the opportunity to live healthy, happy lives. For more information about Adult & Child’s health and social services, please contact Adam Wire, marketing and communications specialist, at 317-882-5122 or awire@adultandchild.org
Garfield Park primary care clinic continues tradition on Indy’s southside
The forecast rain showers on the morning of May 23 ended early on Indianapolis’ near southside, enabling attendees at Adult & Child Health’s ribbon-cutting event to celebrate the Garfield Park clinic opening. It’s fair to wonder if someone high above, who spent a good chunk of his life serving medical needs on that site, had something to do with the skies clearing that morning. A&C owned and operated the clinic since it took over the 234 E. Southern Ave. facility on April 1. But even before Franciscan operated the facility, it had served the Garfield Park neighborhood’s medical needs for decades. RELATED CONTENT: Learn more about Adult & Child Health’s Mission, Vision and Values Before it was a primary care clinic Hawkins Pharmacy sat at the location at the corner of Madison and Southern avenues, just south of Manual High School, for over 40 years. Price “Tug” Hawkins owned and operated the pharmacy at that location from 1954 until he retired in 1995. Hawkins’ son, Barry, who still owns the property, said his father would be proud to see the facility is still providing medical services. The elder Hawkins passed away in 2016. “It would mean the world to him,” Barry Hawkins said. “He lived and grew up in that store. I told him I’d do everything within my power to make sure that facility benefits people.” Hawkins couldn’t remember for certain when Franciscan moved into the facility, but he said it was between 1996 and 1998. Franciscan ran a clinic at the location until it transferred ownership and operation to Adult & Child on April 1. The building houses more than just a primary care clinic. The B.A.B.E. store offers customers baby essentials such as diapers and car seats in exchange for coupons that parents earn by participating in wellness classes. It opened in 2010. RELATED CONTENT: Adult & Child Health Advances Affordable Housing Through Two Major Development Projects Hawkins was born into a family of pharmacists. His grandfather opened Hawkins Pharmacy’s original location across the street from the current facility in 1941. “It was where he grew up, and he had gotten to know the area,” Hawkins said of his grandfather, also named Tug. “A lot of his customers were so attached to him. He would fill prescriptions for people who couldn’t afford it. He was that kind of guy. He just loved helping people, and he enjoyed that.” ‘We’re doing much more’ These days, Adult & Child is still helping people at the clinic. It’s the agency’s fourth primary care clinic in the Indianapolis area, joining the downtown clinic (222 E. Ohio St.,) the Greenwood area clinic (8320 Madison Ave.) and the Franklin clinic (1860 Northwood Plaza). At the ribbon-cutting event, Adult & Child CEO Allen Brown emphasized the facility is more than just a primary care clinic, thanks in part to the agency’s myriad other services it provides. “When Adult & Child opens a primary care clinic like this, we’re doing much more,” Brown said. “We’re also a gateway for other types of services. So someone might come here for primary care, but they may need mental health services. They may need addiction services. They may need housing. They may need transportation. They may need jobs. So this program is a door for multiple services.” After the ribbon-cutting, attendees enjoyed hors d’oeuvres and enjoyed a tour of the facility. Among the attendees, which included employees, community partners and other dignitaries, perhaps the most flattering statement came from Dr. Virginia Caine, Marion County Health Department director. “This is the clinic to beat, and the standard for all community health centers,” she said, shortly before the ribbon-cutting. While Tug Hawkins couldn’t be there in person to concur, Barry Hawkins said his father would offer some simple advice if he could. “Continue the tradition,” Hawkins said. “My dad would be extremely happy right now the way this worked out. I hope he’s looking down smiling. I’ll continue to pursue his wishes.”
Unsure about becoming a foster parent? Here’s 6 reasons you should.
Becoming a foster parent isn’t a decision to make on a whim. All sorts of training and licensing await parents who wish to become foster parents. They must consider how it will change their current family structure. They have to be sure it’s something they want to do. Beyond that, folks who consider foster parenting can be apprehensive for myriad other reasons. Adult & Child Health’s Therapeutic Foster Care team frequently consults with parents and prospective parents about their concerns. One of the most common worries they hear goes something like this: “I’m not sure my heart will be able to handle it whenever the foster child has to leave our home.” RELATED CONTENT: This Indy Man Grew Up in Foster Care. Now, He’s a Foster Parent. The A&C foster care team processes 400 to 450 placement requests each month, on average. The agency operates at 98 percent capacity most of the time, which means it doesn’t have enough families to handle some requests. We talked with Julie Stewart, Adult & Child Health’s director of welfare services, and members of the Therapeutic Foster Care team. They shared the most common questions they receive – and concerns they hear – from prospective foster parents. Here are six reasons you shouldn’t let your fears about foster parenting dissuade you from taking the next step and becoming a foster parent: RELATED CONTENT: Have more questions about becoming a foster parent? Click here for answers. 1. You have more control than you think. “Most people considering this are not clear on what their role would really be,” Stewart said. “Being able to have the final say about whether or not to accept a child into their home is 100% in the hands of the foster parents. The goal of everyone involved, most importantly a youth needing placement, is to ensure there is a good match.” The foster care team will listen to the criteria foster parents believe will be a good fit for their home, based on age and gender. Team members will then contact parents if they have a situation available that fits their desires. 2. You have resources here to help. “You’re not doing this alone,” one TFC team member said. “You have a team behind you.” The TFC team offers a variety of resources, from free in-house training for licensing foster parents to simply a network of support. Also, A&C offers primary care, mental and behavioral health assistance, school-based support and a bevy of other resources. “We’re a one-stop shop,” another TFC team member said. 3. Think about the child’s future. “You never know what kind of impact you’re going to have five or six years from now, but you can have an impact now,” one TFC team member said. “You’re getting something out of it, and they’re getting something out of it.” Are you interested in becoming a foster parent? Contact our Licensing and Recruiting Assistant, Kathy Rinks, at 317-893-0207, ext. 1207. 4. The rewards outweigh the sadness at the end. The feeling of losing a foster child when their allotted time is up scares parents, TFC team members said. Their response? “Understand you’re going to provide something so much bigger than how you’re going to cry when you’re going to leave. There’s never too much love. You can’t love a kid too much. Allow yourself to feel.” Foster parent Tina Davidson added, “If your heart is broken when they leave that house, you’re the type of person who should be fostering.” 5. Where you are in life right now doesn’t matter as much as you might think. Foster parents come in various ages and stages of life. We license a wide variety of foster parents because we believe this will provide the best placements for kids. We encourage and support all foster parents. If parents are at least 25 years old, can support themselves without public assistance, have reliable transportation and a valid driver’s license, sufficient bedroom space and all household members pass background checks, they’re eligible! 6. We need you. Our foster families are consistently at about 98 percent capacity, which means our current foster families probably don’t have the space to take on additional children. The more families that are available, the greater the likelihood we can place siblings together. When our foster family base is more expansive, we can more easily match a child’s needs to a family. The more families we have dispersed throughout our service areas, the more likely we can place children in or near their own communities and avoid disrupting positive familiar connections for the child, like schools, peers, and positive role models. May is National Foster Care Month. Share and retweet our social media posts promoting foster families and announcing upcoming foster care-related events on our Facebook and Twitter pages. Still don’t want to become a foster parent? Consider a donation to our Therapeutic Foster Care program.
