A&C Joins City of Indianapolis, Anthem, and Partners in Housing to Aid Persons Experiencing Homelessness
Adult & Child Health was recently announced as a partner in the Housing and Medicaid Services Pilot Program, led by the City of Indianapolis, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Partners in Housing. Mayor Joe Hogsett held a press conference at the Blue Triangle Residence Hall to unveil the project. Also being referred to as the ‘Blue Triangle Pilot’, the initiative will support Anthem members experiencing homelessness by improving overall health and quality of life, fostering social connections and supporting housing independence. Mayor Hogsett announced this first-of-its-kind pilot after declaring his commitment to reducing Hoosier homelessness earlier this year. “Without our collective dedication to our city’s most vulnerable neighbors, today’s announcement would not be possible,” said Mayor Hogsett at the press conference. “The pilot program is designed to connect participants with sustainable, secure housing that will support autonomy, provide connection to wrap around services, and improve residents’ health and quality of life.” The program will only be available to Anthem Medicaid members and will target individuals experiencing homelessness who may have significant mental health and/or substance use issues, multiple physical health issues, and need access to acute, care crisis services. Anthem, in addition to providing customary Medicaid benefits, will fund and support intensive health care and social services navigation services and intensive tenancy and housing support programs. The City of Indianapolis will provide funding for beds and facility costs. “We have effective programs to help persons experiencing homelessness, but more work is needed to align efforts across agencies,” said Allen Brown, CEO of Adult & Child Health. “The Blue Triangle Project combines transitional housing, job training, and healthcare services, including mental health and addictions services, so that Anthem members can break through and overcome the devastating cycle of homelessness.” The pilot program, designed as a short term initiative, began serving and placing participants on May 1st, and will operate for one year. The Blue Triangle Residence Hall, located at 725 N Pennsylvania St, can house up to 50 pilot participants at once. Two Adult & Child staff members are embedded in the Residence Hall, providing outreach as well as health care and social services navigation.
Northwood Community Health Center – Open House
#thisiswhy The heart of our mission is our unwavering dedication to hope, wellness, & recovery. We believe in empowering people to reach their full potential; overcoming obstacles & forging new paths of self-reliance. Adult & Child Health recently celebrated the opening of our Community Health Center in Franklin. The event gathered A&C staff, board members, and essential stakeholders at the 15,000 square foot clinic. A cross-section of speakers from the medical, mental health, and education communities assembled to share their perspectives on the impact of the work being done at the center. Their words were innovative, empowering, and encouraging of a healthier Johnson County. While touring the grounds and meeting with direct care and leadership staff members, attendees could quite literally see Adult & Child Health’s commitment to providing affordable, high quality health services to the most vulnerable of populations. The center was quickly identified by attendees as a stigma-free environment with devoted employees who provide individualized, compassionate care. Adult & Child Health views the Franklin expansion as a vital step in carrying out our mission. It furthers our ability to remove barriers and provide convenient access to total healthcare services. We understand that true wellness is the sum of a healthy body & a healthy mind. Thank you to all who attended in person and in spirit, those who have worked tirelessly to bring this whole health for all concept to fruition, and those who continue to champion the mission of Adult & Child Health.
New Program Provides Educational Advocacy for Foster Care Youth at A&C
ADULT & CHILD HEALTH ANNOUNCES NEW GRANT FUNDING Indianapolis, IN – Adult & Child Health has received a grant totaling $120,000 from the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust to improve educational outcomes for students in foster care. This grant affords provision of The Educational Success for Foster Children Program, which provides mentoring, educational advocacy, and academic support for foster care youth at risk of falling behind in grade level or dropping out. The award comes at a pivotal time for Adult & Child Health, a Licensed Child Placement Agency, Community Mental Health Center, and Primary Care Provider, as the number of children in foster care rapidly continues to climb; a direct correlation with Indiana’s opioid and parental substance use epidemic. Educational outcomes for youth in foster care are tragically poor. Recent data reflect many barriers these children face in the pursuit of an education. Foster care youth have significantly higher rates of absenteeism and disciplinary referrals than their peers. They are twice as likely to repeat a school year; over 80% percent are held back as early as third grade, the year they begin state standardized testing. “We are all impacted when we hear stories of the trauma, abuse and neglect that the youth in foster care have experienced in their young lives. Our efforts to keep them safe and protected are important, but our ability to improve their long term outcomes rests in our successes in securing their education,” said Stephanie Yoder, Chief Operating Officer. “Adult & Child is seeking to change the outcomes for youth in our care. Our education advocacy services, led by Tracie Mansfield, support out-of-home youth by breaking down barriers to success in education.” Mansfield, a licensed teacher and agency’s Educational Advocate, identifies unmet education needs and provides workable strategies to allow foster youth in Adult & Child’s care attain their educational goals. Through training and support, she and her team equip foster parents to advocate on behalf of the children in their care. They coordinate tutoring and assistance to ensure educational credit recovery, remediation, and ongoing access to academic programs outside of the school day. The educationally vulnerable youth in foster care are better positioned for long term self-sustainability and success with the support and resources provided by this award and unique program design. The grant to Adult & Child Health represents one of 28 awarded to nonprofit organizations in Indiana by the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust in 2016. “During her career, Nina Mason Pulliam shared her financial success and business leadership skills with many charities. She had a keen awareness of challenges that face our community and would take great pride in the outstanding work being done by organizations like Adult & Child Health,” said Carol Schilling, Trustee chair. “Through her Trust, we continue to build on her legacy, which clearly reflects her heart for philanthropy.” For more information about Adult and Child Health, please contact Britney Veach, Director of Mission Advancement, at 317-982-0047 or [email protected] or visit www.adultandchild.org.
A&C Announces Health Services Team and Expansion
Adult and Child Health Announces Medical Team to Lead Primary Care and Addictions Services Expansion Indianapolis-area Adult and Child has announced several staff additions for 2017. Known as a provider of mental health and child welfare services, Adult and Child has expanded to include primary care and addictions treatment within its array of community programs. These new service lines address gaps in the Adult and Child service continuum and support the organizational goals of moving from specialty care to comprehensive, whole-health medical services. In late 2016, Adult and Child opened two primary care clinics at 222 E. Ohio Street in downtown Indianapolis and at 1860 Northwood Plaza in Franklin. Being new to family practice and addictions services, Adult and Child has seared out staff with the requite skills and experience needed to implement medical clinic startups. “As an organization we’re experience at behavioral health service delivery but family practice and addictions services is new space for Adult and Child,” said Dan Arens, Chief Strategy Office and Director of Community Health. “We’re fortunate to have brought a strong team together to hit the floor running.” More than opening free-standing clinics, Mr. Arens and Dr. Arthur Flores, Chief Medical Officer are working to embed the new primary care and addictions services within Adult and Child’s existing psychiatry and mental health counseling programs. As CMO, Dr. Flores brings exceptional qualifications not only as a primary care provider, but he has also served in senior national medical leadership roles with Anthem and WebMD. Upon joining Adult and Child, Dr. Flores expressed, “I’m proud of the expanded services and how well they complement and strengthen Adult and Child’s existing programs. The patients we serve now have physicians, nurses, case managers, and counselors collaboratively managing medical and behavioral health needs in one medical home.” In addition to Dr. Flores, Adult and Child has announced Dr. Steve Smith as Associate Director of Primary Care. With an extensive background in both research and family practice settings, Dr. Smith specializes in serving disadvantaged populations, chronic disease management, and patient-focused practice models. Dr. Smith is responsible for leading clinical practice, monitoring clinical quality, and providing direct care. Daily operations of the Indianapolis and Franklin clinics are overseen by Shannon Potter, Director of Practice Management. Shannon joins Adult and Child with experience managing multi-physician offices in large healthcare networks. Adult and Child’s practice model includes the use of Family Nurse Practitioners to provide director patient care. Mercy Moto, APRN, is stationed in the Indianapolis clinic and Darlene Newell, APRN, practices in the Franklin clinic. Both nurses come to Adult and Child with experience having served diverse patients in a variety of healthcare settings. For the first time in Adult and Child’s history, medical services will be available to those struggling with addiction, including opioid use. Services and program development are led by Dr. Jennifer Beckwith, Associate Director of Addictions Medicine. Joining Adult and Child in November 2016, Dr. Beckwith oversees the provision of Medication-Assisted Treatment which combines the use of medication with counseling and behavioral therapies to treat substance use disorders. Dr. Beckwith’s medical experience in child psychiatry, addictionology, and the mind-body connection are supporting the integration of whole-health services in ways that weren’t possible before her arrival at Adult and Child. Accredited by the Joint Commission, Adult & Child Health is dedicated to increasing access to high quality healthcare and social services, regardless of ability to pay. We accept most major insurance plans, including Medicaid and HIP 2.0. For more information about Adult and Child, please contact Britney Veach, Director of Mission Advancement, at 317-982-0047 or [email protected]
