Childrens Village at times has been my life line and my source of strength while going through challenging times with my son Kaleb. The staff, therapists, and child care director(Margarita) are absolutely WONDERFUL. Children’s Village is a place where you can go and feel comfortable even when your child is having their worst moment ever
I have had MANY great experiences that have helped shape me and my son and that have made a tremendous impact on both of us. Without the Village…I have no idea where we would be. Kaleb has progressed so far in the two years time that he has visited and recieved service through Childrens Village. Its been a foundation for us to begin the process of healing and hope.
One of the greatest Experiences I have had at the Village is the opportunity and blessing to have Kaleb attend the Collaborative Classroom. Celah Wales, Kim Crieder, Season Almason, and Amanda Potter…along with several Central students, have made a huge impact on children with developmental delays and autism. They will never know the impact they have had on our children. I could go on and on, but to sum it up, Childrens Village is a place I would recommend to anyone. Its been my saving grace through tough times…Thank you for making this possible and for caring so much for our children….Heidi Wallberg
Children’s Village & the Yakima Community was recognized this past week by Champions For Inclusive Communities (ChampionsInC). ChampionsInCis a national center designed to support communities in organizing services for families of children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN). Yakima & Children’s Village were identified as exemplar models of community based service systems.
Community members across Yakima County, Washington are passionate, to say the least, about providing services to children with special needs in their community. This is best demonstrated by their integrated, family-centered services.
Located in central Washington, Yakima County’s children are more likely than the average child to live in poverty, have a mother without a high school diploma, and speak a language other than English. The area is large geographically, and much of it is agricultural, serving migrant families. The Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation are also located in the area. These particular demographics have only increased the need for coordinated, culturally competent services for children with special health care needs. Yakima’s Children’s Village is the “door” families use to access these services.
The Children’s Village is a family-centered organization that strives to meet the needs of every individual family. Not only does the Village provide family support, it also provides clinical and educational services for both parents and children and serves as a resource to the entire community. It does all this with the assistance of a variety of partners throughout the community. Best of all, the Children’s Village has sustained their efforts for a very successful 11 years and, even now, is growing, changing, and expanding.
Family-Led and Family-Driven
It all started with families. The Children’s Village began over a decade ago when families of children with special health care needs decided they wanted a better system of care. This trend of family input is still in effect today. Beyond the Children’s Village is the family-driven Yakima County Interagency Coordinating Council. The council is led by family leaders, with family representatives planning the agendas. In addition to families, there is broad representation from service providers across the county. As Jackie McPhee, a program director from the Children’s Village says, the council is “family-led and family-driven.”
Gloria, a member of the Parent to Parent Advisory Board and the Yakima County Interagency Coordinating Council, and a parent of a child with special health care needs herself, says, “The Children’s Village is a shoulder to lean on.” Children’s Village and the surrounding community provides a learning environment that allows parents to educate themselves about issues involving their child and become aware of other supporting agencies in our community. Not only that, they are also key in providing emotional support to families who may feel isolated and overwhelmed. Gloria says, “When I look to those parents whose child has now become an adult, I can look toward the future and what I can expect [for my own child].”
Communicating with Medical Homes
Assuring every child seen at Children’s Village has a medical home was a focus of the Yakima community in planning Children’s Village and was endorsed by the Medical Advisory Committee. Community providers communicate regularly with the child’s medical home regarding the outcome of referrals as well as treatment plans. There is a successful focus on co-management between specialists and the child’s primary care provider.
Recently, the Village conducted a survey of primary care physicians to gather opinions and suggestions regarding communication with the medical home. The physicians’ response was tremendous, and their suggestions were taken very seriously. This is just one of the many ways the community works to ensure that primary care providers are working with all the other facets of care through every step of a family’s journey.
Family Leaders Promote Cultural Competence
A Children’s Village’s priority is to increase cultural and linguistic competency and outreach to non-English speaking families. A key program in this effort is the Yakima County Parent to Parent program.
Maria, one of the Parent to Parent staff members, serves as the Hispanic outreach coordinator. In this role, she provides emotional support to a large number of Hispanic families, coordinates support groups, and acts as a cultural broker between families and providers. For example, Maria provided support to a Spanish-speaking mother of a young girl with seizures. The mother was concerned with the changes she was seeing in her daughter after a change in medication, but was unsure about her ability to communicate with the primary care doctor and specialist. Maria coached this mother through the process of connecting with the physicians and gave her the confidence she needed in order to trust herself and her expertise about her own daughter, despite the language and cultural barriers.
A Vision for Developmental Screening
Another important partner in the Yakima community is the Enterprise for Progress in the Community (EPIC). EPIC’s Early Childhood Development Division provides early childhood education programs such as Head Start and Early Head Start. Children who qualify for these programs are screened for developmental delays and, if necessary, a smooth referral process is in place for full developmental evaluations at Children’s Village. The relationships between staff and a mutual commitment to coordinate services for families have been enriched by the partnership and program co-location at Children’s Village.
Transition: Providing a Link to the Future
Transition to adult life is something the community is becoming more aware of as time passes. Parents of younger children with special health care needs in the community are looking to those youth who have successfully transitioned to adult life for guidance. Meeting other youth who have graduated from high school and have moved on to find work in the community is a “light at the end of the tunnel” for parents like Gloria. And meeting those youth and their parents is easy to do through family events sponsored by Parent to Parent.
A number of programs throughout the community are working together to provide a resource for youth with disabilities to successfully transition to adult life. At the high school level, employment training opportunities are being implemented through community-supported employment providers such as the Provident Horizon Group. These opportunities occur in partnership with local school districts.
In addition, Project Search provides high school students with disabilities the opportunity to participate in workforce training in a hospital or business setting. A partnership between Memorial Hospital and Provident Horizon Group allows Project Search to provide a one-year educational program for students with disabilities in their last year of high school. This program is very successful at helping the youth identify the strengths and abilities they can bring to the workforce.
Children’s Village has also compiled a transition manual for families that better prepares them for situations they may face as their child transitions to adulthood.
Creating a Vision
Yakima is known for being a strong community committed to its youth. Supported by Children’s Village and its partnerships, children with special health care needs in Yakima have been thriving for over a decade. When asked what guidance they have for other communities that are hoping to have the same success in sustainability, Diane Patterson, director of the Children’s Village says, “The key is creating a vision that inspires your community to commit their time, resources, and energy. Once a community experiences success in supporting children with special needs, the effect is exponentially positive.” It goes without saying that a significant amount of passion and dedication must also back that vision. And that is exactly what this community has: Passion. Dedication. And a vision.
The scaffolding is multiplying as Moen Construction and the incredible cadre of subcontractors continue to expand Children’s Village. The pictures don’t begin to capture the heights that the constructions workers are now working at. Gazing up, you can imagine the fear that must be felt working at those heights… the criss-cross of scaffolding provides structure, support and stability for the workers.
Parents of children with special needs tell us that when their awareness of their child’s needs occurs, either at birth, diagnosis of a medical condition or when their gut tells them that something is not right with their child, it feels as if the ground has been pulled out from under them. They are unable to breath at times.
Parents tell us that Children’s Village gives them the “grounding” or “scaffolding” to get through the most challenging times. When you are a parent of a child with special needs, those times continue throughout your child’s life, at each change or transition there are new difficulties. Additional “scaffolding” is needed. That scaffolding includes more trained professionals, funding for services and the physical space to provide that service.
Our community is working to provide the scaffolding for children and families through the expansion of Children’s Village. Thank you for being a part!
The Florence Wight Guild from Memorial Hospital just brought us a check for $13,000 for the expansion campaign. They worked very hard staging their annual Field Day event to raise this. Thank you SO MUCH!
The Washington Dental Service Foundation has granted $166,000 to expand the children’s dental clinic at Children’s Village. We have recently solicited our dental community for matching funds, and are eagerly waiting for our local dentists to make their gifts in next week’s mail.
This brings our campaign gifts and pledges to (drum roll, please…. $4,395,339).
If you send us your pledge today, perhaps we’ll reach $4.5 million by July 1.
Advanced Life Systems Employee Contest Proceeds Benefit Children’s Village
What started as a simple employee competition turned into something much more. Advanced Life Systems of Yakima medics and staff come together for better health and a bigger cause – helping special health care needs children in the Yakima Valley. Their “Biggest Loser” contest consisted of 17 employees and raised $1,381 for Children’s Village Capital Campaign.
On Friday, June 5th at 9:00 a.m., Advanced Life Systems’ contest winner Brian Wakeman, and Woody Woodcock of Advanced Life Systems, will be presented a check to Children’s Village.
Advanced Life Systems’ “Biggest Loser” contest spanned a three month period, from Feb 15th to May 15th. The company matched the $20.00 employee buy-in of each employee and also donated $10.00 for each pound lost by each contestant – for total of $1,381 to be donated to Children’s Village.
Brian Wakeman, the contest winner, lost a total of 7.82% of body weight. “In our line of work, we assist children almost daily and wanted to do something that helped those with special needs,” says Brian.
“Advanced Life Systems is committed to our involvement in the community and Children’s Village is intricate part of our community,” says Woody Woodcock of Advanced Life Systems. “We wanted to help Children’s Village in the good work that they do – providing priceless services to children in our valley.”
Memorial Hospital and Children’s Village recognized by non-profit group
From the left, Patty Hayes, Director of WithinReach, Mary Jo Managerelii, representing Yakima Neighborhood Health Services, Gail Weaver from Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital and Diane Patterson from Children’s Village.
Washington’s WithinReach program will honor Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital, Children’s Village (Trustee Partners: Central Washington Comprehensive Mental Health, Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinics, Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital, EPIC and The Memorial Foundation), and Yakima Neighborhood Health Services, as recipients of the 2009 WithinReach Partnership Award. The award will be presented at a May 19th award luncheon at the Seattle Sheraton. WithinReach, formerly known as Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies, offers the award to community partners that demonstrate a continuous commitment to improving the health of all families in Washington, through strong community partnerships.
“It has been wonderful working with these great Yakima partners to improve the health of families in the greater Yakima area,” said Patty Hayes Executive Director of WithinReach, “The leadership and spirit of community that each organization brings to the table is a model for the state”
WithinReach is a private nonprofit organization whose mission is to ensure optimal health for all families in Washington by connecting them to the programs, resources, and information they need to build healthy families. The organization collects information regarding available resources and disseminates the information via their website, ParentHelp123.org, and state-wide telephone hotlines, as well as through other valuable programs.
“We are honored that the WithinReach Organization has selected Children’s Village for this award,” says Diane Patterson, Director of Children’s Village. “At Children’s Village, we believe it is our role in the community to act as a conduit, connecting people with the resources they need to keep their families healthy. WithinReach helps provide us the tools to make those connections.”
Both Children’s Village and Memorial Hospital partnered with WithinReach to host focus groups with Yakima area parents and social service providers to aid in the development of new features on ParentHelp123.org, including the professional version, which is scheduled for release later this year. Currently, the site offers patients information regarding free or low-cost health insurance, food resources, immunization information, breastfeeding support, family planning services, parenting support, child development screening services, and many other social and health programs. The new professional version will implement resources aimed at better supporting area hospitals and clinics.
“WithinReach is a valuable resource to our community,” says Gail Weaver, Memorial’s Vice President of Continuum of Care. “We look forward to working with the organization to develop new ideas and continue improving this resource, not only for our community, but for both patients and professionals across the state.”
The award luncheon will take place at the Seattle Sheraton, 1400 6th Ave in Seattle on Tuesday, May 19, 2009 from 12-1:30 p.m.
My husband and I answered the “Call to Greatness” and pledged to the Village building campaign. We aren’t rich by any means, but we ARE grateful…to have the Village here in Yakima, working with our future leaders; and we’re grateful for our healthy children, and grateful for the support given to those who need special help. Join us, and make your pledge today! We are taking 5 years to pay our pledge; you can too. Call today!
Campaign to double capacity to serve more children.
Our urgently needed expansion of Children's Village facilities will enable the medical team and staff at the Village to continue to provide care to the ever-growing needs of families who have children with special health care needs.
July 31, 2009 
Posted in Notes From The Village 
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Advanced Life Systems Employee Contest Proceeds Benefit Children’s Village
