TEAM SPOTLIGHT
FOSTERING WELL-BEING Providing care coordination to our clients is central to helping them live with good health, independence and control over their decisions. Although most of HCS’s work involves older adults and adults with disabilities, the Fostering Well-Being team focuses on care coordination for children. Fostering Well-Being, part of the Office of Well-Being, Improvement and Nursing (WIN), provides expert medical consultation for children in foster care who have significant medical, behavioral and/or mental health needs. Every year, the Fostering Well-Being team works with about 4000 kids – about 300 every month – with the goal of improving health outcomes through care coordination services. “It’s such a unique body of work for ALTSA and HCS,” said Dawn Shuford-Pavlich, Office Chief for WIN. “The volume of work they do is off the charts. It has been for years and they just keep going steady. It’s really amazing. This is very challenging and compelling work with limited resources and this team has an
unwavering commitment to these medically fragile children in foster care. I am so proud of this team and the work they do!” This tiny team consists of Chani Hayes, the Fostering Well-Being Unit Manager, one Outcome Improvement Specialist, one Program Specialist, and two registered nurses and five pediatricians who serve as part-time Regional Medical Consultants. Chani has been with the program since its inception 11 years ago and has served as its Unit Manager since January 2020. Originally part of Health Care Authority, the program migrated to ALTSA several years ago. Now, the program staff work in coordination with social workers and program management at the Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) to support the care coordination needs of kids in foster care. Through care coordination, the team aims to provide appropriate health care and timely and accessible services so that children don’t experience gaps in
