RISE Healthy Housing and Support Services Youth Care Management has expanded services into the surrounding counties of Warren, Washington, Hamilton, Schenectady, Fulton, and Montgomery Counties. Children’s Health Home of Upstate New York (CHHUNY) granted the approval in an effort to reduce gaps in the continuum of care when a child moves homes or when a school district straddles county lines.
Erika Straight, Care Management Program Supervisor, explains, “When the family of a child moves, sometimes even a few streets away, they may end up in a different county. This required RISE Care Management to transfer the child’s care to the other county’s Care Management Program, which often caused a gap in the continuity of care.”
The gap in care often occurs because the child needs to re-establish trust before becoming comfortable with a new provider. Compounded by the stress of moving, possibly changing school districts, and probable upheaval in family relationships, the transfer often causes regression in the progress a child.
Erika is thrilled about the expansion. “Changes like these are a time for continuity of care for a child, not the introduction of a new provider,” she states. “Now that RISE Youth Care Management has expanded into these surrounding counties, a continuum of care can occur, providing a constant source support and guidance to the child when so many other things in their lives has changed.”
Additionally, children attending the same school may live in different counties. For example, South Glens Falls School District serves part of Wilton in Saratoga County as well as South Glens Falls in Warren County. Having children reside in one county but attend school in another often makes it difficult for the school officials making referrals to know which children can and cannot receive services through RISE Youth Care Management. This often caused a delay in helping the child, and their families. The obstacle of the county lines has eliminated the confusion and therefore the delay.
Because of the elimination of boundaries, RISE has begun to reach out to school districts, especially those that fall across county lines such as Schuylerville, South Glens Falls, and Hadley-Luzerne Central School Districts, in an effort to partner with the schools to bring services to their students.
RISE is already partnered with the Corinth Central School District and has established a presence in the schools including office space for the Youth Care Manager. “The partnership has been a huge success,” says Erika, “it has eliminated the obstacle of transportation into Saratoga Springs to receive services. It has enabled eligible children and families to enroll in services such as Medicaid and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), right there in the school office.”
Another key advantage in expanding into surrounding counties is the ability to accept referrals from a greater number of service providers. RISE is a member of the Saratoga-North Country Continuum of Care (CoC), a non-profit organization which empowers communities to end homelessness in several counties. Now that RISE can provide services in these counties, Youth Care Managers can begin working immediately with these providers to serve children experiencing homelessness.
Everyone at RISE is excited about these expansions in the Youth Care Management program and looks forward to the great things to come as relationships and services are offered in these surrounding counties.