Over the past year and a half I have had the privilege of working with a family who has utilized many of Gateway Longview’s services throughout their time with the agency to meet their goals and needs. When I first met the family they had just moved into an apartment after living in their car for over a year, suffered from a medical trauma, and placement. Currently, their child is thriving, happy, healthy, and the family is about to purchase their own home.
No longer being able to meet them in their home or advocate for their child in person has been a challenge, and once again this family has stepped up to the challenge. I see them using skills Health Home Services has taught them to advocate for their child’s new needs. Even during this hard time the family hasn’t let it stop their growth and meeting the goals they have set for themselves, and continue to stay resilient.
"Jay" is a child who was at the top of my “worry list” when the announcement about schools closing for the year was made. He struggles at times with classroom behavior but has never struggled to obtain honor roll or complete work as asked. When I spoke to him about how he liked doing school from home he instantly had a huge smile on his face and stated “ I love it, no one yells at me to sit down, I can do my work at my own pace and I can take my breaks outside”.
Instantly, I knew that this change was beneficial to him and he probably wasn’t the only one. This youth, just like many other children are adaptable, strong, and so are their families.
"Tay" is young adult that I met the day after her 17th birthday. The first time I took her to a medical appointment it didn’t go well. The office was running behind and this caused anxiety and stress for her. Over the past two years she gained the skills to be able to go to medical appointments on her own, advocate for her needs, and use the correct Healthcare resources, as needed.
With facing the possibility of having COVID-19, she contacted the right healthcare providers in a timely manner after developing symptoms, knew where to get tested, and was aware of when to seek additional help. There were all skills that she has learned over the past two years and has also been able utilize her Gateway Longview Care Team to ease the stress that has developed during these tough times.
Gateway Longview Health Homes is a system that helps you coordinate the critical services which keep your child healthy, active, and engaged in the world around them. For more information on Health Homes click here.