Neighborhood Healthcare, in partnership with the Ontariobased nonprofit Building Bridges Foster Family Agency (“BBFFA”), answered hundreds calls for help. Under BBFFA’s Unaccompanied Children in Transitional Foster Care program, Neighborhood gives every child who arrives for care an initial medical exam within 48 hours of their arrival. The evaluation consists of a physical, a tuberculosis screening, age/risk-based laboratory testing, and administration of appropriate vaccines for their age.
“Many children who enter our program have never been to the doctor before because their families were unable to afford healthcare services,” said Estela Noriega a Medical Coordinator at BBFFA. “An overwhelming majority of our children come from poverty, previous abuse, and exposure to community violence. We appreciate that the staff at Neighborhood Healthcare understands that our children can come with trauma, and they adapt to any of their needs or necessities.”
Noriega recalled a recent incident in which a child came to the agency with a severe and painful ear infection that had gone untreated for weeks. Within a few hours of his arrival, Neighborhood Healthcare’s team, led by Dr. Stacey Wiles, a pediatric physician located at one of the Federally Qualified Healthcare’s Riverside facilities, provided the proper diagnosis, treatment, and prescription. In just a couple of days, the child felt better, got some needed sleep, and began smiling again.
BBFFA assisted nearly 400 unaccompanied children in 2021 and 2022 and more than 350 in 2023 alone. In addition to the initial medical evaluation, Neighborhood Healthcare’s team also provides medical guidance to teen moms under the nonprofit’s care and their children with special needs such as autism, seizures, and developmental delays.
“It is very important to have a well-rounded community health center, such as Neighborhood Healthcare. Even in Southern California, our agency can face obstacles in matching services to our children’s needs,” said Karina Tostado, a Quality Assurance Analyst/Medical Coordinator for BBFFA’s Long-Term Foster Care Program for Unaccompanied Children. “However, we always feel confident that our children receive the highest level of care because of the abundance of resources and processes the organization brings. Neighborhood Healthcare is a reliable resource and is excellent at providing time-sensitive evaluations, providing continuity of care for our children, and advocating for the needs of these children, who usually go unnoticed.”