Case managers like Trina Walker-Savage
address all areas of need through their
work with the Children’s Targeted Case
Management (TCM) program at Hall-Mercer Community Behavioral Health
Center, which supports more than 100
underserved families. Walker-Savage notes,
“we are with our clients from day one, and
we address so much more than mental
health issues.” If a child needs an advocate
at school, their case manager will be there. If
parents need to build stronger relationships
with their kids at home, they’ll be there.
Need connections to supportive community
resources? There. Require a helping hand to
navigate appointments and prescriptions?
There. Looking for the means to provide a
memorable family Christmas even while in
dire straits? As of 2016, they’re there.
Though the TCM team organized toy drives
in the past and amps up their efforts during
particularly stressful times like back-to-school
season, program manager Joelle Bradley,
LCSW, recognized three years ago that
across the board, the families they served
were becoming poorer and needed additional
supports. With a limited budget, there was
only so much the team could do alone, but
with the support of staff across disciplines,
they could actually change lives. With the
enthusiastic backing of her “remarkable” team,
Bradley launched the first Adopt-a-Family
event and paired a handful of underserved
families with community-minded employees.
“I wanted to see what would happen if we
tried something new, and it surpassed all
expectations,” she said. “It was an incredible
success, and it was outstanding to see the
extent of people’s generosity. Clothing, toys,
full sets of linens, pots and pans, winter
coats — we knew we had to do it again.”
Fast forward to this year, when 34 families
facing extreme challenges such as fires and
evictions were asked to provide wish lists so
donors spanning the whole health system
could ease their financial burdens. Families
were “adopted” by entire departments,
as well as by individual staff members
and their own families, and again, the
outpouring of compassion was staggering.
The Pennsylvania Hospital Pharmacy
team, for example, took on a large extended
family and filled an entire conference room
with gifts, while Radiology needed four
carts and multiple elevator trips to transport
all of their contributions. Case manager
Ying Huang noted that not only was every
family’s wish list checked off entirely (many
of which listed basic clothing items and
household needs), but the donors “went
above and beyond and purchased extra stuff
for the kids and for the rest of the family”
ranging from cozy robes to shiny bikes.
“A lot of the families we work with are
unable to afford household items like dishes
or sheets, let alone Christmas gifts for their
children, so having their wish lists fulfilled
was incredibly helpful for all of them,” said
case manager Sheena Neely. “We could tell
by their expressions and their feedback that
they were beyond happy — they were very
grateful.”
Occasionally, parents denied needing
anything and shifted the focus to their
children, but the case managers insisted
they take the opportunity to accept support
and ask for something of their own rather
than putting others first. As Walker-Savage
recalls, “One mother was walking around the
house to figure out what her family needed,
and there were sheets on the windows. She
excitedly said, ‘Oh! Do they do curtains?
Can I get curtains?’ and I said, ‘You can
absolutely get curtains! Let’s measure for
them!’ [After the gifts were distributed,] I
visited again, and she had the curtains up.
There were tears, blessings, and hugs, and
families are still talking about it.”
Though helping families create their wish
lists, coordinating the donors, wrangling the
“absolutely overwhelming” quantity of gifts,
and finally delivering the gifts can prove
challenging, the long hours and the massive
effort prove completely worth it.
“We serve low-income families, inner city
kids, one-parent households — people not
used to getting a lot. Through this program,
we’re able to at least provide this one perfect
day,” said case manager Mackeisha Rogers.
“They’re so grateful, and we’re so grateful
for the support of the health system. This
program has really blossomed, and I can
foresee it becoming a lot bigger. It’ll be a lot
of work, but when we see the responses —
it’s amazing.”