May 5, 2023 • 30 mins
Philadelphia is the poorest big city in the nation, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. AmeriHealth Caritas, a national leader in Medicaid managed care and other health care solutions for those most in need, is hosting a special community action poverty simulation to help its associates and invited guests to better understand the impact of poverty on daily living. I speak to Joanne McFall, Market President for AmeriHealth Caritas’ Southeastern Pennsylvania Managed Care Plan, Keystone. www.amerihealthcaritas.com,
https://www.facebook.com/AmeriHealthCaritas,
https://twitter.com/AmCaritas
Antisemitism is on the rise and Mural Arts Philly is developing a mural and education program in partnership with the Philadelphia Holocaust Remembrance Foundation designed to emphasize the importance of Holocaust education and remembrance. Arts from around the world are invited to submit designs for the mural. I speak to Mural Arts Philadelphia Executive Director Jane Golden about the project. Website: https://www.muralarts.org/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/muralarts/?hl=en
First, I speak to Aileen McCullough, District Supervisor for Wynnewood office of Adoptions from the Heart about what people need to know about open adoption and options for expecting and birth parents for placing a child for adoption.
website www.afth.org lots of great info for those facing unplanned pregnancy call 800-355-5500 (someone available 24/7)
https://www.facebook.com/AmeriHealthCaritas,
https://twitter.com/AmCaritas
Antisemitism is on the rise and Mural Arts Philly is developing a mural and education program in partnership with the Philadelphia Holocaust Remembrance Foundation designed to emphasize the importance of Holocaust education and remembrance. Arts from around the world are invited to submit designs for the mural. I speak to Mural Arts Philadelphia Executive Director Jane Golden about the project. Website: https://www.muralarts.org/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/muralarts/?hl=en
First, I speak to Aileen McCullough, District Supervisor for Wynnewood office of Adoptions from the Heart about what people need to know about open adoption and options for expecting and birth parents for placing a child for adoption.
website www.afth.org lots of great info for those facing unplanned pregnancy call 800-355-5500 (someone available 24/7)
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Good morning, and welcome to what'sgoing on? A show about making a
difference in our lives and our communities. I'm Lorraine Ballard Morral. What do
we really know about the lived experienceof poverty two days? Most people living
below the poverty line are working,but are often in the position of making
impossible choices paying for food, orpaying for the rent, or going to
the doctor. A Mera Health Caratashas a unique program that helps those who
(00:24):
participate actually simulate those difficult decisions.Anti Semitism is on the rise, and
Marillard's Philly is developing a mural andeducation program in partnership with the Philadelphia Holocaust
Remembrance Foundation. First, we're goingto talk about a topic that's very close
to my heart. I am anadoptive parent and one of the most joyful
(00:44):
days of my entire life was whenI met my son Christopher four days old
and now he's thirty. It's beenan amazing, amazing journey. I love
him so much. So I'm abig advocate for adoption and that's what we're
going to be talking about today withAdoptions from the Heart, which is a
nonprofit, full service adoption agency thathas placed over seventy two hundred kids and
(01:10):
founded by an adoptee who believed inthe benefits of open adoption. Joining us
right now is Eileen McCullough. Sheis District Supervisor for the Winwood Office of
Adoptions. From the heart, thankyou so much for joining us today and
I'm so delighted to be talking toyou about this topic. First of all,
let's begin by talking about what openadoption is. What is it?
Thank you. Most people have heardabout open adoption or adoption, but are
(01:36):
not necessarily familiar with the terms.So we promote communication between the birth parents
as well as the adoptive parents forthe benefit of the child in their lives.
So we acknowledge the child's first story, will promote and encourage the communication
between all parents to be there infull support of the child through their development
(02:00):
and growth. What are some ofthe advantages of an open adoption. The
advantages are that the adoptee themselves hasa stronger awareness of where they originated from
and how they came to be apart of the family and extended family in
(02:21):
the sense of also getting to knowpotentially the birth parents family members too,
so that there's that availability for fulldisclosure and transparency for the child to again
feel that strength and that love.What are some of the steps that people
have to go when they've decided thatthey want to become an adoptive parent?
(02:42):
Step one? What do they do? So welcome to please go onto our
website and take a look at theopen webinard on our calendar. We host
them monthly and it is a zoommeeting at no cost that goes over really
in greater detail, al about theopen adoption, what adoptive parents can come
(03:02):
to expect, and an overview ofthe process in beginning. So with all
potential adoptive parents, we would likefor them to attend that webinar and out
of their attendance then they would fillout an application and a social worker would
be assigned to start working with themdirectly to assist them in their process.
(03:23):
Right, and what is the rangein terms of the ages of those that
you place for adoption? Sure,at this time we are primarily taking care
of domestic adoptions. I should justclarify that, so we no longer are
working in international adoptions per se.We do facilitate home studies, though we
(03:49):
could do a home study only fora potential international adoption, However, were
our primary focus is placing a childinfant through the age of six into an
adoptive parent home. Now, let'slook on the other side for a birth
parent. What are some of thethings that you would like a birth parent
(04:10):
to know if they are potentially thinkingabout making a decision to place their child
through adoptions From the heart, greatquestion, We are very interested in supporting
the expectant parent wherever they are intheir pregnancy or in their decision making.
We are always deferring to their choiceand what it is that they would like
(04:33):
to see for their child, andwe do go over all birth counseling options
with them. So there are timesthat we meet birth parents right after they've
given birth, and so we arediscussing with them their choices at that time
and always, always, always,it is their choice. So we are
(04:54):
non judgmental in our communication with expectantparents or birth parents. There's no pressure,
there's no judgment, and it's reallynever too early or too late to
contact us. We understand that it'svery scary, it's a very potentially difficult
time in one's life. This isa very large, large decision, and
(05:15):
we want to be there every stepof the way with them to make sure
that they feel supported and encouraged andagain that it's ultimately their decision, and
whatever decision they come to, wewill support and we do provide counseling after
placement as well if they go that. And you do provide all kinds of
(05:36):
supports for the birth parent and theparents the adoptive parents as well. I
know that I went through that andit was so helpful to speak to other
adoptive parents to get their experiences andto get their point of view and to
be and a group with people thatare going through this very special shared experience.
(05:57):
Agreed, Yes, there is reallywonderful wrapper support and services really,
you know, every step of theway. We do have a mentoring program
for our birth or expectant parents.We have workshops, we have support groups,
we can do needs assessment with them. Our adoptive parents are sometimes we
(06:18):
will reach out to an adoptive parentas well to be a mentor for another
adoptive parent if maybe they were recentlyplaced and they're just reaching out for some
support. We bridge that connection,of course, with everybody's permission and consent
in order to do so, andwe really just fully want for everyone to
(06:41):
know that we are with them insupport of whatever they may need, and
that there is again no judgment,no pressure. We are transparent and our
support of everyone who comes to usseeking to enhance their lives through adoption.
Well, I know that my lifewas certainly by adopting my son, who
(07:01):
I love so dearly. If there'sa bird's parent out there who wants to
consider placing their child with a lovingcouple, or if they are a loving
couple who wants to adopt, tellus where they go. Sure, they
are welcome to gochar website directly,which is www dot as an Apple epson,
(07:23):
Frank Teason, Tom his and Harrydot org. They're also welcome to
call the Winwood office six one zerosix four two seven two zero zero.
Or lastly, we have an eighthundred number one eight hundred three to five
five five five zero zero, andwe have availability twenty four seven on that
(07:45):
one eight hundred support line, sothat if somebody's really coming to GRIPS or
wanting to reach out at any pointin time, we will take that information
and reach out the following day.There is on call support. Well,
I can't think of anything more fantasticand wonderful than being able to take a
child into your own heart. Adoptionsfrom the Heart give that option to families
(08:09):
who maybe they can't have children ontheir own for whatever reason, or there's
someone who just has so much lovethey'd like to embrace another child to be
a part of that family circle.Adoptions from the Heart is one place that
you can go to make that happen. Aileen McCullum, who is District Supervisor
for the Winwood Office of Adoptions fromthe Heart, thank you so much for
(08:31):
joining us today, my pleasure.Thank you so much. When you're high,
you feel different. I think different, to talk different, to draw
different, you listen to music different. But you probably knew that. The
(08:52):
problem is you also drive different,and not in a good way. That's
why driving high is illegal everywhere.So if you're high, just don't drive.
Make a plan to get a soberride because if you feel different,
you drive different. Brought to youby Nitza in the ad Council. On
May sixteenth, Primary election day,Philadelphia, voters have many important choices to
(09:16):
make. The ballot is long andrequires your utmost attention. In addition to
voting from mayor city Controller, citycouncil, at large district, city council
posts, and judicial seats. Thereare important ballot questions to focus on.
Please study all candidates and questions carefullybecause your voting matters. You can vote
by mail or at the polls Tuesday, May sixteenth. Remember it is your
(09:37):
right, your privilege, and yourduty to vote. You're listening to what's
going on. The rise of antiSemitism is a cause for concern, not
(09:58):
just for the Jewish community, butfor society as a whole, as it
poses a threat to our shared valuesof equality, tolerance, and respect for
diversity. Mural Arts Philadelphia and thePhiladelphia Holocaust Remembrance Foundation are working together to
create a mural to address anti Semitismwhile also communicating a message of hope.
(10:18):
To tell us more as Jane Golden, Executive director of Mural Arts, Jane
tell us, what inspired Mural Artsand Philadelphia Holocaust Remembrance Foundation to create this
new mural. Well, the Foundationreached out to us not too long ago,
and I was quite frankly thrilled andmoved Because I sometimes walked by this
(10:39):
site. I find it to bea site of great significance and also a
place to think and contemplate. AndI've looked at the wall because I'm a
great wall hunter, and I thought, you know, what an extraordinary project.
So we jump for joy. Andwe have been working probably for eight
(11:00):
months to try to put a reallygood plan in place around artists selection,
the design, how we're going towork with people, engage people, how
we want it to be highly educational. We just want to make sure that
everything goes right because it's such animportant project. There is a rise in
anti Semitism, and what is especiallyalarming is that there are people more and
(11:22):
more who are I guess what theycall Holocaust deniers, basically saying that the
Holocaust did not exist, did nothappen, and we know that that certainly
not true. And I wonder ifyou can talk about why it's important to
advance Holocaust education and remembrance across thecountry, because I think as a society
(11:43):
we have to say collectively, neveragain. We understand the precarious nature of
you know, where we are rightnow in our society, the kinds of
divisions and boundaries and borders, andthe sort of I can't believe the negativity
and evil actually that's out there,and so we have to think, well,
(12:05):
you know, how do we holdonto the Holocaust, what happened?
And how do we learn from it? And quite frankly, Lorraine, we
have to think how we universalize ittoo, that this is there's there's like
the struggle of you know, blackand brown people and women and the LGBTQ
community. And you know, whilethis mural won't be O one size fits
all, I don't want to saythat, but I want to say that
(12:28):
I want it, and I thinkthe board and everyone involved really wants it
really to touch on the universal natureof both struggle and resilience and a hopefulness
like how do we how do wethink about that? You know, Rebecca
Soliman talks about how we rode forwardlooking back, so we keep an eye
(12:48):
on the past, learn from itas we move forward into what I hope
is the light. I wonder ifwe can also talk about the power of
art to uplift, to essentially senda message to inspire. Tell us more
about about that aspect and how muralscontribute to that in our communities. Well,
(13:11):
I think that's such a great questionbecause over and over, over the
years, what I have seen isart's ability to consistently shine a light on
our difference and distinctions and yet underscoreour humanity and commonality. I mean,
I've seen it in situations where there'sbeen a lot of acrimony, where we're
working with groups who're not talking toeach other, where we're working in a
(13:33):
situation where there is negativity, andsomehow through that artistic process, getting people
to vision together towards a common goal, getting them to think beyond themselves,
getting them to actually to listen toanother person rather than judging them and sort
of say, oh, well,wait a minute, this person is not
so different from me. I've seenthat so consistently. It For me,
(13:56):
it just underscores the importance of artto us together in a way that is
very, I think, very profound. And then of course there's just the
idea of beauty in our lives andwhat that means and how uplifting it is
to have a spot that is aplace, it's a respite where one can
(14:16):
be and reflect on that work ofart and have one's own dialogue with it.
I love when people talk about muralsas monuments, because I do feel
that the murals are intimacy in apublic space. And also what Mural Arts
has done in partnership with so manydifferent organizations is to utilize the mural as
(14:37):
almost like a jump off point foreducation, so that it's not just the
mural, but it's also the opportunityto connect with an educational process that expands
the impact of a mural that iscorrect. And so that is why process
is just as important as the finalproduct. How are we getting there,
Who are the voices that are goingto be involved, What the discussions that
(15:00):
we can stir up. How aboutthe paintings so that people feel that they're
actually, really psychologically and actually ina very real way connected to it.
I think we need to build inall those moments so it doesn't feel like
something that landed from Mars and it'sjust there and it is disconnected from us.
It's too important. I mean,just generally, when you work in
public space, it's a huge responsibilitybecause you want the public to be involved.
(15:24):
I mean, there's a reason whyafter all these years that we're still
here, and iposit that it isbased on the amount of authors we've involved.
And I say authors because I seecitizens as really the co creators of
the work everywhere in the city,and that really matters. So there is
an invitation that's going out to muralists, to artists around the world. Tell
(15:46):
us about that process and how peoplecan find out more about it. Yes,
people can go to the Philadelphia HolocaustRemembrance Foundation website and they can download
the RFQ, and we hope thata lot of people apply. I think
it's starting yesterday, that's what's happening. And we're going to have a multi
(16:07):
step process for the selection of theartist, and we're going to really take
our time and they'll be different stagesof how we narrow it down and interview
people and talk to people, andI just think it's just important that we
be as respectful to the site aspossible, and that means that we do
(16:29):
this with great care. But peoplecan go to that website now and download
that RFQ. Any final words beforewe close, Well, you know,
I always think that that art canlead to change in transformation, and I
guess it's because we've seen it inpeople in communities and by extension, I
think that there is an huge impacton the civic life of our city.
I think Philadelphia is now has anoutdoor museum, which is important because the
(16:53):
works of art resonate with people.And I think it's important to do small
projects in neighborhoods and larger, moresweeping projects. And it's important to take
on issues that are really difficult andcomplicated, because otherwise, how else do
we start to pull this apart andunderstand it. And art has a way
(17:14):
of giving us a flashlight when we'rein a deep dark forest and helping us
to see a path forward. Andthat is what I'm hoping that this project
will do. It's a beautiful famileArts Philadelphia the Philadelphia Holocaust Remembrance Foundation are
working together to create a mural toaddress anti Semitism while also communicating a message
(17:36):
of hope and resilience. Jane Golden, Executive director of Mural Arts, thank
you so much. Thank you,it's so nice to see you, and
thank you for having me on today. Tom has going to take here for
over forty years. One day,I think one of the students that asked
the question and he didn't remember theanswer. I also noticed that he was
leading his class out earlier than theywere supposed to let out. I was
really starting to worry. Levi andI talked about how it would change our
(18:00):
but she was there beside me.When something feels different, it could be
Alzheimer's. Now is the time totalk. Visit alz dot org slash our
stories to learn more. A messagefrom the Alzheimer's Association and the ad Council.
For one hundred thirty six years,the Boys and Girls Clubs in Philadelphia
have served youth to reach their fullpotential as productive, caring and responsible citizens
(18:22):
by providing programs such as Kids Cafe, littlecy Initiative and STEM Labs. On
May seventeenth, join us as theStars have aligned to go for the Gold
by celebrating the Ericson family and CoachDick Vermeil at our eleventh annual Coaches Private
Reserve Dinner called two one five,seven, three five eight, eight one
eight, or visited BGC Phila dotorg for more info. Philadelphia is the
(18:49):
largest big city with the worst poverty. A MERA healthcaretus A national leader and
Medicaid managed care and other healthcare solutionsfor those in need. Host a special
Community Action Poverty simulation to help itsassociates and invited guests to better understand the
impact of poverty on daily living.Join us to tell us more about it
(19:15):
is Joanne McFall, market president fora Mere Health A Care to Southeastern Pennsylvania,
Thank you so much for joining ushere today. So tell us,
first of all, what the purposeof this poverty simulation is. Absolutely so,
I'm so grateful to be here.And really, with the poverty simulation,
what we're working to do is tocreate empathy and understanding of the stress
(19:41):
and the anxiety and the trauma thatpeople face when they live in poverty every
day and have to negotiate decisions likedo I get my food for my children,
or do I pick up that prescription? Do I have to get to
work? But when do I goand get grenatal care if I'm a pregnant
woman. It's a very condensed,three to four hour experience of what it's
(20:06):
like to live in poverty for amonth and have to navigate those decisions.
And one of the big challenges thatwe face is that, you know,
there's this misconception that people who areon government programs like Medicaid are just sitting
around collecting money, and the realityis most of our members have jobs or
(20:30):
are full time caregivers for children withchronic conditions. So a lot of struggling
families have jobs, they simply don'tmake enough money to make ends meet,
and so this experience helps people tounderstand what you have to do to navigate.
Even a lot of people don't utilizethe social services that are available to
(20:52):
them because even that takes a lotof work and coordination and time waiting in
lines or filling out paperwork and things. So it's just a very interesting way
to create some perspective and hopefully toinform decisions and policies that are made that
impact are our citizens that are livingin poverty JO and give us a sense
(21:15):
of what the experience is like,how does it unfold. Throughout the course
of the simulation, you become aperson with a background and a scenario.
So, for example, I waspart of a family where I was a
twelve year old girl and I hadan older brother who was going to the
(21:37):
community college to work on his degree. Our mother was no longer in the
picture, and unfortunately our father wasin prison, and so it was on
my older brother to be the headof the family. I had to go
to school, and when I wasin the school, situations unfold that children
may face every day. Kids arebeing asked to do things that maybe poor
(22:00):
decisions. You've got somebody who's tryingto get you to take drugs. You've
got someone who's trying to steal yourstuff. The teacher in the school is
just trying to control this large classof children and take care of all the
administrative work. It really never hastime to teach anyone, you know,
So it's really fascinating. And whatwe found was that even in a situation,
(22:22):
there are these good things that canhappen in bad things that can happen.
So even in the good thing whereI want a fifty dollars check for
the school art contest, which wasgreat for our family, but my brother
he had to not go to hisclassic community college because he had to take
three buses to go to the bankto cash that check, and of course
that came with a fee, soour fifty dollars was really only forty three
(22:45):
dollars. And it's just kind ofthat reality of like having to face one
adversity after another and try to haveenough money to buy food and pay the
rent. And if your family oryou as an individual don't pay your rent
on time when you come back toyour space, which is a group of
chairs in the facility, then yourchairs are turned over and there's an eviction
(23:08):
sign. So it's really tracks everysingle thing that could happen to a person
or family in the course of amonth. Joan, I know that we
like to think of ourselves as beingempathetic individuals. However, when we don't
literally face these kinds of difficult andsometimes impossible decisions, then we really don't
(23:32):
understand what it's like to live withthem. And I wonder, having experienced
this poverty simulation, what were someof the things that you walked away with?
What did you learn from that experiencethat you had no idea before.
I think two things really stand outto me. One is the amount of
stress that comes from having to alwaysbe trying to make difficult decisis to always
(24:00):
be feeling that you don't have controlover the things that are happening to you.
The two times that I've gone throughthis experience, even for the short
time that I was in that situation, it was so stressful and so full
of anxiety. And I was luckybecause I could leave there after four hours
and get in my car and driveback to my job and do all the
(24:23):
things that I didn't have the opportunityor advantage of doing during that simulation,
for me, the thing that Ihave, and this is such a very
small taste of what people experience everyday, is not only the mental and
emotional impact of that stress, butthe physical impact of that stress. And
then related to that, the onething that we found was that in going
(24:48):
through this experience, the thing thatreally takes the lowest priority for people who
are having to make these decisions isaccessing healthcare services. So you've got the
compounding fac of creating more things thatcreate poor health outcomes through this stress and
this trauma, and then people don'thave the time, the access, the
(25:10):
money, whatever to get basic healthcareservices that they need. So for us
as a health ensure it really broughtthat very much into clarity of how we
need to think about our business inthe ways that we can then support people
who are going through this every day. Give me an example of a policy
(25:33):
adjustment that you might have made asa result of this new understanding. When
we're working with our members who arepart of the Keystone First Health Plan,
if we find out that there isa transportation need that is preventing someone from
accessing a service, we will workwith them to provide transportation either through a
(25:53):
cab ride or a lift or anuber. So just taking that one one
barrier of transportation out of the equation, and sometimes that means finding a transportation
provider that can not only if wehave a mom who needs to go to
a prenatal visit, but she hasother children. We make sure that there's
a transportation provider that has car seatsto transport the other children. So it's
(26:18):
those kinds of things to try toeliminate some of the barriers that are preventing
people from accessing the services that theyneed. Even when they are able and
willing to access those services, theresometimes are still barriers that we can help
to remove. Yeah, so youcan make some very slight adjustments and that
can make all the difference in theworld for that individual. If I could
(26:40):
just add one other thing, youknow, this is something that not only
that we make available to the employeesof our organization to participate in, but
all of the senior leaders of theorganization, and again that really helps to
create that understanding that goes into thebigger decisions we make as an organization about
(27:02):
what services and benefits to offer toour members and where to put our resources.
So it's a commitment through every levelof our organization to create the participation
and the understanding that comes from that. This poverty simulation is happening in May
and it's not I'm sure there arelike a ton of people who are listening
who say, yeah, I wantto do it, but this is really
(27:23):
a very specific group of people.You just can't walk in and say I'd
like to sign up for a tellus who the target audience is for this
time around, we're primarily targeting ourassociates, but also working We're trying to
work with some of our legislative leadersin the area for participation. That's something
that we've done before in Philadelphia andin other markets where we have similar businesses.
(27:48):
Because if we can help people whoare making policy and budget decisions that
impact a program like medical assistance inPennsylvania to participate, we like to think
that that gives a greater opportunity alsofor that understanding and that experience, which
then can inform future policy decisions andresource allocation. I love that. I
(28:12):
wish that every elected official did thispoverty simulation. I think maybe we could
make some real progress in terms ofaddressing this persistent poverty that's impacting Philadelphia.
Well, if people want more informationabout mere health Keratas and Keystone First,
(28:32):
how do they find out more?Individuals can always access us through our website,
which here in Philadelphia is www dotKeystone firstpa dot com. And through
that link you can also connect withthe met Healthcare TOSS, which is our
parent organization. Specifically, if thereare individuals who are members of Keystone First,
(28:55):
they can also reach out to ourMember Services team at one eight five
to one six to eight six zero. Joanne McFall, market president for a
metrahealth Caretas Southeastern Pennsylvania, which isa managed care plan Keystone First, which
is sponsoring this poverty simulation to raiseour awareness about the true nature of poverty
(29:18):
and perhaps dispel some of the stereotypesand misconceptions that we have about people who
are living in poverty because the majorityare in fact working and are simply doing
their best to balance some impossible choices. Thank you so much for sponsoring this.
I think it's very important, andlike I said, every elected official
should be doing this poverty simulation andwe'll keep working on trying to make that
(29:42):
happen. Fantastic, Thank you,Joanne for joining us today. Thanks Lorraine
for having me. I really appreciateit. You can listen to all of
today's interviews by going to our stationwebsite and typing in keyword Community. You
can also listen on the iHeartRadio appkeyword Lorraine with one R. Follow me
on Twitter and Instagram at Lorraine Ballard. I'm Lorraine Ballard Morrow and I stand
(30:03):
for service to our community and mediathat empowers. What will you stand for?
You've been listening to What's going onED. Thank you
Good morning, and welcome to what'sgoing on? A show about making a
difference in our lives and our communities. I'm Lorraine Ballard Morral. What do
we really know about the lived experienceof poverty two days? Most people living
below the poverty line are working,but are often in the position of making
impossible choices paying for food, orpaying for the rent, or going to
the doctor. A Mera Health Caratashas a unique program that helps those who
(00:24):
participate actually simulate those difficult decisions.Anti Semitism is on the rise, and
Marillard's Philly is developing a mural andeducation program in partnership with the Philadelphia Holocaust
Remembrance Foundation. First, we're goingto talk about a topic that's very close
to my heart. I am anadoptive parent and one of the most joyful
(00:44):
days of my entire life was whenI met my son Christopher four days old
and now he's thirty. It's beenan amazing, amazing journey. I love
him so much. So I'm abig advocate for adoption and that's what we're
going to be talking about today withAdoptions from the Heart, which is a
nonprofit, full service adoption agency thathas placed over seventy two hundred kids and
(01:10):
founded by an adoptee who believed inthe benefits of open adoption. Joining us
right now is Eileen McCullough. Sheis District Supervisor for the Winwood Office of
Adoptions. From the heart, thankyou so much for joining us today and
I'm so delighted to be talking toyou about this topic. First of all,
let's begin by talking about what openadoption is. What is it?
Thank you. Most people have heardabout open adoption or adoption, but are
(01:36):
not necessarily familiar with the terms.So we promote communication between the birth parents
as well as the adoptive parents forthe benefit of the child in their lives.
So we acknowledge the child's first story, will promote and encourage the communication
between all parents to be there infull support of the child through their development
(02:00):
and growth. What are some ofthe advantages of an open adoption. The
advantages are that the adoptee themselves hasa stronger awareness of where they originated from
and how they came to be apart of the family and extended family in
(02:21):
the sense of also getting to knowpotentially the birth parents family members too,
so that there's that availability for fulldisclosure and transparency for the child to again
feel that strength and that love.What are some of the steps that people
have to go when they've decided thatthey want to become an adoptive parent?
(02:42):
Step one? What do they do? So welcome to please go onto our
website and take a look at theopen webinard on our calendar. We host
them monthly and it is a zoommeeting at no cost that goes over really
in greater detail, al about theopen adoption, what adoptive parents can come
(03:02):
to expect, and an overview ofthe process in beginning. So with all
potential adoptive parents, we would likefor them to attend that webinar and out
of their attendance then they would fillout an application and a social worker would
be assigned to start working with themdirectly to assist them in their process.
(03:23):
Right, and what is the rangein terms of the ages of those that
you place for adoption? Sure,at this time we are primarily taking care
of domestic adoptions. I should justclarify that, so we no longer are
working in international adoptions per se.We do facilitate home studies, though we
(03:49):
could do a home study only fora potential international adoption, However, were
our primary focus is placing a childinfant through the age of six into an
adoptive parent home. Now, let'slook on the other side for a birth
parent. What are some of thethings that you would like a birth parent
(04:10):
to know if they are potentially thinkingabout making a decision to place their child
through adoptions From the heart, greatquestion, We are very interested in supporting
the expectant parent wherever they are intheir pregnancy or in their decision making.
We are always deferring to their choiceand what it is that they would like
(04:33):
to see for their child, andwe do go over all birth counseling options
with them. So there are timesthat we meet birth parents right after they've
given birth, and so we arediscussing with them their choices at that time
and always, always, always,it is their choice. So we are
(04:54):
non judgmental in our communication with expectantparents or birth parents. There's no pressure,
there's no judgment, and it's reallynever too early or too late to
contact us. We understand that it'svery scary, it's a very potentially difficult
time in one's life. This isa very large, large decision, and
(05:15):
we want to be there every stepof the way with them to make sure
that they feel supported and encouraged andagain that it's ultimately their decision, and
whatever decision they come to, wewill support and we do provide counseling after
placement as well if they go that. And you do provide all kinds of
(05:36):
supports for the birth parent and theparents the adoptive parents as well. I
know that I went through that andit was so helpful to speak to other
adoptive parents to get their experiences andto get their point of view and to
be and a group with people thatare going through this very special shared experience.
(05:57):
Agreed, Yes, there is reallywonderful wrapper support and services really,
you know, every step of theway. We do have a mentoring program
for our birth or expectant parents.We have workshops, we have support groups,
we can do needs assessment with them. Our adoptive parents are sometimes we
(06:18):
will reach out to an adoptive parentas well to be a mentor for another
adoptive parent if maybe they were recentlyplaced and they're just reaching out for some
support. We bridge that connection,of course, with everybody's permission and consent
in order to do so, andwe really just fully want for everyone to
(06:41):
know that we are with them insupport of whatever they may need, and
that there is again no judgment,no pressure. We are transparent and our
support of everyone who comes to usseeking to enhance their lives through adoption.
Well, I know that my lifewas certainly by adopting my son, who
(07:01):
I love so dearly. If there'sa bird's parent out there who wants to
consider placing their child with a lovingcouple, or if they are a loving
couple who wants to adopt, tellus where they go. Sure, they
are welcome to gochar website directly,which is www dot as an Apple epson,
(07:23):
Frank Teason, Tom his and Harrydot org. They're also welcome to
call the Winwood office six one zerosix four two seven two zero zero.
Or lastly, we have an eighthundred number one eight hundred three to five
five five five zero zero, andwe have availability twenty four seven on that
(07:45):
one eight hundred support line, sothat if somebody's really coming to GRIPS or
wanting to reach out at any pointin time, we will take that information
and reach out the following day.There is on call support. Well,
I can't think of anything more fantasticand wonderful than being able to take a
child into your own heart. Adoptionsfrom the Heart give that option to families
(08:09):
who maybe they can't have children ontheir own for whatever reason, or there's
someone who just has so much lovethey'd like to embrace another child to be
a part of that family circle.Adoptions from the Heart is one place that
you can go to make that happen. Aileen McCullum, who is District Supervisor
for the Winwood Office of Adoptions fromthe Heart, thank you so much for
(08:31):
joining us today, my pleasure.Thank you so much. When you're high,
you feel different. I think different, to talk different, to draw
different, you listen to music different. But you probably knew that. The
(08:52):
problem is you also drive different,and not in a good way. That's
why driving high is illegal everywhere.So if you're high, just don't drive.
Make a plan to get a soberride because if you feel different,
you drive different. Brought to youby Nitza in the ad Council. On
May sixteenth, Primary election day,Philadelphia, voters have many important choices to
(09:16):
make. The ballot is long andrequires your utmost attention. In addition to
voting from mayor city Controller, citycouncil, at large district, city council
posts, and judicial seats. Thereare important ballot questions to focus on.
Please study all candidates and questions carefullybecause your voting matters. You can vote
by mail or at the polls Tuesday, May sixteenth. Remember it is your
(09:37):
right, your privilege, and yourduty to vote. You're listening to what's
going on. The rise of antiSemitism is a cause for concern, not
(09:58):
just for the Jewish community, butfor society as a whole, as it
poses a threat to our shared valuesof equality, tolerance, and respect for
diversity. Mural Arts Philadelphia and thePhiladelphia Holocaust Remembrance Foundation are working together to
create a mural to address anti Semitismwhile also communicating a message of hope.
(10:18):
To tell us more as Jane Golden, Executive director of Mural Arts, Jane
tell us, what inspired Mural Artsand Philadelphia Holocaust Remembrance Foundation to create this
new mural. Well, the Foundationreached out to us not too long ago,
and I was quite frankly thrilled andmoved Because I sometimes walked by this
(10:39):
site. I find it to bea site of great significance and also a
place to think and contemplate. AndI've looked at the wall because I'm a
great wall hunter, and I thought, you know, what an extraordinary project.
So we jump for joy. Andwe have been working probably for eight
(11:00):
months to try to put a reallygood plan in place around artists selection,
the design, how we're going towork with people, engage people, how
we want it to be highly educational. We just want to make sure that
everything goes right because it's such animportant project. There is a rise in
anti Semitism, and what is especiallyalarming is that there are people more and
(11:22):
more who are I guess what theycall Holocaust deniers, basically saying that the
Holocaust did not exist, did nothappen, and we know that that certainly
not true. And I wonder ifyou can talk about why it's important to
advance Holocaust education and remembrance across thecountry, because I think as a society
(11:43):
we have to say collectively, neveragain. We understand the precarious nature of
you know, where we are rightnow in our society, the kinds of
divisions and boundaries and borders, andthe sort of I can't believe the negativity
and evil actually that's out there,and so we have to think, well,
(12:05):
you know, how do we holdonto the Holocaust, what happened?
And how do we learn from it? And quite frankly, Lorraine, we
have to think how we universalize ittoo, that this is there's there's like
the struggle of you know, blackand brown people and women and the LGBTQ
community. And you know, whilethis mural won't be O one size fits
all, I don't want to saythat, but I want to say that
(12:28):
I want it, and I thinkthe board and everyone involved really wants it
really to touch on the universal natureof both struggle and resilience and a hopefulness
like how do we how do wethink about that? You know, Rebecca
Soliman talks about how we rode forwardlooking back, so we keep an eye
(12:48):
on the past, learn from itas we move forward into what I hope
is the light. I wonder ifwe can also talk about the power of
art to uplift, to essentially senda message to inspire. Tell us more
about about that aspect and how muralscontribute to that in our communities. Well,
(13:11):
I think that's such a great questionbecause over and over, over the
years, what I have seen isart's ability to consistently shine a light on
our difference and distinctions and yet underscoreour humanity and commonality. I mean,
I've seen it in situations where there'sbeen a lot of acrimony, where we're
working with groups who're not talking toeach other, where we're working in a
(13:33):
situation where there is negativity, andsomehow through that artistic process, getting people
to vision together towards a common goal, getting them to think beyond themselves,
getting them to actually to listen toanother person rather than judging them and sort
of say, oh, well,wait a minute, this person is not
so different from me. I've seenthat so consistently. It For me,
(13:56):
it just underscores the importance of artto us together in a way that is
very, I think, very profound. And then of course there's just the
idea of beauty in our lives andwhat that means and how uplifting it is
to have a spot that is aplace, it's a respite where one can
(14:16):
be and reflect on that work ofart and have one's own dialogue with it.
I love when people talk about muralsas monuments, because I do feel
that the murals are intimacy in apublic space. And also what Mural Arts
has done in partnership with so manydifferent organizations is to utilize the mural as
(14:37):
almost like a jump off point foreducation, so that it's not just the
mural, but it's also the opportunityto connect with an educational process that expands
the impact of a mural that iscorrect. And so that is why process
is just as important as the finalproduct. How are we getting there,
Who are the voices that are goingto be involved, What the discussions that
(15:00):
we can stir up. How aboutthe paintings so that people feel that they're
actually, really psychologically and actually ina very real way connected to it.
I think we need to build inall those moments so it doesn't feel like
something that landed from Mars and it'sjust there and it is disconnected from us.
It's too important. I mean,just generally, when you work in
public space, it's a huge responsibilitybecause you want the public to be involved.
(15:24):
I mean, there's a reason whyafter all these years that we're still
here, and iposit that it isbased on the amount of authors we've involved.
And I say authors because I seecitizens as really the co creators of
the work everywhere in the city,and that really matters. So there is
an invitation that's going out to muralists, to artists around the world. Tell
(15:46):
us about that process and how peoplecan find out more about it. Yes,
people can go to the Philadelphia HolocaustRemembrance Foundation website and they can download
the RFQ, and we hope thata lot of people apply. I think
it's starting yesterday, that's what's happening. And we're going to have a multi
(16:07):
step process for the selection of theartist, and we're going to really take
our time and they'll be different stagesof how we narrow it down and interview
people and talk to people, andI just think it's just important that we
be as respectful to the site aspossible, and that means that we do
(16:29):
this with great care. But peoplecan go to that website now and download
that RFQ. Any final words beforewe close, Well, you know,
I always think that that art canlead to change in transformation, and I
guess it's because we've seen it inpeople in communities and by extension, I
think that there is an huge impacton the civic life of our city.
I think Philadelphia is now has anoutdoor museum, which is important because the
(16:53):
works of art resonate with people.And I think it's important to do small
projects in neighborhoods and larger, moresweeping projects. And it's important to take
on issues that are really difficult andcomplicated, because otherwise, how else do
we start to pull this apart andunderstand it. And art has a way
(17:14):
of giving us a flashlight when we'rein a deep dark forest and helping us
to see a path forward. Andthat is what I'm hoping that this project
will do. It's a beautiful famileArts Philadelphia the Philadelphia Holocaust Remembrance Foundation are
working together to create a mural toaddress anti Semitism while also communicating a message
(17:36):
of hope and resilience. Jane Golden, Executive director of Mural Arts, thank
you so much. Thank you,it's so nice to see you, and
thank you for having me on today. Tom has going to take here for
over forty years. One day,I think one of the students that asked
the question and he didn't remember theanswer. I also noticed that he was
leading his class out earlier than theywere supposed to let out. I was
really starting to worry. Levi andI talked about how it would change our
(18:00):
but she was there beside me.When something feels different, it could be
Alzheimer's. Now is the time totalk. Visit alz dot org slash our
stories to learn more. A messagefrom the Alzheimer's Association and the ad Council.
For one hundred thirty six years,the Boys and Girls Clubs in Philadelphia
have served youth to reach their fullpotential as productive, caring and responsible citizens
(18:22):
by providing programs such as Kids Cafe, littlecy Initiative and STEM Labs. On
May seventeenth, join us as theStars have aligned to go for the Gold
by celebrating the Ericson family and CoachDick Vermeil at our eleventh annual Coaches Private
Reserve Dinner called two one five,seven, three five eight, eight one
eight, or visited BGC Phila dotorg for more info. Philadelphia is the
(18:49):
largest big city with the worst poverty. A MERA healthcaretus A national leader and
Medicaid managed care and other healthcare solutionsfor those in need. Host a special
Community Action Poverty simulation to help itsassociates and invited guests to better understand the
impact of poverty on daily living.Join us to tell us more about it
(19:15):
is Joanne McFall, market president fora Mere Health A Care to Southeastern Pennsylvania,
Thank you so much for joining ushere today. So tell us,
first of all, what the purposeof this poverty simulation is. Absolutely so,
I'm so grateful to be here.And really, with the poverty simulation,
what we're working to do is tocreate empathy and understanding of the stress
(19:41):
and the anxiety and the trauma thatpeople face when they live in poverty every
day and have to negotiate decisions likedo I get my food for my children,
or do I pick up that prescription? Do I have to get to
work? But when do I goand get grenatal care if I'm a pregnant
woman. It's a very condensed,three to four hour experience of what it's
(20:06):
like to live in poverty for amonth and have to navigate those decisions.
And one of the big challenges thatwe face is that, you know,
there's this misconception that people who areon government programs like Medicaid are just sitting
around collecting money, and the realityis most of our members have jobs or
(20:30):
are full time caregivers for children withchronic conditions. So a lot of struggling
families have jobs, they simply don'tmake enough money to make ends meet,
and so this experience helps people tounderstand what you have to do to navigate.
Even a lot of people don't utilizethe social services that are available to
(20:52):
them because even that takes a lotof work and coordination and time waiting in
lines or filling out paperwork and things. So it's just a very interesting way
to create some perspective and hopefully toinform decisions and policies that are made that
impact are our citizens that are livingin poverty JO and give us a sense
(21:15):
of what the experience is like,how does it unfold. Throughout the course
of the simulation, you become aperson with a background and a scenario.
So, for example, I waspart of a family where I was a
twelve year old girl and I hadan older brother who was going to the
(21:37):
community college to work on his degree. Our mother was no longer in the
picture, and unfortunately our father wasin prison, and so it was on
my older brother to be the headof the family. I had to go
to school, and when I wasin the school, situations unfold that children
may face every day. Kids arebeing asked to do things that maybe poor
(22:00):
decisions. You've got somebody who's tryingto get you to take drugs. You've
got someone who's trying to steal yourstuff. The teacher in the school is
just trying to control this large classof children and take care of all the
administrative work. It really never hastime to teach anyone, you know,
So it's really fascinating. And whatwe found was that even in a situation,
(22:22):
there are these good things that canhappen in bad things that can happen.
So even in the good thing whereI want a fifty dollars check for
the school art contest, which wasgreat for our family, but my brother
he had to not go to hisclassic community college because he had to take
three buses to go to the bankto cash that check, and of course
that came with a fee, soour fifty dollars was really only forty three
(22:45):
dollars. And it's just kind ofthat reality of like having to face one
adversity after another and try to haveenough money to buy food and pay the
rent. And if your family oryou as an individual don't pay your rent
on time when you come back toyour space, which is a group of
chairs in the facility, then yourchairs are turned over and there's an eviction
(23:08):
sign. So it's really tracks everysingle thing that could happen to a person
or family in the course of amonth. Joan, I know that we
like to think of ourselves as beingempathetic individuals. However, when we don't
literally face these kinds of difficult andsometimes impossible decisions, then we really don't
(23:32):
understand what it's like to live withthem. And I wonder, having experienced
this poverty simulation, what were someof the things that you walked away with?
What did you learn from that experiencethat you had no idea before.
I think two things really stand outto me. One is the amount of
stress that comes from having to alwaysbe trying to make difficult decisis to always
(24:00):
be feeling that you don't have controlover the things that are happening to you.
The two times that I've gone throughthis experience, even for the short
time that I was in that situation, it was so stressful and so full
of anxiety. And I was luckybecause I could leave there after four hours
and get in my car and driveback to my job and do all the
(24:23):
things that I didn't have the opportunityor advantage of doing during that simulation,
for me, the thing that Ihave, and this is such a very
small taste of what people experience everyday, is not only the mental and
emotional impact of that stress, butthe physical impact of that stress. And
then related to that, the onething that we found was that in going
(24:48):
through this experience, the thing thatreally takes the lowest priority for people who
are having to make these decisions isaccessing healthcare services. So you've got the
compounding fac of creating more things thatcreate poor health outcomes through this stress and
this trauma, and then people don'thave the time, the access, the
(25:10):
money, whatever to get basic healthcareservices that they need. So for us
as a health ensure it really broughtthat very much into clarity of how we
need to think about our business inthe ways that we can then support people
who are going through this every day. Give me an example of a policy
(25:33):
adjustment that you might have made asa result of this new understanding. When
we're working with our members who arepart of the Keystone First Health Plan,
if we find out that there isa transportation need that is preventing someone from
accessing a service, we will workwith them to provide transportation either through a
(25:53):
cab ride or a lift or anuber. So just taking that one one
barrier of transportation out of the equation, and sometimes that means finding a transportation
provider that can not only if wehave a mom who needs to go to
a prenatal visit, but she hasother children. We make sure that there's
a transportation provider that has car seatsto transport the other children. So it's
(26:18):
those kinds of things to try toeliminate some of the barriers that are preventing
people from accessing the services that theyneed. Even when they are able and
willing to access those services, theresometimes are still barriers that we can help
to remove. Yeah, so youcan make some very slight adjustments and that
can make all the difference in theworld for that individual. If I could
(26:40):
just add one other thing, youknow, this is something that not only
that we make available to the employeesof our organization to participate in, but
all of the senior leaders of theorganization, and again that really helps to
create that understanding that goes into thebigger decisions we make as an organization about
(27:02):
what services and benefits to offer toour members and where to put our resources.
So it's a commitment through every levelof our organization to create the participation
and the understanding that comes from that. This poverty simulation is happening in May
and it's not I'm sure there arelike a ton of people who are listening
who say, yeah, I wantto do it, but this is really
(27:23):
a very specific group of people.You just can't walk in and say I'd
like to sign up for a tellus who the target audience is for this
time around, we're primarily targeting ourassociates, but also working We're trying to
work with some of our legislative leadersin the area for participation. That's something
that we've done before in Philadelphia andin other markets where we have similar businesses.
(27:48):
Because if we can help people whoare making policy and budget decisions that
impact a program like medical assistance inPennsylvania to participate, we like to think
that that gives a greater opportunity alsofor that understanding and that experience, which
then can inform future policy decisions andresource allocation. I love that. I
(28:12):
wish that every elected official did thispoverty simulation. I think maybe we could
make some real progress in terms ofaddressing this persistent poverty that's impacting Philadelphia.
Well, if people want more informationabout mere health Keratas and Keystone First,
(28:32):
how do they find out more?Individuals can always access us through our website,
which here in Philadelphia is www dotKeystone firstpa dot com. And through
that link you can also connect withthe met Healthcare TOSS, which is our
parent organization. Specifically, if thereare individuals who are members of Keystone First,
(28:55):
they can also reach out to ourMember Services team at one eight five
to one six to eight six zero. Joanne McFall, market president for a
metrahealth Caretas Southeastern Pennsylvania, which isa managed care plan Keystone First, which
is sponsoring this poverty simulation to raiseour awareness about the true nature of poverty
(29:18):
and perhaps dispel some of the stereotypesand misconceptions that we have about people who
are living in poverty because the majorityare in fact working and are simply doing
their best to balance some impossible choices. Thank you so much for sponsoring this.
I think it's very important, andlike I said, every elected official
should be doing this poverty simulation andwe'll keep working on trying to make that
(29:42):
happen. Fantastic, Thank you,Joanne for joining us today. Thanks Lorraine
for having me. I really appreciateit. You can listen to all of
today's interviews by going to our stationwebsite and typing in keyword Community. You
can also listen on the iHeartRadio appkeyword Lorraine with one R. Follow me
on Twitter and Instagram at Lorraine Ballard. I'm Lorraine Ballard Morrow and I stand
(30:03):
for service to our community and mediathat empowers. What will you stand for?
You've been listening to What's going onED. Thank you
Popular Podcasts
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Therapy Gecko
An unlicensed lizard psychologist travels the universe talking to strangers about absolutely nothing. TO CALL THE GECKO: follow me on https://www.twitch.tv/lyleforever to get a notification for when I am taking calls. I am usually live Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays but lately a lot of other times too. I am a gecko.