TACOMA, Wash., May 12, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Community Health
Care's Foster Adoption Clinic has been designated as a Foster
Care Center of Excellence by Coordinated Care, the managed
care provider for the Apple Health Foster
Care program. The clinic received this accreditation due to
its exemplary processes and medical services that provide
specialized care for children in the child welfare system.
Centers of Excellence are recognized as multidisciplinary
medical centers where youth in the child welfare system receive
coordinated healthcare services. To qualify as a Center of
Excellence, a healthcare provider must meet more than 50 criteria
proving its ability to provide a higher standard of care and access
to resources for children who suffer from trauma. The clinic
staff also conducts annual staff training in trauma-informed
care.
"The nature of foster care and adoption is that broken
relationships got you to this place, so we focus on resiliency and
building relationships to help give patients a healthy future,"
said Desiree White, ARNP and
director of the Foster Adoption Clinic. "There is this common
thread of trauma that ties the foster and adoption families
together, and by acknowledging that thread we can care for whole
family in a unique way."
As a Center of Excellence, Community Health Care's Foster
Adoption Clinic will be an entry point for healthcare for the
entire family touched by foster care, kinship care and adoption,
providing:
- Sensory friendly, trauma-minimizing exam room
- Initial health exams within 72 hours
- Well child checks within 30 days of entering care
- Behavioral health services
- Dental Services
- Referrals to specialists
- Prescriptions, Lab tests and x-rays
By collaborating with more than 30 community partners and
state-level child welfare agencies in Pierce, King
and surrounding counties, the clinic has been able to reach
traditionally underserved populations that have touchpoints in the
child welfare system, such as homeless youth and those in group
homes, unaccompanied minors, pregnant teens in foster care, and
foster alumni who have "aged out" of the system.
"The community is really rallying around these caregivers and
forming a safety net," said Nathan
LaChine, Founder of Evergreen Caregiver Support. "This
clinic is becoming a community cornerstone in that way, and the
partnerships being formed reflect a holistic approach to care for
the kids and families. Seeing the synergy that is starting to
develop in the community around this clinic is amazing."
Centers of Excellence can also refer youth to Coordinated Care
for additional support. In 2016, the Washington State Health Care Authority named
Coordinated Care as the sole health plan responsible for managing
the healthcare of the state's approximately 24,000 youth involved
in the child welfare system including foster care, adoption support
and alumni of foster care.
"Coordinated Care is pleased to recognize Community Health
Care's Foster Adoption Clinic as a Center of Excellence," said
Beth Johnson, President and CEO of
Coordinated Care. "They are setting the bar high for what a trauma
informed approach looks like in healthcare. We are excited to see
how their innovative approaches like utilizing a family room help
youth and families involved with child welfare thrive."
About Community Health Care
Community Health Care is a Federally Qualified Healthcare Center
serving patients across Pierce
County. No one is ever turned away for inability to pay. For
more information about Community Health Care visit our website at
www.commhealth.org. To make an appointment, call (253)
722-2161.
Press Contact:
Cathy Hall
12537221508
https://www.commhealth.org
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SOURCE Community Health Care
