Agenda - 02-17-2015 - 6a - Laserfiche WebLink

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6 1 opportunities for kids. He asked the County to fully fund the schools by whatever means 2 necessary. 3 Linda Foxworth read from the following written comments: 4 My name is Linda Foxworth. I am the Director of the KidSCope Program. I want to start by 5 thanking the Commissioners for supporting KidSCope since its beginning. KidSCope is a 6 program that provides early intervention and family support to children and families where 7 concerns about child development, both physical and mental health are present. As you know, 8 KidSCope was originally funded for one year, received an increase, and was then reduced to 9 $75,000. We have not requested an increase since 2009. 10 11 I am speaking to you tonight to ask that KidSCope receive the full amount of funding requested 12 for 2014-15. The increase requested is $23,562. With this increase, KidSCope will be able to 13 achieve the best outcomes for children and families by offering the evidence-based mental 14 health therapies that have been implemented since 2007. Most of our clients are Medicaid 15 funded, and currently Medicaid rates have changed, dropping too low and allowing too little time 16 to complete the therapy session in the manner recommended. Additional funding will allow 17 longer sessions and travel time to and from homes. Some of the advantages to implementing 18 these types of therapies are: 19 20 - They are good foster care prevention strategies 21 - They have both immediate and longer benefits to children and their families, including 22 enhanced child cognitive and social emotional development, academic success, and 23 strengthened child-parent interactions 24 - They reduce barriers that office visits create such as transportation, fuel costs, and no shows. 25 26 KidSCope is the only program in Orange County singularly focused on children birth to five, their 27 families, and caregivers. We all want families to succeed and children to have happy, healthy 28 childhood experiences that lead to a lifetime of productivity and responsible citizenship. Over 29 the years, KidSCope has been able to help families tackle problems that interfere with children's 30 healthy development. This past year, 210 Orange County children and family members were 31 served just through our Outreach therapy program. Over 1000 Orange County citizens were 32 served in other projects under KidSCope. With your partnership over the years we have been 33 able to find the resources to use innovative ideas to promote child mental health and head off 34 problems sooner rather than later. But times change and increased needs become reality. The 35 increased funding that we are asking for will be a proactive approach to insuring Orange 36 County's young children a successful life and affecting our community's well being. Thank you 37 for your time. 38 39 Kathy Eden read from the following written comments: 40 Hello, my name is Kathy Eden. Thank you for supporting KidSCope and our work providing 41 therapy with very young children. Doing therapy with the very young is a specialized type of 42 work that is very focused on the family and is best delivered in the home. When therapy takes 43 place in the home, the barriers can be understood and the rest of the family can be drawn in to 44 supporting the child. 45 46 Many of the families I work with are referred through involvement with CPS child protective 47 services and have difficult lives. Many of the families I work with are grandparents raising their 48 grandchildren or children in foster care, and the issue of how to raise children who have been 49 exposed to toxic stress is our focus, and seeing those children in their homes is more helpful for 50 seeing what their triggers might be and helping them feel secure. It simply helps to see the 51 child within their context. 52