Child FIRST is a model program that intervenes with very young children in inner-city Bridgeport, CT to reduce children’s emotional and behavioral problems. These mental health concerns are caused by stresses in the family such as poverty, inadequate housing, domestic violence, substance abuse or maternal depression.

After a comprehensive home-based assessment, the Child FIRST team develops individualized and culturally responsive treatment plans for each child and family. These plans include mental health treatment in the home and care coordination to address family needs outside of health care such as heat or housing.

UPDATED!   The Minnesota Community Health Workers Project created a standardized college certificate program to train community health workers (CHWs) and in 2007 achieved third-party and Medicaid reimbursement for CHW’s work. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation helped launch the statewide coalition of public higher education, major payers, and rural and urban health care systems that conceived the program.

To address critical health care workforce issues, the coalition focused on recruiting New Americans and members of low-income, minority communities into the CHW training program. They have accomplished all their goals and been identified as a national model.

Streetworker Program is a collaboration of at-risk urban youth working together with business leaders, local police, schools and city, state and federal policymakers to reduce gang violence among Southeast Asian and Latino teens in Lowell, MA.

As part of a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Connect Project training program in Washington, DC, UTEC executive director Gregg Croteau and Streetworker project director JuanCarlos Rivera met the staff of their U.S. senators.

In 2007 Senator Edward Kennedy invited Croteau to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee as a leading expert on effective gang violence prevention programs. Read his compelling presentation.

Lessons learned from previously funded projects Each year the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation profiles selected projects that have completed their LIFP matching grants. These feature stories include a description of the project’s objectives, results and post-grant activities. Newly posted in 2007:

• “Hawaiian Health Foundation Launches Program to Diagnose & Treat Child Abuse Victims Entering Foster Care”
• “In Indiana Project, Economically Disadvantaged Cancer Patients Get Supportive Counseling, Medical Equipment and More”
• “New Mexico Foundation Places Nurses in Family Service Agencies to Improve Immunization Rates, Reduce Parental Smoking and Screen Parents for Alcohol Abuse”
• “New York Study Shows Telemedicine is Effective for Care of Low-Income Children in School-Based Settings”

Or you may see the entire list of LIFP closed grants reports on the RWJF website.