NETWORK E-BULLETIN - MAY 2006 EDITION

Phase 1 Launch of Children’s Treatment Network & Partners Underway!

New Website is now online. Visit www.ctn-simcoeyork.ca to learn all about the Network

Phase 1 Launch Tests and Refines Network Operations
Children’s Treatment Network is well on track as we enter our Phase I launch. As with any coordinated effort of this magnitude, it is critical that processes and technology are as seamless as possible for the public we serve. For the next few weeks, we will be working with our members and partners to test the “mechanics” of the system – including Access processes, and identifying prioritization criteria for waitlists and service expansion - to ensure seamless coordination of services. Once we have gone through these preliminary phases, we will be officially publicizing the 1-800 number to the general public for a June 1st launch.

Phase 1 is being ably managed under the leadership of Michelle Biehler, who has been seconded from CCAC Simcoe County to be the Project Manager for the implementation of the Network’s Access mechanism. Michelle is an Occupational Therapist with extensive clinical and collaborative experience. She brings knowledge of multiple sectors as well as intake and case management processes and tools. Previously Michelle served as the project manager for a provincial pilot in Simcoe County that used a wraparound approach to serve medically fragile and technologically dependent children and their families. Most recently, she was a member of the Intensive Working Group on Network Access.  We’re delighted she has offered to take on this new role.

Other new developments since our last eBulletin:

• Network Evaluation Coming Soon – As the Network goes live, we will be launching a comprehensive study to evaluate the model’s impact on service delivery to families of children with disabilities. The results of this study will be published internationally to inform policy makers on the value of integration of services for vulnerable individuals, as well as provide valuable insight into the short- and long-term quantifiable benefits of integrated care to the community and the service delivery system in general. Since the Network is a new and unique model, this research will be a vital part of our initiative as we move forward.
  
  The study will be conducted by Dr. Gina Browne, Founder and Director of the System-Linked Research Unit, Health Sciences Department of McMaster University, in collaboration with Dr. Peter Rosenbaum, co-director of the CanChild Centre for Childhood Disability Research at McMaster, a research institute specializing in children with disabilities.  Dr. Browne has received Awards for Excellence for her research into nursing and integrated and/or merged care and their economic outcomes.  CanChild’s current work is centred on the use of outcome measures and on family centred care – an approach that underpins what the Network is doing. We will keep you posted on details as research processes and timelines are confirmed.

• Host Agency List Expanded - We have now identified 9 host agencies that will be providing enhanced service coordination in Simcoe and York. We are working intensively with these agencies to build capacity and enhance coordination across the Local Teams. They are:

-      Community Care Access Centre of York Region
-      Early Intervention Services, Regional Municipality of York
-      York Catholic District School Board
-      York Region District School Board
-      York Support Services Network
-      Catulpa Community Support Services
-      Simcoe Community Services
-      Community Care Access Centre Simcoe County
-      New Path Youth and Family Services

In addition, the Network is discussing the provision of some additional service coordination capacity with the children’s mental health agencies in York Region.

• Website is Ready for Viewing – Our new website www.ctn-simcoeyork.ca is looking better than ever as we continue to add new user-friendly features. It has a fresh new look, more information on the Network and Partners, and lots of easy-to-use navigational features. We will be continuing to add resources as the website – and the Network – evolve, so make sure you check it often.

• We Continue to Grow - 26 organizations are now official Network members along with 11 provincial partners and 9 community partners, with more to be announced in the coming months.  See our website for more information on Network members and partners.

• The Network in the News - We’re delighted to report that Children’s Treatment Network is already making headlines with local media, who have been on board championing our efforts. Network members, partners and some of our kids & parents have become front-page news in a number of area newspapers! Anyone wanting to see a copy of the published stories can visit the website at www.ctn-simcoeyork.ca.

Network and Partners Deliver Early Results
The last eBulletin featured a story about Aydan, a Barrie child with Cerebral Palsy who is making a smooth transition to JK, thanks to expanded and enhanced services already being delivered by Network partners. As promised, this month we bring you a story of how these early initiatives have had an impact on a child and family in York Region.  Here is Luca’s story:

The Future Looks Brighter for York Toddler

Luca Stallone works on his balance and coordination with Occupational Therapist Laurie Schultz (left) and mom Angie (right) during a recent visit to the Paediatric Development Assessment Clinic at Markham Stouffville Hospital.

Luca Stallone is one of the busiest two-and-a-half year olds you could meet. Yet it’s not all fun and games for this happy-go-lucky and affectionate boy. When Luca is not at daycare, he is having regular rounds of physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy to help him develop his motor and learning skills.

Luca’s parents, Angie and Matthew, discovered last year during a visit to Markham Stouffville Hospital’s Paediatric Development Assessment Clinic (PDAC) that Luca has Global Developmental Delay – a disorder that means Luca is behind in multiple areas of development.

Luca’s parents were lucky to have discovered his problem at such an early age. That’s because the earlier the diagnosis, the sooner Luca benefits from the many services he needs to help him reach his fullest potential.

A child with Global Developmental Delay, Luca will need constant support as he grows. He will require help to learn everything from getting up and down stairs and holding a crayon, to feeding himself and speaking. As a preschooler, Luca has received assistance from several agencies in York Region already - physiotherapy provided by the Community Care Access Centre (CCAC), and Child Development support  from Early Intervention Services of York Region, with both providing some measure of service coordination or case management.  As a result of these services he is making incredible progress.

But Luca’s parents are already starting to think about the transitions they will all experience when he is ready to enter school and a different world of services and organizations. This transition can be bewildering to families and may include waitlists, service interruptions and a confusing array of new people.  And there will be several other periods of transition which Luca and his family will experience throughout his childhood, into adulthood.

“We know it will be challenging down the road for Luca,” says Angie. “He will always learn things differently than regular kids. My biggest concern is that when he turns six and enters Grade 1, his needs will be even more complicated. We were very concerned about coordinating all of the different services he will need to participate fully at school.”

To give some idea of what’s down the road for Luca, as he grows he will likely need more physiotherapy sessions, additional occupational therapy to handle more complex tasks such as writing, more intense speech therapy to help him communicate better, teaching assistance and specialized recreation programs such as private swimming lessons to help his muscle development.

But Angie’s and Matthew’s concerns about coordinating care for Luca through these transitions has been reduced since they heard about the Children’s Treatment Network - the first network of its kind to collaboratively link regional healthcare, recreation, education, social and community resources from over 20 participating agencies and organizations. The Network, which includes organizations like Early Intervention Services, the Community Care Access Centre, and Markham Stouffville Hospital, will officially launch 1-800 access to coordinated services on June 1st.  The Network provides a single point of contact and a single plan of coordinated care for children with physical and developmental needs from birth to the age of 19.

When fully operational, it will bring additional resources and enhance essential services to over 2,800 children in York with multiple disabilities. Network partners are already having an impact by delivering these much needed services to kids like Luca.

Additional resources made possible through the Network enabled the CCAC to provide more rehabilitation services to over 348 high priority children with complex needs in York since last December. The Network has also provided funding to keep the Paediatric Developmental Assessment Clinic at Markham Stouffville Hospital from closing its doors (the Clinic was scheduled for closure in July 2005). Without the Clinic, York parents would have to go to Toronto for assessments and battle waitlists of two years or more.

Sara Koke, Clinical Director for the Children’s Treatment Network in York Region and the former manager of the PDAC, says that early diagnosis for these children is absolutely critical for developing a long-term plan of care that will help them develop. “Without assessment, these kids can’t get some of the services they need.  The longer they have to wait, the harder it is for them to make the transition to school. The Network and its partners are bridging that gap by expanding critical services.  Local Teams, made up of professionals and specialists from member agencies will provide a coordinated plan of care for each child and family that will adapt as the child’s physical and developmental needs change, ensuring they continue to get the right services as they transition to school and through their teenage years.”

Angie notes that the Network, made up of many partnering organizations committed to coordinating and integrating services for children and families, has definitely painted a brighter future for their family. “I feel relieved knowing that Luca will have a dedicated team of professionals that is focused on his needs and his development to help him reach his potential as he grows. Knowing about the Network has taken a big weight off our shoulders.”