Posted on June 12, 2001 at 12:20 p.m.

BIRMINGHAM, AL — The Family Place Pediatric Practice at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) has a received a five-year, $200,000 grant to help ensure continuity of medical care for Jefferson County foster children who move from home to home. The grant was awarded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau, an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, in conjunction with the American Academy of Pediatrics.

There are approximately 960 children in foster care in Jefferson County. “When a foster child is placed with a new foster family, the child may begin seeing a new primary care physician,” says Dr. Alisa Hoffman, UAB pediatrician and director of the Family Place. “Medical records may not follow the child, often times resulting in duplicate or partial immunizations, missed routine screenings and lack of needed specialized care.”

The new program supported by the grant will provide a ‘medical home’ -- a regular primary healthcare provider and a maintained comprehensive medical record -- for foster children participating in the program regardless of changes in the children’s foster care placement.

“These children are at-risk for medical, social and emotional problems simply because they are in foster care,” says Hoffman. “That risk is enhanced by the lack of continuity of medical care they often receive. Our program will provide regular, comprehensive medical care and will help prevent further medical problems and illnesses. It will also encourage children’s trust and confidence in their healthcare professionals.”

The Family Place is housed within the Sparks Center, the clinical arm of the Civitan International Research Center for developmental disabilities at UAB. “The Family Place staff, with its diverse training, will be capable of providing the children with the specialized care -- nursing, social services, mental health counseling and nutritional counseling -- they need,” says Hoffman.

Other UAB faculty and staff who work at the Family Place include Joan Carlisle, D.S.N., assistant professor of nursing and pediatric nurse practitioner; Ruth Cox, Ph.D., assistant professor of nursing and family nurse practitioner and therapist; Alvin Vogtle, social worker with the Civitan Center; and Janet Isaacs, Ph.D., assistant professor with the School of Health Related Professions and nutritional counselor. In its first year, the pilot program will enroll 25 children identified by the Department of Human Resources. “Our long-term goal is to expand the program over the next few years to enroll 150 children,” says Hoffman.

Expansion will depend on the clinic’s ability to match federal funding. “Funding provided by the Maternal and Child Bureau is contingent on our ability to raise two-to-one matching funds for years two, three, four and five,” says Hoffman. “The bureau is committed to providing $50,000 year, which means we have to raise $100,000 a year after the first year. We are working to secure matching funds to ensure this program continues.”

The Family Place, first established through a grant to care for children of mothers with substance abuse challenges, is now open to all children. For more information, contact the Family Place at (205) 934-7027.