Foster families in the Coos Bay area now “know who we are,” especially “experienced foster parents who take kids over and over again,” she said. The FEARsome Clinic, located at North Bend Medical Center, is part of the Western Oregon Advanced Health CCO, because all of the children seen at the clinic are covered through Medicaid. “We’ve been doing this for four years, and it seems to be successful,” McKelvey said. Other parts of the state are emulating the idea or planning to do so, and representatives from various counties have visited to observe how the clinic operates. The Oregon Health Authority considers the FEARsome Clinic the type of model that complements the metrics required of CCOs when working with foster children, said Jim Rickards, MD, the OHA’s chief medical officer. Dr. McKelvey meets with a pint-sized patient. In Yamhill County, where Rickards worked as health strategy officer before joining OHA in March, a member engagement specialist helps foster parents and children by serving as a liaison to coordinate needed screenings with local providers and families, he said. As in Coos County, the Yamhill County work was done before the CCO there came into existence and “was supported by all the partners in the community,” Rickards said. He said the examples in Coos Bay and Yamhill County speak to how each county must use the resources they have at hand to develop what they need, in order to ensure that patients are getting the right care. What works is what is best for each community, he said. “Fierce in their advocacy” What developed was a concept McKelvey dubbed “FEARsome,” which stands for Foster Education and Resource. But what it really symbolizes is that foster parents “are fierce in their advocacy for foster kids, and foster children need to learn how to be fearsome by gaining in self-esteem and self-confidence. We want kids to be strong and ready to face the world.” Foster parents are able to get all the required screenings done in one place, McKelvey said. The clinic even identifies medicines the children need to be on, and connects families with primary care providers. “It basically smooths the road for the foster parent,” McKelvey explained. Photo courtesy of FEARsome Clinic w ww.theOMA.org Spring 2016 13
OMA Medicine in OR Spring 2016
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