Medical and Mental Health Services
"A community where each child, youth, and adult enjoys the safe, stable, and supportive
relationships needed to reach his or her full physical, emotional, intellectual, and
spiritual potential."
- THE NEW YORK FOUNDLING VISION STATEMENT
Children entering foster care have experienced
abuse and/or neglect prior to placement and have
had limited or no access to health services. They
have been exposed to violence in their own homes;
they may suffer from poor nutrition, inadequate or
no pre-natal care. Virtually all have experienced
some sort of traumatic event. Their unmet primary
healthcare needs are exacerbated by their
experiences of stigmatization and abandonment.
The Foundling maintains community-based primary
healthcare clinics in The Bronx, Manhattan, Staten
Island and Queens. The clinics are staffed by
primary healthcare providers, psychologists and
psychiatrists who have the skills to meet the
needs of the children we serve.
In addition, The Foundling collaborates with
specialists from many of New York City's premier
health facilities to ensure that children brought into
the foster care system receive comprehensive
physical examinations and complete mental and
dental health screenings, vision and hearing testing
and in-depth examinations for possible
developmental disabilities.
Children who require immediate specialty treatment
are referred to community-based specialists until
treatment is complete. To ensure continuity of care,
routine and ongoing health maintenance is available
at The New York Foundling's primary healthcare
sites and with collaborating community-based
providers.
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