October 11, 2007

County News

County awarded millions to help children affected by substance abuse

Thanks to a five-year grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Santa Clara County will significantly expand its services to drug-abusing families with young children.

Funding will be used to build on the successes of the existing Dependency Drug Treatment Court (DDTC) program, while enhancing and expanding the model to better address the needs of pregnant women and mothers with young children who are struggling to overcome methamphetamine and other substance abuse addictions.

The project’s primary goal is to increase the permanency, safety and well-being of children who are in out-of-home placement or at risk of being removed from their homes due to abuse or neglect. T he county hopes to keep more families together through the expansion of access to assessment, counseling and supportive services.

“I am excited about this groundbreaking program and the team we have built to tackle the devastating effects of substance abuse, in particular methamphetamines, on county children,” said Supervisor Blanca Alvarado, chair of the board’s Public Safety and Justice Committee. “Instead of having clients jumping from one agency to another, we will now address the problem with a coherent approach and in a timely fashion.”

A partnership of three county departments working with key stakeholders, including the Social Services Agency, the Department of Alcohol and Drug Services (DADS) and the Department of Mental Health, the Superior Court’s Dependency Court and FIRST 5 Santa Clara County, has been established to implement the project and leverage existing resources.

“The more collaboration we nurture within our system of care, the better we can serve families in crisis and protect the interests of our children,” said Supervisor Ken Yeager, chair of the board’s Children, Seniors and Families Committee.

“What I am most hopeful about this program expansion is the opportunity to keep families together and to decrease the number of drug exposed children in our county,” said Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Katherine Lucero. “It will also create a greater opportunity for reunification.”

Research indicates that the first five years in a child’s life are critical to guarantee successful outcomes in adulthood. The Child and Family Services Improve-ment Act of 2006 reauthorized the Promoting Safe & Stable Families Program (PSSF) and directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to reserve a portion of the program funds for targeted programs to improve the well being of children affected by methamphetamine abuse or other substance abuse. These targeted programs are awarded to regional partnerships to increase the wellbeing of, improve the permanency outcomes for, and enhance the safety of children who are in, or at risk of, out-home-placement due to a parent or caretaker's methamphetamine or other substance abuse.

“This grant will respond to safety concerns, by addressing the treatment needs of these families as they enter the child welfare system,” said Gina Sessions, Social Services Agency director of operations and planning. “Our goal is to provide immediate assessment and early access to treatment, as well as strengthen our existing linkage with early mental health services for children.”

Under the current legislation, the Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children, Youth and Families will award up to five grants nationally to collaborations seeking a five-year grant with a declining federal amount awarded each year, starting at $1 million a year and being reduced by the final year to $500,000. This grant has an 85:15 federal to local match ratio for the first two years, an 80:20 federal to local match ratio for years three and four, and a 75:25 federal to local match ratio for the final year. First 5 Santa Clara County will be contributing in-kind services to the match.

Prevention conference to take action on obesity
On Oct. 5, Healthy Silicon Valley, led and supported by the Santa Clara County Public Health Department, Kaiser Permanente, The Health Trust and other community partners, held an obesity conference that brought together government and health officials, foundations, business leaders, educators, nonprofits and activists to renew commitments to addressing the obesity epidemic locally.

Currently, more than 52 percent of adults living in Santa Clara County are obese or overweight, according to the 2004 Behavioral Risk Factor Study. And 27 percent of the county's students are overweight.

Since the Community Action Plan for Santa Clara County was unveiled last year, the HSV Collaborative has been developing projects that will springboard change involving institutions, government, education, business, healthcare and more. At the Healthy Communities Taking Action (HCTA) Conference, the projects were presented and the community engaged in the movement. For the past year, the HSV Collaborative has met in planning committees to develop these strategies to increase health and wellness in the county. Approximately 200 people participated in the action-oriented conference with breakout sessions.

Those speaking included District 5 Councilmember Nora Campos, District 13 State Sen. Elaine Alquist, Santa Clara County Health Officer Dr. Martin Fenstersheib, Amanda Purcell from the California Center for Public Health Advocacy and Assemblymember Joe Coto of District 23.

Also attending were retiring County Superintendent of the Office of Education Colleen Wilcox, Sibella Kraus from Sustainable Agriculture Education and Amor Santiago of Healthy Silicon Valley.

The daylong program at San Jose City Hall included the more than 200 attendees participating in a physical activity demonstration as well as booths and displays from the various participating organizations.

The HCTA Conference was organized through a joint effort of UC Cooperative Extension, Santa Clara County Public Health Department, The Health Trust, Kaiser Permanente and Healthy Silicon Valley.