Looking Ahead in 2012

Dear Friends,

On behalf of Pinebrook’s Board of Directors, management and staff, I extend our very best wishes to you and your family for a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year.

A lot is happening here at Pinebrook Family Services and we are excited about what’s ahead for us in 2012. It appears, based on a strong referral base for most of our programs and services, that we will serve more children, young adults and their families in program year 2011-2012 than in the previous year. More than 1,200 individuals were served through our continuum of community-based prevention, treatment, placement and adoption services, during the first half of 2011-2012.

Here are a few agency highlights:

• Pinebrook was recently awarded $26,000 by the Two Rivers Health & Wellness Foundation to serve Northampton County residents who are in need of outpatient psychiatric and counseling services but are underinsured or have no health care coverage click here to read details.
  
• The High Fidelity Wraparound (HFW) Initiative, which serves Lehigh County adolescents and young adults (ages 14 to 21) with complex mental health needs and their families, is currently serving 40 clients in various stages of the initiative. To date, 14 young adults have graduated from the process. Data collected during the first two years of the pilot looks quite promising, including that young adults served through the HFW initiative have significantly decreased the use of formal services, including out-of-home placements such as psychiatric hospitalizations, residential care, etc.
  
• In all behavioral health services offered by Pinebrook, outcome measures indicate that our clients show statistically significant progress in eliminating the problems that caused them to seek services and have improved their lives.
  
• Pinebrook’s Adoption Department is currently working with 55 children in their search for their forever family. Over the past few months, 6 adoptions were finalized, with 3 more scheduled for late-January.
  
• Thanks to the investment made by the United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley and other private funders, our Making the Grade program is making a difference with truant children from the Allentown School District. 18 families have been successfully served so far this school year with another 18 or more expected by year end.
  
• 90% of children in foster care placement with Pinebrook were placed with one foster family during the first six month of the current program year.
  
• Since late-2008, outpatient services at the agency’s Easton office have grown by 269%.
  
• A recent licensing review of our outpatient psychiatric clinics conducted by the Department of Public Welfare, Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services resulted in a full license with no recommendations issued.
  
• Thanks to the generosity of The Century Fund, The Charles H. Hoch Foundation, and an anonymous funder, the reception area and adjacent hallways at the agency’s Allentown office will receive a “facelift” when new flooring is installed this coming spring.

While there are many wonderful things happening at Pinebrook, the recent announcement by Governor Corbett mandating funding cuts for all state offices under the purview of the Department of Public Welfare is of grave concern. The Human Services systems have made great concessions over the past three or more years, and private agencies like Pinebrook Family Services are already programmatically and administratively lean which challenges them to meet the growing demand for treatment and other needed services. Should this new round of cuts negatively impact our work, Pinebrook will continue to persevere and do its best to meet the demand for services so that Lehigh Valley families can be healthy and strong, and remain intact.

As always, I welcome your thoughts, concerns and suggestions ().

Best regards,

Robert M. Jacobs
Executive Director


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