News Archive: September 2008

September 25, 2008: Foster Care Mental Health Initiative
JBFCS held a special event to recognize the power and possibilities of community partnerships.

L-R: New York City Comptroller William Thompson, Jr. and New York City Councilman Bill de Blasio present Paul Levine, JBFCS Executive Vice President and CEO with a proclamation recognizing his leadership role in helping create a model of care for bringing mental health services to foster care children.	L-R: Alice Wheatley Street, LCSW, Clinical Coordinator, JBFCS Harry Blumenfeld Counseling Service Satellite Mental Health Program/Good Shepherd Services and Jackie McKeon, Director of Health Services at Good Shepherd are honored for their dedicated service to foster care children.

The Foster Care Mental Health pilot project was initiated in 2005 to explore the viability of bringing mental health support to family foster care agencies. As a result of placing mental health services on-site to where children and their foster families are being served, the rate of transfers of children within foster care has been dramatically lowered. This venture demonstrates the potential for better serving vulnerable children and families through meaningful community partnerships.

Adolfo Carrion, Bronx Borough President, pays tribute to Melissa Russo, Anchor and Government Relations Reporter, WNBC-TV/News4 New York, for her passionate commitment to reporting stories that highlight services that benefit New York City children.	L-R: Special guests from the New York State Office of Mental Health were Commissioner Michael Hogan, Deputy Commissioner David Woodlock and Anita Appel, Director, New York City Field Office with JBFCS staff, Paul Levine and Carmen Collado and JBFCS Board members David Sweet and John Herrmann.

The recognition event acknowledged the individuals, organizations and agencies that helped launch this initiative, and whose support and leadership have led to the expansion of this model into five collaborations between mental health and child welfare agencies. Special presentations were made by Adolfo Carrion, Bronx Borough President; Bill de Blasio, New York City Councilman; and Peter Rivera, Assemblyman (D-Bronx), Chair, Mental Health Committee.

September 21, 2008: Mishkon Honors Long-Term Staff
A special event to recognize many years of dedicated service.

On September 21, Mishkon, which offers services for individuals in the Orthodox Jewish community who are developmentally challenged, held a staff appreciation event. Thirty employees have each provided more than 20 years of care to Mishkon clients, and 100 staff members have provided ten years of dedicated service. Shown here are several Mishkon staff members who were honored at the event.