Children's Health System of Texas - Rees-Jones Center for Foster Care Excellence

Overview

The mission of the Rees-Jones Center for Foster Care Excellence (Rees-Jones Center) is to ensure that children in foster care receive the highest quality health care and necessary community support for full recovery and future success. The Center began as an extension of the child abuse and neglect evaluation clinic in the mid-1980s. In 2009, foster care became an independent service from the child abuse clinic, providing a medical home to support children in foster care. In 2013, Children’s Health System of Texas established the Rees-Jones Center, which integrates clinical, academic, outreach and policy activities to promote and monitor the health, learning and family  support needs of children in short- and long-term foster care.

The population of children in custody of the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) totals about 31,000 children, with approximately 7,300 of these children in the North Texas DFPS Region 3. The needs of this population are significant: It is estimated that 60 percent have special health care needs, including mental health issues and developmental delays. Children in foster care move an average of 2.5 times within 12 months, with older children moving an average of seven times. The 1995 landmark Adverse Childhood Events study, conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, revealed that adult survivors of childhood maltreatment experienced higher rates of addiction, heart disease, and mental illness.

The Rees-Jones Center’s model was developed from a gap analysis conducted in 2011. Bringing together foster care experts from the health care system, academia and child welfare, the Rees­Jones Center includes a clinical care program with three clinics; an academic program to conduct research and train future health professionals in best practices; and a community development program to improve foster care practice standards.

Impact

The Rees-Jones Center has increased the number of foster care patients served from approximately 600 patients in 2009 to 1,350 patients in 2015. The Rees-Jones Center established the Region 3 Foster Care Consortium to bring together community stakeholders across North Texas to identify barriers in the foster care system, suggest improvements, and create change to improve outcomes for children in the region. It developed the Foster Care Quality Initiative with the hospital to improve care of hospitalized foster care patients. Future plans will focus on emergency departments and ambulatory specialty services.

Lessons Learned

There has been significant and unexpected growth in the number of children in foster care in the region, and the needs extend far beyond medical care, challenging the Center’s plans to serve roughly half of children in the foster care population in north Texas. Center leaders plan to add staff and increase community outreach efforts to support the growing needs of the population.

Future Goals

The Rees-Jones Center will expand clinical, academic and community efforts to reach more patients and increase community support of children who have been exposed to childhood trauma. The Rees-Jones Center plans to serve more than 2,000 patients per year by 2017. It is also increasing activity with Texas legislators and DFPS statewide policy to improve health care for children in foster care throughout Texas.

Contact: Peter Roberts
President, Population Health & Insurance Services
Telephone: 214-456-9091
Email: peter.roberts@childrens.com