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Press
Release: INVITATION AND ADVISORY
Contact: Innovative approaches to needs of poor children will be focus of agency’s Annual Symposium October 21, 2 pm – 4 pm, The Association of the Bar of the City of New York, 42 W. 44th Street, NYC NEW YORK – At its Annual Symposium on October 21, The Children’s Aid Society (CAS) will focus on the health of poor children in New York City and what the agency is doing to improve it. Presentations by the agency’s president-elect, Dr. Angela Diaz; the agency’s new medical director, Dr. Lisa Handwerker; as well as Donna Terjesen, the CAS coordinator of its childhood obesity prevention program and Scott Bloom, MSW, the CAS director of mental health for its school-based health centers, will include an overview of the state of health of New York City children, plus in-depth looks at how Children’s Aid approaches several health problems that affect poor children disproportionately.
A
Redefinition of Health From this perspective, health can be defined as a sense of security, in which children are free from violence and abuse, free from the feeling of being unwanted and not cared for. Health can be a caring adult: the satisfaction of having access, attention and respect from that caring adult. Other presenters at the Symposium will tackle three health problems that affect poor children disproportionately: asthma, obesity and mental illness.
Asthma
PALs Help Each Other Dr. Lisa Handwerker will present information about Children’s Aid’s Asthma PAL (Peer Action Leaders) program, which was a pilot program last year at P.S. 50 in East Harlem, and is continuing this year. Fifth and sixth graders in the school become mentors of asthmatic first and second graders. The selected older children undergo 10 weeks of training, in which they learn asthma basics and disease management, as well as valuable communication skills that will help them share information and support the younger students. The point of Asthma PAL is to help children take control of their asthma, to minimize triggers and to treat and manage the disease, lessons these children will use for life. The first class of Asthma PAL graduated last year and a new class is being initiated this year at P.S. 50.
Childhood
Obesity Prevention Program Now in Additional CAS Locations Go!Kids helped children learn new ways of looking at foods (as “Go Foods” and “Slow Foods”) and helped their families understand nutrition, more healthful methods of food preparation, portion control and the value of exercise.
This
(school) year, the program has expanded to two additional locations; it is
now at P.S. 8 in Washington Heights and the CAS Bronx Family Center’s
Early Childhood Center in addition to P.S. 5 in Washington Heights. P.S. 5
and 8 are public CAS community schools. In addition, an adaptation of the
program for school-age children is now underway at CAS community school
P.S. 50: FUN, Understanding Fitness and Nutrition. It teaches nutrition
basics in an interactive and engaging way and ends each session with
active games. Last year this program was piloted with only the third
grade. This year, it will include third and fifth grade students in the
CAS extended-day program. Though there is much public concern about school violence, gangs, teen pregnancy and substance abuse among youth, there are too few services available to help children and youth deal with their emotions, deal with trauma in their lives, resolve conflicts and live peacefully with their families. The stresses of poverty, demands of childhood and adolescence and environmental influences create complex emotional struggles for children and their parents. The Children’s Aid Society staffs its community-based and school-based mental health offices with clinical social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists, therapists and counselors who address the mental health needs of our children; depression, family conflict issues, peer group issues, academic failure and sexuality/puberty issues are the most frequent topics. Our mental health professionals are integral parts of our centers and schools; they help children and youth focus on learning, on developing self-respect and self-esteem, controlling their impulses and anger and working through feelings or experiences that may be obstacles to their emotional health.
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