02-04-94 Child Care Center to Expand CHILD CARE CENTER TO INTEGRATE MEDICALLY FRAGILE CHILDREN COLUMBUS -- The Ohio State University Child Care Center will soon become the first in the nation to integrate medically fragile children into a child care center for normal children. On Friday (2/4), the university's trustees authorized construction of a 4,500-square-foot addition to the Child Care Center at a cost of $500,000. The new construction will allow 15 medically fragile children to be enrolled at the center and will also enable the center to enroll 18 mentally retarded/ developmentally delayed (MRDD) children and increase the capacity of typically developing children to 316 from the present 300. Because of Gov. George V. Voinovich's Family and Children First Initiative, the Ohio Department of Health provided a $250,000 grant to develop and implement programming for the center. "Without this grant and the governor's personal interest and support this very important program would not have been possible," said E. Gordon Gee, president of Ohio State. "This is an excellent example of how the university and the state can work together for the betterment of all Ohio citizens." The program, which will be phased in over the next 18 months, is a cost-effective solution to a growing national health care problem, said Linda Tom, Ohio State's vice president for human resources. "Based on our experience in analyzing the health care needs of these children, it is anticipated that the university will save $218,000 a year by providing this alternative form of care rather than the one-on-one home health care covered by the university's health insurance plan," she said. "This approach will reduce costs to the university while giving assistance to our employees and students who struggle to meet the complex demands of caring for children. Parents are better able to focus on their jobs or studies when they are satisfied with their child care arrangements. This is an even greater concern when the child's health is fragile." Medically fragile children rely on prolonged use of medical devices to compensate for the loss of vital bodily functions and require substantial daily skilled nursing care to avert death or further disability. For example, they may be dependent on tube feeding by pump for all their nutrition or they may be able to breathe only with the assistance of a mechanical ventilator. Previously in Ohio, the only available care for the children was through the medical system. Initially, they are cared for in hospitals, then discharged to their homes, where they may require one-on-one nursing care up to 24 hours a day. When insurance coverage runs out, they are permanently placed in Medicaid-funded nursing homes. Governor Voinovich's Family and Children First Initiative funded two pilot projects. One, at the Medical College of Ohio at Toledo, provides services for medically fragile children in a separate portion of a child care center. The Ohio State project is the first to integrate medically fragile children with typically developing children. "It is appropriate that Ohio State University and the Medical College of Ohio at Toledo be leaders in creating new models for child care," said Judy Fountain, director of the university's Work and Family Office. "To date, all care for medically fragile children has been based solely on a medical model rather than a child development model. The universities, in collaboration with state and public agencies and private business, can bring together resources to meet the children's developmental and medical needs within a single site." A 1992 study by the Metropolitan Human Services Commission estimated that there were approximately 118 medically fragile children under the age of 18 in Franklin County. Of that number more than half were younger than 5, reflecting advances in medicine and increases in birth defects related to drug abuse. The program will be phased in gradually, Fountain said. One medically fragile child, a girl with a feeding tube, has already been successfully integrated into the center as pilot. She entered at age 4 and has now left the center and is a first grader involved in the same activities as her classmates at a local school. The center, located at 725 Ackerman Road between Kenny and Olentangy River Roads, currently serves 300 typically developing children whose parents are Ohio State students, faculty or staff members. A few MRDD children already attend the Child Care Center, but must be transported to other facilities for their developmental services. When the new program is fully integrated, they will be able to get "seamless" care -- all at one location. As before, priority for admission to the center will be given to children of Ohio State students, faculty and staff members, Fountain said. The expansion project also involves some renovations in the existing building to make better use of space. The new construction includes 2,000 square feet dedicated to 15 medically fragile children, 1,000 square feet for 12 additional toddlers, 1,000 square feet of common space to be used by all children for large muscle activities, and 500 square feet for offices, storage and adult restrooms. The $500,000 construction cost of the project will be funded through external sources and user fees and will not involve any university general funds. # Contact: Judy Fountain, (614) 292-0393. [Submitted by: REIDV (reidv@ccgate.ucomm.ohio-state.edu) Fri, 04 Feb 1994 15:30:42 -0500 (EST)] All documents are the responsibility of their originator.