ANNUAL REPORT FISCAL YEAR 2021
BOARD OF DIRECTORS & LEADERSHIP
fiscal year 2021
Board of Directors
Leadership Team
David Betts President
Pamela R. Keen Chief Executive Officer
Julie I. Kline Vice President
Kim Phillips Chief Financial Officer
Theresa L. Heck Secretary
Stacy Schesler Chief Operating Officer
Eric Boughner Treasurer
Kristina Waltman Chief Development Officer
Amy Bass Beverly Brown, Ex Officio Stephanie Churchel David H. Cook Ranny Ferguson David M. Friedland, M.D. Mark A. Ganung Emily Landerman-Goldberg Allison Howard Sally Kane Michael McCarren Claire McGee Alissa A. Meade Sandra Hawkins Miller Mark Place Luke E. Sossi Gwynn W. Wardwell Marjorie Weiner Geil Wesley Williams Marvin S. Yu Barbara E. Zawadzki, M.D.
Meg Hannan Director of Child’s Way
THE CHILDREN’S HOME & LEMIEUX FAMILY CENTER
Erika G. Schmitt Director of Adoption & Permanency Services
Annual Report FY 2021
Message IN THIS YEAR’S ANNUAL REPORT, you get to meet some of the families we are so fortunate to be able to serve each day. You’ll get to know little Mazikai and his parents, Jessica and Davontae, both of whom have worked so hard over the past year to learn how to care for their son and finally be able to take him home in time to celebrate his first birthday this December. At The Children’s Home, we are incredibly proud of our nurses and other clinical staff members who, during a global pandemic, have continued to step up each day to support this family – and all of our families – on their journey, teaching them valuable, lifelong skills to ensure the health and wellbeing of their child. Our staff strive to meet families where they are, supporting them however they can, and teaching care whenever it is convenient for the family, whether early in the morning, throughout the day, or after work in the evening.
This is all part of our mission to promote the health and well-being of infants and children through services that establish and strengthen the family – work we have been doing in the Pittsburgh region for more than 127 years.
FROM THE CEO
You’ll also learn about Robin and her grandson, Justin, who spent the early weeks of his life with us back in 2003. After experiencing the trauma of Justin’s early arrival and his subsequent months spent in the hospital, Robin had first-hand knowledge of what families experience and what they need when they are caring for a medically fragile child. She knew that as soon as she retired, she wanted to give back to these families and support them in any way she could. Today, Robin serves as a patient care volunteer with us, and we are so grateful for her years of service and her commitment to our patients and families. In this brief but full report, you’ll get a sense of what we do and who we serve every day and how our staff, volunteers, and you – our supporters, friends, and donors – make this critical work possible. We hope you enjoy reading some of our highlights and key moments from the past year. On behalf of all of us at The Children’s Home & Lemieux Family Center,
Pamela R. Keen Chief Executive Officer
A Lit le Miracle
Named Mazikai
“THE WAY HE KICKS, he’s probably going to be a soccer player.” From their patient room in the Pediatric Specialty Hospital at The Children’s Home, Jessica muses about all the things her son, Mazikai, might become. “Maybe a football player? Whatever he does, he will be the greatest.”
Mazikai is nine months old, and by all accounts, a miracle. Born at 25 weeks and two days, Maze, as his mom calls him, has spent his entire young life in the hospital. Jessica recalls that her pregnancy with Mazikai was completely normal, but everything changed at 21 weeks. Her doctor called to request additional imaging to follow up on her 20-week anatomy scan. At the follow-up, her medical team realized that her baby had little to no amniotic fluid and was in critical condition. What followed was a whirlwind. Because an infant is not considered viable until 24 weeks gestation, terminating the pregnancy was recommended. But Jessica and her husband, Davontae, remained hopeful that the pregnancy, and ultimately their son, could be saved. After four weeks of strict bedrest at the hospital, Jessica experienced a second traumatizing event. On December 29, 2020, she was transferred to labor and delivery after suffering pain and significant bleeding. Her placenta abrupted suddenly, folding over on Mazikai. Doctors were not able to find his heartbeat, and Jessica was rushed to the operating room for an emergency c-section. Maze was born December 30, weighing in at just 1 pound, 10 ounces. At birth, he was in critical condition and immediately put on a bubble CPAP to support his breathing temporarily. He was eventually intubated. At 10 days old, Jessica finally got to hold her baby. “He was so tiny, he fit right inside the lining of my bra,” she recalls, laughing. After four months in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital, Mazikai was transferred to UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh where he underwent multiple surgeries,
THE CHILDREN’S HOME & LEMIEUX FAMILY CENTER
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including a tracheostomy, a gastrostomy (G-tube), and the removal of two hernias. Mazikai suffered a severe infection following his tracheostomy and had to be medically paralyzed for three days while he healed. Through all of this, it is no wonder that Jessica and Davontae describe their young son as a warrior. And despite his early and abrupt arrival to the world, Maze is developmentally appropriate for his age, reaching key milestones that may have seemed impossible just a few months ago. On August 27, 2021, after 241 days in area hospitals, Mazikai and his family were transferred to The Children’s Home & Lemieux Famiy Center – the last bridge to cross before finally going home. At The Children’s Home, Jessica and Davontae continue learning Mazikai’s care. “The training here has been amazing. The nurses and medical staff are available to train us anytime.” This is especially important since Davontae went back to work after taking seven months off to help Jessica recover and to care for Mazikai and their other children. Working up to 16-hour days, including long commutes, is draining, but the option to come to The Children’s Home to learn care in the evenings, and sometimes later, has been helpful to the family.
Jessica and Davontae have just a few more skills to master, but they are in the homestretch and excitedly counting down to the day they can finally take their baby home. What’s even more exciting is that doctors project that Mazikai will likely be able to have his tracheostomy tube removed before he enters kindergarten, and his G-tube well before that.
Annual Report FY 2021
“I’m so glad to have learned all that I have here,” Jessica says. “The nurses help you think of things you never would have. I feel way more knowledgeable now than when we first arrived. Honestly, it’s a wonderful place. It’s an amazing place.”
”
Giving Back
Comes Full Circle
IN 2003, Robin Wenger was excitedly awaiting the June arrival of her grandson, Justin. While seemingly a normal pregnancy, things took a turn when doctors realized that Justin’s mom was experiencing Hemolysis, Elevated Liver enzymes and Low Platelets (HELLP) syndrome, a very rare but life-threatening pregnancy complication. Justin was born at 26 weeks on March 3, 2003. While Justin healed and grew in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at West Penn, Robin would take her lunch hour each day, and drive from Oakland to be with him. Justin experienced many ups and downs in the NICU, from pneumonia to necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) and the many other complications that can come up for a premature baby. After spending about two and a half months in the NICU, Justin was transferred to Transitional Infant Care (TIC) at The Children’s Home, where his family prepared for the transition from hospital to home. TIC has since expanded to serve children up to the age of 21 and is now known as our Pediatric Specialty Hospital. Through this experience, Robin knew that as soon as she retired, she wanted to give back to the families and babies going through such difficult times. And not long after her retirement, she did just that by becoming a patient care volunteer at The Children’s Home. “I cannot describe to you the gratification and the feeling it gives you to hold those babies,” Robin says. “It’s just a quiet time for you and the baby. You really build a connection to them.” What makes Robin a uniquely qualified baby holder is that she knows first-hand what the families are going through. “Justin is a miracle, and I know that not all families are as lucky as we are.”
JUSTIN at TIC in 2003!
ROBIN & JUSTIN pose by their quilt square at The Children’s Home.
THE CHILDREN’S HOME & LEMIEUX FAMILY CENTER
Annual Report FY 2021
TODAY, Justin is 18 years old and a senior at Deer Lakes High School, where he is the percussion section leader in both the marching band and concert band. He also plays in jazz band. He has always had a thing for music and a natural talent for drumming; something that Robin and her son, Chris, supported from a very young age. Volunteers, like Robin, set The Children’s Home apart, adding to the home-like feel of our facility and offering a special level of care for each patient and family. “I enjoy this work so much. It is so rewarding to be able to help a family in the same ways that mine was helped all those years ago.” The Children’s Home is currently limiting volunteerism during the pandemic to reduce outside interaction with our patients. To learn more about ways you can volunteer, or to join a patient care volunteer training wait list, contact our volunteer and outreach manager, Taylor Dozier, at tdozier@chomepgh.org or (412) 441-4884.
program highlights
Fiscal Year 2021
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, we provided counseling to FOUR TIMES as many clients as we previously served through our Adoption & Permanency Services Program. OUR CURRENT COUNSELING SERVICES INCLUDE:
• • • • •
Infertility Counseling and Support Group Assisted Reproductive Technology Counseling/Third Party Reproduction Post Adoption Counseling and Support Counseling for Donor Conceived Individuals/MPE/NPE Birthparent Counseling and Support Group
100% of our Pediatric Specialty Hospital staff members were certified in Dr. Brown’s Infant-Driven FeedingTM Program.
We more than DOUBLED the number of children enrolled at Child’s Way following the reopening of our childcare center for medically fragile children in June 2020.
We served OVER 700 families from across the greater Pittsburgh region through our three core programs.
FINANCIAL INSIGHTS
$5,813,074 $3,718,102 $2,174,112
SOURCES OF REVENUE
$1,715,520 $1,486,792 $1,306,000 $703,431 $311,091 Medical Assistance MMA Act 55
Investment Income
Donations
PPP
Commercial Insurance
Service Fees
Other
FISCAL YEAR 2021 has been like no other in the history of The Children’s Home. Despite the ongoing environmental challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic, we prudently managed our resources in order to continue our programs, support families, and gainfully employ staff. Many external factors resulted in brief but impactful interruptions of our services: 1) Child’s Way was mandated to temporarily close in order to protect families and medically fragile children, 2) Pediatric Specialty Hospital had diminished referrals as utilization of healthcare waned, 3) Adoption and Permanency Services had to halt direct face-to-face support and counseling services. These issues and others impacted the amount of services that we were able to deliver.
Medical Assistance
Commercial Insuran
As we are adapting to a new normal we are optimistic. I am so proud of our staff as they helped to identify creative and practical ways to respond to the impact on our small non-profit. We worked together to obtain PPP funding, managed our resources and expenses, and right-sized our programs to meet the needs of our clients. We are forever thankful for the ongoing support of foundations and individuals who believe in our vital mission and whose contributions helped us to weather this pandemic. While we face uncertainty in the future, we believe that the dedication of our staff and support from our community will carry us forward. We thank you for your ongoing support.
NOTE FROM THE CEO
Thank you
We are grateful to all of the people who make our work possible.
foundation and corporate partners fiscal year 2021
84 Lumber Company/ Nemacolin Woodlands Resort & Spa
Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund
Addison Gibson Foundation
FISA Foundation
Aestique Plastic Surgery & MediSpa
Frontstream (Truist)
Allegheny County Medical Society Foundation
Fifth Third Bank
George W. and Audrey H. McGlaughlin Trust
N. David & Janet M. Campbell Family Foundation National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives Network for Good Nina Baldwin Fisher Foundation
Alliance for Infants and Toddlers
Glenn Charitable Trust Fund of The Pittsburgh Foundation
Astrobotic Technology, Inc.
Health Direct Pharmacy
Atom Medical USA, LLC
Howard and Nell E. Miller Foundation
The Pittsburgh Foundation
HUB International
Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation
Aveanna Healthcare
NSB Enterprises, LLC Pitt Project Potter
Benevity Community Impact Fund
Interim HealthCare
The Board of Public Education of the School District of Pittsburgh
The J. Christopher and Ann C. Donahue Charitable Fund
CentiMark Foundation
Jane D. Burton Charitable Foundation
Christine S. Chandler Fund of The Pittsburgh Foundation
Jennie K. Scaife Charitable Foundation
The Rite Aid Foundation KidCents
Christopher’s Kitchen
John E. and Sue M. Jackson Charitable Trust
Roesch Family Charitable Trust
Luke Hadley Foundation
Roy A. Hunt Foundation
Marilee and Ted Ruscitti Foundation
Ryan Memorial Foundation
CleanCare Constantin Imhoff Fund of The Pittsburgh Foundation Diakon Lutheran Social Ministries Don’s Appliances Edith L. Trees Charitable Trust Estate of Eleanor Dragan FedEx Ground
Mario Lemieux Foundation Martha Mack Lewis Foundation
The PNC Financial Services Group PNC Foundation PPG Foundation Remmel Foundation
Tippins Foundation United Way of Allegheny County
McKamish, Inc.
W. I. Patterson Charitable Fund
The Meade-Moraski Family Fund
William F. and Lynn D. Gauss Foundation
Milton G. Hulme Charitable Foundation
WOMEN of Southwestern PA, Inc.
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5324 Penn Ave. Pittsburgh, PA 15224 childrenshomepgh.org (412) 441-4884
ANNUAL REPORT 2021
THE CHILDREN’S HOME & LEMIEUX FAMILY CENTER • CHILDRENSHOMEPGH.ORG