Following right on the heels of Eye on Miami’s blog about the Trust and its HealthConnect in the Schools’ program, comes this FULL-page ad touting the Children's Trust’s HealthConnect in the Community. This advertisement (1/2 of it is at left, the rest - hit read more) could be either defensive tactics, poor timing for the ad or plain old in-your-face arrogance in response to the blog post. Most of all: The ad is a waste of tax dollars.Just the fact that the Trust ran a full-page ad in the Miami Herald about their own program is enough to make us wonder about their priorities during dismal financial times. Of course, maybe the Trust has a sugar-daddy at the Herald or on their Board of Directors to fund these things. Nevertheless, with a public relations budget of over 4 million, they can afford full-page ads in the paper without much help from their fans. What gets me mad:
Why do they need a 4 million dollar public relations budget if they are doing everything right? Maybe because they are doing some things wrong?
The Children’s Trust was created to fund community agencies in the county; not create their own programs to fund. “Fund community agencies” being the operative phrase.
This wonderful little HealthConnect program carries a price tag of $3,890,081 as in their posted September 2008 budget briefing papers. While again, one would have to acknowledge that it is a great little program, one still has to consider whether it reaches enough individuals to make it a valid funding priority when Trust-funded “Out of School” programs (after school care and day camps) are being hacked or provided funding for less children this year.
Which program produces more bang for the buck, HealthConnect or after school programs and day camps? Our community knows which program eases the load on the shoulders of the working caregivers of children and caregivers seeking to get out the unemployment lines. It shouldn’t take the creation of a statistical development team for the Children's Trust to know it. On the other hand, the Trust may know intrinsically which is more important at the breadwinner level, however getting them to acknowledge it is a whole other issue.
In the end, the reality of the community’s most relentless needs will reflect in a tally of new latch-key kids on the streets and the statistical rise in juvenile delinquency rates in our community. Of course, these numbers would be in spite of innovative (misguided?) Children’s Trust programs that offer guidance to adults while pregnant. Go figure.
I guarantee no one is tracking latch-key kids and any upward changes in juvenile delinquency rates reported by law enforcement will be a function of grim economic times, and not due to programmatic choices made by the Children’s Trust.
20 comments:
Oh. Sex? I don't recall what that is. Think the trust can help me out?
That woman in the second part of the ad is a first time mom? She looks about 40.
Thanks for blogging about this. I actually missed the ad and then went back and dug it up in my pile of newspapers. Had The Children's Trust not advertised this program and you not blogged about it, I wouldn't have learned how interesting it is. It may benefit a smaller number of people, since it's only for first time moms, but I recommended it to my pregnant daughter right away. My kids are thankfully out of the house, married and living their own lives. I'm glad The Children's Trust is investing in something that one of my grown kids (and soon to be grandchild) can benefit from. If I'm paying for it, why not? Without advertising, people would never know about this program. After-school and summer camps are great, but so is this.
The question is, there is not enough funding for everything...they are cutting funding in other areas for your daughter. Can't you council her? I think the idea of the program is to help women with no where to turn.
That mother is not real it is someone from the trust trying to justify the program and doing a very poor job of it. Don't be fooled. They should make someone with more brains right a response.
When you "write" a response it's spelled w-r-i-t-e not right. Boy are you paranoid. My daughter called the program and it is not for "women with no where to turn" It's for all first time moms. Since when do babies come with instructions? I wish this program was around when I had my first baby. I realize there is not enough funding for everything and The Children's Trust should absolutely fund after-school and summer camps. I'm just saying that shouldn't be the only thing they do. I don't think that's what people who voted for them expected.
Last Anon: You don't read this blog often. Spelling DOES NOT COUNT on this blog. Right or Write, we know what the person meant. We don't grade English here or I would be getting a D plus.
The guest blog was about...taking money from the standby programs and putting it into a "new program." I think if no money was diverted, or funding didn't get tight for the programs already in place, the person would not have written the blog. I myself think a call-in number with someone on the line to answer the questions of first time mothers would be more economical in troubled times.
WHY ARE YOU PICKING ON THE CHILDREN'S TRUST? WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM?
No one is picking on the trust. We are trying to understand the program. I read the post, I read the Herald article in the ad and read the ad itself and the comments.
The comments do not jive with the Herald article. The Herald says that HealthConnect Coach Aguila is most worried about mothers WITHOUT insurance and don't qualify for for medicaid, so they are not getting the post-partum medical care they should be getting. A program for poor women.
The comments don't reflect that program. The woman is talking about her daughter who is pregnant. Does she quailfy for medicaid? Yes, a phone service could work as a program for the middle class woman's daughter who wrote a comment, but this appears to be case management -- like a social worker???
Frankly, I still don't understand the program and the Herald headline and the ad is misleading.
Reader above: You are trying too hard.
I am sorry I voted for the Children's Trust. Why are they changing their programs now that the money is locked in? Why didn't they go to the public and ask them what they thought the priorities should be? They should try focus groups.
If you call 211, you can get advice and referrals. They even have case managers. 211 = the Switchboard of Miami which is trust funded. Even their funding is in danger, and I am thinking that 211 is more important than HealthConnect. Google Switchboard.
However, I suspect the issue is about the trust funding being used appropriately. There are plenty of ways for adult women to get information about health care and pre-natal care. The state has ADULT directed services, women's non-profits and health organizations such as CHI and others, also have those programs.
The trust is funding large PR campaigns, statistical departments, mothers to be and at the same time is cutting major money from the programs that are allowing mom and dads to go to work, keep a roof over their heads and put food on their tables or is allowing the caregiver to look for a job in some cases.
When you have to cut funding it seems to me to make more sense for pregnant adults to figure out how to have babies like we all did and then get their rears into parenting classes if they still can't figure it out, which is something that even the hospitals offer before you check out of them.
But, cutting after school care and summer camps is going to do nothing besides turn kids out into the streets without adult supervision. At least Anonymous Grandma's new born middle class baby will have a mom or grand mom watching over her, something which may not happen with the 10 year old next door with the single parent, if the kids funding gets cut and the adult has to work.
The funding should go where the greatest emphasis is needed. Does HealthConnect service 46,000 kids a year or does the out of school programs?
Get rid of the fancy pr, and get rid of HealthConnect and it's duplicated services. Make the school board take care of the kids during school hours and make the trust take care of kids so their caregivers can work and keep them healthy enough that they don't need HealthConnect.
PS: To the Grandma to be (if you are one and not just being sarcastic):
If you are not careful you find that the trust services that you will be looking for 3 years from now will be gobbled up by HealthConnect's needs as the Board of Directors more forward to keep more clinics in the schools. You will be a full time daycare provider yourself, which may not be as much fun as you think. And grandma, please use the Internet and educate your daughter. You are capable of learning and sharing much scientifically based information without tying up a social worker whose resources could be better used caring for abused children and helping the elderly.
I think the phone service is a good idea. I am a nurse managing patients over the phone from all over the country. I remind diabetics about tests they should be doing, checking on their levels, answering their questions, reminding them when it is time to get a check-up, colonoscopy, pap smear, etc. It works out just fine by phone. They are mostly senior citizens and the service is helpful and not as expensive to deliver as a visiting nurse. I can check on many more patients per day then I could driving (I was a hospice nurse so I know about visiting nursing).
The phone service could easily transfer to new mothers. I have a relationship with the clients I manage, I chat with them like the visiting nurse in the Ad. The Clients agree to the free service through their insurance company.
I do have a friend who is a diabetic and lives alone. He always talks about the phone calls and looks forward to them. The nurse is friendly and he holds every word she tells him to be gospel truth, which is amazing since he will not believe his own daughter who is a nurse also. His telephone nurse is golden. Great service... thanks for caring enough to do that.
It is me again. When working for hospice I could see 6 to 8 patients a day. And it was necessary to see them.
In the telephone nursing management I am now doing that I described above (I think could translate to the program described in the blog ad) I can get in touch with 50 patients a day. Much more cost effective.
Nurse,
Well suggest it to them. Although, I suspect that they are reading Eye on Miami these days. The Executive Director's name (Mo) is up on their website. And to be honest, I think instead of changing the program format, they would add a dozen of you to the budget and cut something else. It is amazing that you can reach that many people... how effective is that?! Good Job.
WOW - it must be someone from the 4 million dollar budget in the Communications Department that is making up all the names and responses - get a real job and tell the truth about The Children's Trust - it is a scam - the money needs to go to the School Board not you people - Thank God I didnt vote - but then again I am sure the voting was tainted.....
I don't know that the voting was tainted but it was certainly a top priority for many Trust funded programs. I worl for a non profit funded by the trust and I was told by my boss to take 3 hrs unpaid, personal time off to man a voting precint and ask people to vote for The Trust. I was lead to believe that if the Trust was refunded I would lose my job due to funding cuts. Now almost 10 months later, I still face losing my job because The Trust doesn't want to refund our program. I agree, the Trust needs to be recalled.
The Trust needs to be recalled immediately - but powerhouse David Lawrence seems to pull the strings of all the County elected officials - everything about the Trust is hidden, no oversight, no one to answer to and a bunch of scammers and cheats - I knew as soon as the voting was over and they won they woukld cut back on programs and they have - countless important ones - liars !!!!
The Trust is a scam and so are the so called hire ups - I wish someone would post the salaries and we would be shocked ..... I wonder how much the so called " wanna be lobbyist" makes...??? She received a salary of over $20,000.00 for working the Campaign and then made EMployee of The Year at The Trust - seems a little - alot - tainted to me ---
They are so full of it -
The Children's Trust even pays for Board Members to travel for meetings - their own personal meetings which is covered up very nicely - whoever is defending the Trust so much has to be working in the Communications Department of The Trust - they know how underhanded they all are - it is a scam, your correct - but no one will do anything about it at all - Auslander was supposed to be at the hem of the Riley disappearance thats a scarry thought - I love the way countless employees work from home and get paid - some for weeks at a time and I am paying their salary from my taxes - that's BS - they do not work from home - they take time off and it is not deducted from their leave time or salary - they do whatever they want and no one does a damn thing - its a shame they can sleep at night knowing what crooks they are ......
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