Tag: nonprofit

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health

Alumna of Note: Elena Rohm

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Elena Rohm

Published in the Fall 2017 issue of Westwind Magazine in November 2017

When Elena Rohm enrolled at Walla Walla University in 2010, she already had a career plan in mind. “I never went to nursing school to work in a hospital setting,” Rohm said. “My goal in going to school was always to meet the needs of the underserved population, particularly overseas.” But helping displaced Iraqis in areas devastated by ISIS? That’s something she couldn’t anticipate. 

Rohm’s mission work has already brought her to nine foreign countries across five continents. The Oregon native’s latest trip took her to northern Iraq, where ADRA and Adventist Help are building an emergency medical care hospital to serve the 100,000-plus internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the region. 

She lived in Erbil, Iraq, for two and a half weeks last June and July, traveling an hour to the Hasansham U2 Camp each day to help construct the hospital and treat patients from each of the five local IDP camps. “These were people fleeing from Sinjar or Mosul or a lot of the ISIS-held territories,” Rohm said. 

Her daily commute to the hospital site showed evidence of a war-torn region. “We would have to go around a bridge every single day because ISIS had blown up that bridge six months before we were there,” she recalled. Despite the damage, Rohm felt safe alongside her team of over a dozen volunteers. 

It wasn’t until she spent a few days at a trauma stabilization point in Mosul that safety became a concern. “You could hear gunfire and bombs going off and see the smoke in the distance,” Rohm said. Only about 2 kilometers from the action, the trauma stabilization point workers acted as a first response for several injured soldiers and citizens who wouldn’t have made it to one of the distant hospitals in time. 

Rohm knew what kind of injuries to expect when she signed up to help in Iraq—anybody who watches the news knows it’s an ugly situation—but she had no idea how much of an impact the experience would have on her. “When we think of people from Third World countries, we think they’re so different. But the people are the same as us,” she said. “They have goals and desires just like we do.” 

After meeting people whose lives were abruptly interrupted by war, she learned that only months earlier, their lives weren’t far from her own. “The only difference between me and these people is that I was lucky enough to be born into a place where I don’t have to worry about this,” Rohm said. “It really stood out to me more than any other trip.” 

Rohm returned to her current Oklahoma home in July, where she faced a tough decision: What comes next? Rohm toyed with the idea of revisiting school to become a nurse practitioner, but she’s in a prime position to travel and there’s no age limit on a degree. “School will always be there,” she said. “I don’t know that these opportunities will always be presented the same way that I could fulfill them right now.” 

Few people exchange luxury for discomfort—and fewer people do it willingly—but when Rohm marched across Centennial Green in 2013 and took her diploma, she knew her dream was far from conventional. Nobody can predict what part of the world will need help next, but one thing’s for sure: When an opportunity to help comes knocking, Rohm will open the door with a suitcase by her side and a passport in hand.

Categories
nonprofit

United for momentum

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Published in the Sacramento News & Review and on newsreview.com in August 2018.

For many, ZIP codes are little more than a jumble of numbers. But for some Sacramento County children, they can be the difference between life and death.

In several areas of the region, African-American infants and children experience mortality rates that are twice that of their peers. A team of community advocates continues trying to change that grim dynamic. After securing nearly $2 million to expand their Black Mothers United program, it just might.

Her Health First, formerly the Center for Community Health & Well Being, is one of more than 20 nonprofits working out of former classrooms at the Fruit Ridge Community Collaborative. In a neighborhood fraught with violence, malnutrition and housing insecurity, Her Health First follows its name as a guide, subscribing to the mantra that “strong and healthy communities begin with strong and healthy women.” Executive director Shannon Read explains the organization’s goal as one that seeks to build health equity—not equality—for women throughout the community.

“We have to start with the population that’s experiencing the disproportionality,” Read said. “We have to help women of color first.”

In 2013, Her Health First pilot-launched the Black Mothers United program, designed to address the region’s disproportionate infant mortality rates in a holistic manner. Black Mothers United partners expectant African-American women with pregnancy coaches who help them get proper pre- and perinatal care.

The First 5 Sacramento Commission has been a vital funding source for Black Mothers United since the beginning. Following an 18-month trial period that saw zero infant deaths, First 5 Sacramento awarded Her Health First a three-year, $1.27 million contract to fully establish the program. In the nonprofit arena, Read explained, funding often disappears the moment an issue shows signs of improvement.

“We’re starting to see the needle move,” she said.

But First 5 Sacramento—whose goal is to support healthy infant development—seems to recognize that the job isn’t over. On July 1, the commission renewed its contract with Her Health First for another three years, this time upping the ante to $1.9 million.

“The power of programs like Black Mothers United is that they meet mothers where they are at, within each of their own unique circumstances, to provide individualized care,” said Julie Gallelo, executive director of First 5 Sacramento.

That tactic makes the program feasible for a range of women. If clients don’t have a house, pregnancy coaches visit them wherever they sleep. If clients don’t have a car, coaches can transport them to meetings and appointments.

The newest contract from First 5 Sacramento means HHF has the resources to form new partnerships and provide more services to Black Mothers United. The expansion includes offering free childbirth education courses, as well as partnering with organizations to connect mothers with additional training and medical care. HHF has also increased its role in the Black Child Legacy Campaign.

Advocates like Read stress that every woman has potential to birth a healthy child and change her community from within—they just need the right tools. With new momentum, Black Mothers United anticipates serving 630 new women across seven neighborhoods between 2018 and 2021.

Categories
policy

What Is a Resource Family?

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Published on the Lilliput Families blog on August 8, 2018

Following the approval of a state Assembly bill in 2015, California’s child welfare system began to embrace a host of new policies and terms in the foster care arena. Among the many changes brought about by AB 403, the Resource Family Approval program has stood out as a point of confusion for many. While talk of resource families and RFA requirements sounds daunting at first, the concept behind the new legislation is not so complex.

Foster parents and foster families still exist in California, but they go by a new name: “resource families.”

Put simply, a resource family is any individual, couple or family that has been approved to take children into their care. Whether someone is looking to adopt, foster or temporarily open their home to a child, they will first need to become a resource family by way of the RFA process.

In order to receive a resource family designation, each applicant must pass a home inspection, background check, and family evaluation. Resource families also receive mandatory training that prepares them to create safe and nurturing home environments.

Prior to AB 403, different types of caregivers received different levels of training and support. The RFA program provides a statewide standard of approval for all caregivers—short-term or long-term, relatives or non-relatives—to ensure that each is equally equipped to meet the needs of a child who has been displaced. Under the new system, people fostering children can become adoptive parents without undergoing an additional home study.

The push for a uniform approval process comes on the heels of a statewide effort to establish stability in the lives of foster youth. Lawmakers agreed that children deserve to grow up in a family setting, and the new legislation calls for less reliance on group home care and more effort toward placing youth with resource families. This will not only put foster youth on a more promising path to permanency, but get them adequate support to realize their full potential. In situations where children are not ready to live with a family, group care facilities may still be appropriate options for short-term treatment.

With an increase of children coming into foster care, the need for carefully trained families is at a high. Whereas old family approval processes could take several months, the RFA program aims to complete assessments within 90 days. Currently, one of the greatest challenges with the RFA program is assisting families through the approval process within the 90-day window, but as agencies adapt to new procedures, the vetting and training process is becoming more streamlined.

Lilliput Families has been at the forefront of the RFA program since its early conception. In 2016, Lilliput was one of five private agencies—known as “early implementers”—selected by the state to test the program prior to widespread implementation. Lilliput has also been a leading resource for relatives going through the RFA process. If you would like more information about becoming a resource family, reach out to one of Lilliput’s experts, Angie Nevin, at anevin@lilliput.org.