Newspaper Page Text
CASAs are advocating for safety, well being of kids
By Therese Allen
Staff Writer
The Court Appointed Special
Advocate (CASA) program began
in Forsyth County in 1993. It is
fashioned on a nationwide sup
port system for abused and
neglected children that was the
brainchild of a frustrated judge in
the'mid-’7os. A CASA is a
child’s voice in court.
A CASA volunteer must com
plete 40 hours of specialized
training to be sworn in. In addi
tion, CASAs are required to have
12 hours of continuing education
every year. The duties of a CASA
are to research the life of a child
who becomes involved in the
stage’s judicial system through
cases of abuse and neglect.
1 CASAs talk to parents, teachers,
peers, relatives or anyone directly
involved with the child. After
compiling all the information, a
CASA must submit a written rec
ommendation to the judge as to
what is in the best interest of the
chijd.
The founder of the CASA pro
gram, Judge David Soukup,
described the case that brought on
the idea for CASA. A 3-year-old
girl brought into his courtroom
appeared to have been abused.
The child’s mother maintained
that the child had fallen out of a
swing but there was speculation
the mother’s boyfriend had
abused the little girl. The mother
claimed that the boyfriend was no
longer around.
Peach Care - For kids’ sake
By Therese Allen
Staff Writer
Peach Care for Kids program
director, Jana Key reported in
early March that almost 9,000
Georgia children are enrolled in
the state funded insurance
plan that began Jan. 1. “We
are amazed and pleased
with the numbers we are
seeing,” said Key.
AJ-1 Forsyth County
Peach Care providers
pol)ed said they had seen a
few patients on the plan
but had given out many applica
tions. A parent filling out an
enrollment form at her daughter’s
pediatrician’s office said, “My
friend applied for the program in
January and last month was able
'dn Affordable Wentof
NOW OPEN AND ACCEPTING RESERVATIONS
Affordable rates starting at $950 per month (all services included)
Assisted Living with Quality Care
• Medically trained staff on call 24 hours a day
• Alzheimer's Care available
J; • Hospice service available
> • • Affordable Living with Dignity
Located in the heart of downtown
» ■inuis.tisiiiißimiimisiinwViisuwnimiumiwmsumians
• e
j Health Views T |
vNON-SURGICAL TREATMENT FOR LOWER BACK MIN I
;. A1994 study conducted by the Federal Government found that only 1
<out of 100 low back surgeries were successful. That is a 99% failure rate. - .J1
< This same study found that very often patients who undergo lower back J 9
• surgery actually end up in worse condition than before they were operat- pflF *’•» ffSfyg
•edon. Pl \ F
; At the Brown Chiropractic Clinic i have been successfully treating
’ • lower back conditions without surgery since 1983. We have literally
; saved hundreds of patients from unnecessary, dangerous and expen- H 9
•sive lower back surgery at a fraction of the cost. 9
y At the Brown Clinic we use a very specialized treatment called flexion-
* distraction. This treatment consists of distracting or stretching out the Dr. Mike Purpura, B.S. D.C.
’ lower back while fleodng or bencting. This is accomplished on a special Board Certified
-distraction table. This painless procedure has been shown to reduce
; bulging discs, unpinch nerves and increase the space between degenerated discs thereby relieving
-back and leg pain.
; If you wouki like information about this non-surgical, painless alternative to back surgery, please
-call me today at The Brown Clinic. We are the low back experts.
A Public Service from:
BROWN CHIROPRACTIC CLINIC
770-887-7234
Do You Have A Question for Dr. Purpura? Send It to:
\ BROWN CHIROPRACTIC
Bb fli
Ml * 9
■
Soukup said the situation left
him asking, “Do I remove this
child from the only home she’s
ever known or do I pick up the
paper in three weeks to read that
her boyfriend killed the child?’.’
Since there was no one in the
courtroom to help Soukup answer
this question, he called a meeting
to discuss the idea of using volun
teers as case workers. He expect
ed four participants in the meet
ing, but when Soukup arrived,
there were 50 people ready to lis
ten.
Today, people are still ready to
listen. Since 1993, CASA in
Forsyth and Cherokee counties
has grown into an organization of
140 volunteers. On Feb. 18,
CASAs from all over the state
to take her son to the doctor and it
didn’t cost anything.”
Peach Care for Kids officials pro
fess an approximate three week
turn around for the processing of
applications. Some local
providers said they had heard
complaints from parents
that waits are longer and
the phone line to
Peach Care is continually
busy. “Currently, we
receive over 850 phone
calls and 300 applications
each day,” said Key. One
$
Peach Care
for Kids
problem is the new toll
free exchange 877. Some long
distance blocking mechanisms at
many workplaces of parents do
not recognize 877 as a toll-free
exchange.
Peach Care is a comprehensive
HEALTH & SAFETY
came together for “CASA at the
Capitol” day, at the state Capitol.
Donna Maley, executive director
for Georgia CASA, proclaimed
that CASAs in the ’97-’9B fiscal
year drove 207,000 volunteer
miles. In their efforts, CASAs
saved the state $1.4 million in fos
ter care expenses.
Georgia CASA uses a yearly
state endowment of $612,000 to
help fund offices, salaries and
training. Otherwise, CASA relies
on county funds or donations.
Fortunately in Forsyth County,
CASA received some funding
from United Way.
“The competition for funding
among non-profit organizations is
fierce. CASA is a necessary pro
gram, we are the ones focusing on
healthcare program that includes
medical and dental care, although
of all the local dentists polled,
none were aware of dental bene
fits available through Peach Care
for Kids. Peach Care officials said
in response that marketing thus
far had been geared toward med
ical providers.
Parents whose income is too
high to qualify for Medicaid may
qualify to have their children
included in the Peach Care pro
gram.
The cost is $7.50 per month per
child not to exceed sls dollars.
Those interested in the program
can call toll-free (877) GA
PEACH for more information or
stop by your pediatrician’s office
or the local health department for
an application.
Jackie Curran,
legislative intern
Adam Butman
of Forsyth
County, Heidi
Kjdhede,
Georgia’s First
Lady Marie
Barnes, Pam
Collins, Kathy
Anglin in the
Capitol rotunda
during CASA
Day at the
Capitol on
Feb. 18.
Photo/Therese Allen
these children,” said Bell-Forsyth
and Blue Ridge CASA program
director Pam Collins.
There are currently 54 CASA
programs in Georgia.
The state organization hopes to
have a CASA program in every
county some day.
The local CASA office hopes to
see continued community volun
teerism to keep up with the
tremendous growth in this area.
“Abuse follows no demograph
ic,” said Gail Hawkins, one of the
children’s advocates. No matter
how upscale a community
becomes, neglect and abuse still
occur. CASAs can’t stop abuse
from happening the first time, but
they work very hard to keep it
from ever happening again.
For more information on becom
ing a CASA, call (770) 886-4082.
a . as
BffSr r BUI I .
9N9R- * m
That Means It’s Pollen Season and
WE CAN HELP!
Asthma/Hayfever Allergies to Insect Stings
Chronic Cough Sinusitis & Nasal Allergy
Hives
Donald M. Gilner, M.D. Mark D. Livezey, M.D., Ph.D.
Paul S. Rabinowitz, M.D. Glen L. Nadel, M.D.
210 Dahlonega St. Suite 104 Cumming, GA 30040
Cumming Family
Medicine Inc.
- Jeevana K. Krishna, M.D.
IIRW Family Practice • Board Certified
] We are committed to the highest quality patient
care provided in a friendly atmosphere.
™ I look forward to serving you and your family’s
Mr health care needs.
T ,V’ VW A Healthcare for adults and children •
1I « I ’Urgent Care •General Medicine •<
’jr 1 •Pediatrics & GYN / •Vaccines/lmmunizationsu
; \ O *Minor Surgery •School Physicals
•Pre-Employment Physical ’Worker's Comp
’Complete Lab/X-ray on
it Premises
Most Insurance 1230 Bald Ridge Marina Road Walk-ins
Accepted Cumming, GA 30041 Welcome
FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS Sunday, March M, ISW I
Pam Collins: Workings
for future of children
By Therese Allen
Staff Writer
Some call Pam Collins a slave
driver, she says, “but I’m proud of
it.”
The director for the Bell-
Forsyth/Blue Ridge Court
Appointed Special Advocate
(CASA) program is driven, but
more importantly she is value
focused. CASA volun
teers sing her praises and
are quick to commend her
efforts despite the fact
that she sees they “dot all
the i’s and cross all of the
t’s.”
As one of the founding
members of the Cherokee
County Council on Child
Abuse, Collins has been a
long time advocate foi
abused and neglected chil-
dren. Involvement with the CASA
program has been a natural pro
gression, stemmed from a love for
children.
Collins and her husband
Michael have two adopted chil
dren and one 5-year-old grandson.
“He is the apple of my eye,” says
Collins. She is quick to add that
her children were adopted from
“the system.” Her husband is one
of the top five engravers in the
world and designs cutlery for
Browning Arms. Collins calls
him “a true renaissance man.”
The Collins became CASA vol
unteers in 1993 and were foster
parents for sometime before that.
Due to the high demands of her
job she no longer takes children
into her home.
With more than 80 CASA vol
unteers to look after, Collins has
her hands full. “I am in awe of the
volunteers, they never cease to 1
amaze me. Not only do they take
cases but they will work in any
way they can to help the growth
of the program.” she said.
Collins says it aggravates her
that kids can’t vote. “If
kids could vote, we
wouldn’t be here today.”
In other words, if kids
could vote they would
make the decisions to
insure their protection
from family violence.
According to Collins, a
lot of communities bury
their heads in the sand
about abuse even though it
occurs in every demo-
»
I
ir Collins t
I- <
graphic. “Forsyth County is one
of the most community-minded
areas I have ever worked in,” says
Collins.
Collins gives credit to Judge Jeff
Bagley and the Forsyth County
Board of Commissioners for the I
growth of CASA in the county.
She says it is very gratifying to
see a child placed in a safe home.
When Collins is not immersed in
her dedication to the CASA pro
gram she says you might find her
digging away in her flower garden
or maybe even mowing the grass.
One thing is for sure, as long as
there are abused and neglected
children they will have a friend in
Pam Collins.
k ■’
PAGE 13F