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• HCPS leader speaks to Hogg Foundation podcast

  Two years ago, the Hogg Foundation commissioned an evaluation of the Harris County Protective Services (HCPS) Integrated Health Care Program for Foster Children, a pilot program funded in 2012 and launched in 2014. The program led to the creation of the HCPS Integrated Health Care Clinic, which adapts the integrated health care model to foster care settings.

  Joining host Ike Evans to speak about the program’s successes and limitations is Jacquelyn McMillon, Children’s Services Administrator at the clinic. Kate Murphy, a policy associate at Texans Care for Children, follows up McMillon’s insights with a special report on the 85th legislative session’s impact on child welfare at large.

  Read more on the Hogg Foundation website.
  

• HCPS Clinic becomes first Center of Excellence in Harris County

  

  The Harris County Protective Services (HCPS) Integrated Healthcare Clinic, a unique clinic dedicated to treating the trauma of children in foster care, is now the first Foster Care Center of Excellence in Harris County.

   

  “You really are willing to go the extra mile to provide quality services to children who are in foster care,” said Robert Wells, Superior Health Services Transformation projects manager.

   

  Wells presented the Center of Excellence designation Tuesday at a special ceremony celebrating the collaboration between HCPS, UTHealth, the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) and Superior Health.

   

  “We are proud to receive this designation,” said Joel Levine, HCPS executive director. “It is a reflection of the hard work our staff has done to ensure children with visible and invisible wounds can heal in a safe, inviting atmosphere.”

   

  Superior Health gives the Center of Excellence title to clinics that meet a higher standard of care for children in DFPS custody covered through the Superior Health Medicaid plan. The HCPS Clinic is now the only clinic to receive the designation in Harris County and the second in Texas.

   

  “We’ve developed the clinic into a true comprehensive medical home for children with CPS involvement by providing competent and compassionate pediatric care for the whole child,” said Dr. Kevin Lally, UTHealth chairman of the Pediatric Department and Pediatric Surgery.

   

  UTHealth provides pediatric services to the clinic through Dr. Kim Cheung, who has worked there since 1994, and psychiatric services through Dr. Chris Frederick.

   

  The Integrated Healthcare Clinic was established in 1972 to provide specialty services to meet the needs of children who have experienced trauma and been placed in DFPS care. It has been recognized as a one-of-a-kind clinic for offering medical, dental and mental health services in one location to all foster children in Harris County.

   

  “What sets the HCPS clinic apart from others is its wide range of services through a team of providers who are specially-trained to work with traumatized children and their caregivers,” said Charlotte Donner, Clinical Services manager. “We treat the whole child and provide support to their caregivers.”

   

  The Family Support Navigator program – added in 2015 as the clinic’s newest component – provides caregivers of children in state care with a personalized service utilizing parents who have first-hand experience with the complex social services system. The navigators become one-on-one coaches to relatives caring for children in DFPS care, aiming to reduce caregiver stress by providing community resources, parenting education and emotional support.

   

  CJ Broussard-White, Texas Department of Family and Protective Services Region 6A (Harris County) director, spoke during Tuesday’s event about the many ways HCPS aids the children in DFPS care, pointing out the difficulty of the work by the clinic staff.

   

  “I know that it has not been easy, because when you think about the population that you serve, it can’t be easy,” Broussard-White said. “I know that you see a lot of things and you hear a lot of different things, but you have not given up. And because you have not given up, you have been recognized as a Center of Excellence.”

   

  If you or someone you know cares for children in DFPS care, contact the clinic at 713-295-2570.

• Foster Care Center of Excellence Awarded to HCPS Clinic

  HOUSTON -- In Harris County, there are over 4,000 children in the custody of the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services.  

  The Harris County Protective Services (HCPS) Clinic, a unique clinic dedicated to treating the trauma of children in foster care, is now the first Foster Care Center of Excellence in Harris County.

  Superior Health will announce the Center of Excellence designation Tuesday at a special ceremony celebrating the collaboration between HCPS, UTHealth, the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) and Superior Health. To qualify as a Foster Care Center of Excellence, a clinic must meet 47 criteria and the highest standards of care for foster children and their caretakers.  The HCPS Clinic is now the only clinic in Harris County to receive the designation and the second in Texas.

  “We are proud to receive this designation,” said Joel Levine, HCPS executive director. “It is a reflection of the hard work our staff has done to ensure foster children with visible and invisible wounds can heal in a safe, inviting atmosphere.”

  As the oldest and first program of HCPS, the clinic was established in 1972 to provide medical services to children who have experienced trauma and are involved with Child Protective Services. It has been recognized as a one-of-a-kind clinic that brings experts together in one location to provide medical, dental and behavioral health care exclusively to children in foster care.

  “Treating these children, who have been victims of abuse and neglect, by physicians using trauma-informed practices is very important for their whole-health healing,” said Dr. Kim K. Cheung, associate professor of pediatrics at UTHealth.

  For more information, contact Estella Olguin at 713.410.9773.

• HCPS Clinic prescribes back-to-school fun & health

  

  John C., 14, gleefully raised his hand when his raffle number was called Saturday at the first-ever HCPS Integrated Healthcare Clinic Family Fun Day & Health Fair. He won a donated $25 gift card for ALDI.

  “What I’m going to do is get some stuff I really need,” John said. “What I really need are snacks! Because when I go to school, I’m going to need it.”

  John was one of more than 120 children who attended the fair, an effort for the HCPS Integrated Healthcare Clinic to help children and the community prepare for the coming school year.

  The fair included free vaccinations, school supplies, bike helmets, food, games and giveaways, many from sponsors. ALDI donated $1,000 in gift cards, the AT&T Pioneers donated school supplies, Cigna donated backpacks and Texas Children’s Hospital donated bike helmets and bike lights.

  Wesley Windom, of Respectful Zone Emergency Shelter, said he brought John and 15 other youth to the fair as a regular weekend outing.

  “This was a lot of fun for them,” Windom said. “A great way to spend a Saturday morning.”

  More than a dozen community vendors also provided attendees with information to help their families with everything from healthy living to home buying.

  The HCPS Clinic provides medical, dental and behavioral health services in one location for children in the care of the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services.

  For more information about the clinic, contact 713.295.2570.

• HCPS works through Harvey to serve clients, community

  

  Evelyn Emdin, HCPS Kinder Emergency Shelter program manager, and the 14 youth under her watch worked together to devise a plan for additional food items on Sunday.

  They had been sheltered-in-place throughout Hurricane Harvey and remained optimistic.

  “It was so exciting and amazing to know the strength of these children,” Emdin said Tuesday.

  Emdin was one of several HCPS staff members who remained at the Youth Services Center throughout the record-breaking Houston disaster, and many more staff who remained committed to the community and their clients from the first day.

  “Judge Ed Emmett has encouraged staff to volunteer this week, while our buildings are closed. But what’s amazing about our HCPS staff is they didn’t need that encouragement,” said Joel Levine, HCPS executive director. “They were already in the community, helping the public and each other.”

  Community Youth Services (CYS) staff have volunteered at major shelters, such as those at the George R. Brown Convention Center and NRG Stadium, as well as those in their own communities. Kristen Ballard, a CYS program manager, said one of her staff members arranged the setup for a shelter.

  CYS is a crisis intervention program housed in the community, primarily within schools, to provide counseling and assistance to youth experiencing crises.

  “It’s normal that our staff would be among the first to volunteer,” Ballard said. “It’s very typical of who they are as people and the work that they do.”

  Emdin and many staff members did not pause their work throughout the storm.

  Staff with the Guardianship Program has worked with clients under the care of HCPS since Thursday to first ensure each had the necessary supplies and disaster plans, checked on each client throughout the storm and is now personally delivering items to clients.

  Guardianship serves as the court-appointed guardian to more than 1,100 elderly and disabled adults in Harris County.

  Meanwhile, Emdin, and staff ensured the needs of the youth were met throughout the event and kept youth in the shelter occupied with arts, crafts, movies and other activities throughout the weekend. An on-sight therapist, and staff from TRIAD Mental Health and Intake Diversion also assisted the shelter over the weekend and this week. 

  The Kinder Emergency Shelter is a temporary home-like facility for youth experiencing familial family crises.

  Bernadette Green, HCPS operator/receptionist, was among the overnight staff who could not leave the building Saturday night and remained in place until Tuesday.

  She helped answer calls from the community, directing them to resources and organizations who are accepting donations.

  As Green prepared to leave for home Tuesday, she reflected on her four days in the building and all the stories she had heard about staff assisting clients.

  “It says that we care,” she said. “We’re here for these kids and the community in any way we can be. I’m proud of that.”

• HCPS executive director highlights values in keynote speech

  

  HCPS employees embodied the department’s core values during Thursday’s “Employee Appreciation Ceremony and Core Values Inauguration.”

  As part of the bi-annual all-staff Executive Forum, employees received awards and demonstrated the new HCPS values. More than 300 employees participated in the event at the Power Center, divided between morning and afternoon sessions.

  Executive Director Joel Levine kicked off each session with the keynote speech, explaining how the most recent HCPS initiative – first-ever core values – affects all other parts of HCPS and its clients.

  The HCPS values, released earlier this year, are: Help, Excellence, Accountability, Respect and Teamwork (H.E.A.R.T.).

  “They form the building blocks of our agency and help us to define right and wrong, as well as help us determine the behaviors and perspectives that are valued within our culture,” Levine said.  “Culture is a living, breathing thing.”

  To showcase how important each HCPS value is to the overall mission, employees from each division then a delivered a brief presentation exhibiting each. The presentations took different forms: two as songs, one as a rally and another as a teambuilding exercise.

  Following the presentations, employees who have reached milestone years with HCPS received certificates and awards.

  "The HCPS story begins with you," Levine told employees.