Musical Chairs and more unwashed hands

Our meeting with JMU was a lengthy and fruitful one! We were very pleased to have Rhonda Zingraff, director of JMU's Institute for Innovation in Health and Human Services, and Kim Hartzler-Weakley, director of the Office on Children and Youth join us! First and foremost, I want to thank them for their candidness and openness. I hope we can continue to enjoy such an open dialog with them.

Leading up to the meeting, our local TV3 Winchester friend and reporter Hattie Cheek aired a story about the CDC and our fight to keep services local. Hattie has been a great supporter of our cause and has enabled us to keep our fight in the public eye. Her news story can be found here: LOCAL WOMAN FINDS SERVICES SHE NEEDS AND HELPS TO KEEP THEM LOCAL

Thanks Hattie!

At the meeting, we were joined by Kim Walter from the Northern Virginia Daily newspaper. She took copious notes during the meeting and the article was published today! You can read it here: JMU CLINIC SUPPORTS IDEA OF CHILDRENS SERVICES SATELLITE

Its a very well written article and clearly sums up our meeting! We value and appreciate Kim for her time and attention to the matter! Thank you, Kim!

Now... on to the meeting.

One of the things we had been asking for was an explanation as to where the money went. We went forward with a Freedom Of Information Act request, and this non-answer is what we got:

Kinda looks like a case of "Hide The Money" doesn't it?

 

 

As I am sure you read in the newspaper article, the JMU CDC took on a lot more than just our catchment area. Their service area is a long laundry list of cities and counties.  

 

They have had meetings with the VDH just as we have, and are running into the same problem.

 

Musical Chairs.

 

Almost every time we have had a meeting with VDH, its been with different people. Their office has been a revolving door as far as their personnel are concerned. Every time we meet, we find ourselves having to re-hash all the information... all over again. Seems excessively counterproductive, doesn't it? The folks at JMU have had the EXACT SAME PROBLEM!!!

 

How are we supposed to accomplish anything when we keep having to backtrack? On top of that, we aren't getting answers from the VDH. We asked to be part of the conference call taking place this Friday at 10AM. Dr. Charles Devine informed us that we probably won't be included.

 

Why? What does the state have to hide? Is there something they don't want us to hear? I would hope that they had the best interest of our children in mind... but I'm not getting that warm and squishy feeling from them. At all.

 

JMU wants answers just as much as we do! You can only take so much of "That's a good question, we will have to get back to you on that" before you've had enough.

 

YOU'VE HEARD OUR QUESTIONS AND HAVE HAD AMPLE TIME TO "GET BACK TO US ON THAT" How about those answers?

 

To quote Rhonda Zingraff "It's almost like the right hand doesn't know what the left is doing," Zingraff said. "It doesn't help that all of us have talked with several key players, but never at the same time or about the same issue."

 

Musical Chairs.

 

OK people. The music has stopped. Let's everyone have a seat now and start paying attention to what really matters. OUR CHILDREN.

 

It's time the VDH stopped playing games with us, with JMU and with the welfare and future of OUR children.



Not half full, not half empty. Just half...

Tonight we met again at the Winchester Child Development Clinic to find a way to keep the services they provide local. We were joined by video conference by the State Health Commissioner Dr Cynthia Romero and her staff. I am honored that Dr. Romero and staff took the time after office hours to meet with us. I'm glad they recognize that this is an important issue and deserves their direct attention. Doctor Charles Devine was our host.

I was joined by the Honorable State Senator Jill Vogel (by phone), Susan Groom from the Winchester School System, concerned Autism Advocate Cass Purtlebaugh and the staff of what was the Winchester Child Development Clinic.

First off, I want to thank a few people. Senator Vogel has been a staunch supporter of our cause and I am so very pleased that she is fighting along side of us! She was absolutely awesome tonight! Susan Groom brought up some very good points at the meeting and it is obvious that she has the best interests of our area children at heart. The City of Winchester is VERY lucky to have her. As for the staff of the CDC... they are the reason we are all together in the first place! Its their tireless devotion to special needs individuals in our area that brought us to this point!

But, the meeting left me with more questions than answers...

1. The budget was asked for and mentioned several times by our group, but no one on the other side of our virtual table said ANYTHING when it was brought up. Where were the cuts made? How much money was allocated to JMU to hire more employees in order to take on an increased case load? We need to see the budget. Why cant those monies stay in our area?
2. Being that they now (obviously) have more money to hire and evaluate, whats their quota for seeing children from our area? The local CDC had been fully evaluating at least 150 children per year, not to mention all the other services they had been undertaking. Is the JMU facility going to keep up that pace? You will find the answer to that later on in this blog. Prepare yourself, its disappointing.
3. The state used to have satellite offices for each of their CDCs. The Winchester CDC had offices in Leesburg and Warrenton. Why couldn't the JMU facility open up a satellite office in our area utilizing space provided by one of our many generous non-profit organizations (and the money I mentioned above)? 
4. If the state is serious in their intent to help us keep services in our area, how long is it going to take? What can they guarantee us? What tangible help will they provide? (The money which was formerly allocated to the Winchester CDC would be a GREAT start). How much weight will they carry?

That's the most important questions so far. Now for the disappointing part I mentioned earlier...

The JMU facility has 7 children from our area scheduled for evaluations for the month of July. Our local CDC, prior to being closed, had 14 children scheduled for evaluations. Thats 50% less. HALF. Wheres the efficiency? What happened to "seeing more children"? This looks like seeing LESS. That's 7 children this month who wont be able to benefit from Behavioral Therapy, OT, Psychological Therapy, Environmental Modifications, Skilled Nursing Services, Assistive Technology, etc. 7 kids who will suffer needlessly in school because the groundwork won't be laid for them to have the tools they need to succeed.

How long will our area have to wait before local services are returned? How many children wont be seen? 14? 28? 56? When did that become acceptable? Remember the autistic children who eloped and were found dead? Environmental Modification can help to prevent instances like that. 50% fewer children will have that safeguard. Unacceptable.

Theres no favorable way to see that number. That glass IS NOT half full. It's up to all of us, advocates and State Health Department, to fill that glass back to the top.

Our next meeting with the state will have many more people "In the Know" involved. I will also be asking the news media to join us.

Get involved. You owe it to your children.

Just to catch you up on NSVAR News...

I know its been a while since I have posted a blog. Nothing has really happened since my meeting with Dr. Devine and Sidnee' Dallas from the Department of Health. I'm going to start pushing the issue again this week.

I'll tell you what has frustrated me, though... I had contacted all the local news agencies at the beginning of this fight and the response was mixed. Hattie Cheek at TV3 Winchester, Hayley Mason at WHAG News and Kim Walter at The Northern Virginia Daily really took interest and have done a wonderful job keeping the issue of the Child Development Clinic in the news. They truly care for the children and families in our area who are impacted by the closing. I also will be working with Dan McDermott at the Frederick County Report. to get our story out to even more people!

The Winchester Star... thats another story. Rebecca Layne had interviewed me at the very beginning and put a small article in the paper. They havent wanted to touch it since. We have made great strides in this fight! A petition with almost 7,000 signatures! The backing of a state senator! I emailed and called to ask why they havent been covering it since... the response I got was basically to call them when something big happens. Really? Closing the CDC is the BIG and BAD thing we are fighting to prevent! I would hope that a community news outlet would take some initiative and work FOR their community!

Its disappointing, to say the least.

On the opposite side of that coin, I have been honored to know and become friends with some amazing people in our community as a result of this struggle as well as strengthen my friendships with others! I think I have become a better person during all this. I've had my head so deep into NSVAR and the CDC that maybe I haven't shown the appropriate amount of appreciation. "Godmother", we truly love ya! You are our family now! Shelley D., we are so proud to know you better and consider you our close friend! Your support and willingness to speak out with me for the CDC has been so wonderful! Sharon H. We are glad to know you, glad to fight alongside you for the CDC and I'm especially glad to know that your little guy got what he needed! I look forward to our growing friendship! Senator Vogel, I hope I'm not overstepping my bounds by calling you a friend... but your support has been invaluable! It gives weight and credibility to what we are fighting for. I value and appreciate you! (Almost called you just "Jill" on the phone last time... no disrespect intended madam Senator!)

Oh! Hey! We have had some car decals made with the NSVAR logo! Want to help spread the word?

My van rocking the NSVAR goodness!

Pretty cool, huh? They were made by Alyson at http://www.ososplendid.com/ and they are beautiful! (Check her site out... A lot of really cool and creative gift ideas to be found there!)
They are $7.00 each. That covers my cost to have them made, and whatever postage I need to send them out. I can mail them anywhere in the US. You can reach me at nsvar.org@gmail.com , www.nsvar.org , www.facebook.com/nsvar or www.twitter.com/nsvar if you are interested in getting one.

Appreciative

Today the "Godmother" and I met with Dr. Charles Devine at the Winchester CDC. We were joined on conference call with Sidnee' Dallas from the Virginia Department of Health.

The meeting was very productive, and only the first of many. We are brainstorming to find a way to keep services local.

I am thankful for Dr. Devines time, Mrs. Dallas' time and especially thankful to "The Godmother" (but sure if I can say who yet) for taking part today. Looking forward to involving some area movers and shakers in the next meetings!

I'm hopeful. Very hopeful...