April 2021 Issue 37
Mercy Care Department of Child Safety Comprehensive Health Plan
April 1, 2021, CMDP is becoming Mercy Care DCS Comprehensive Health Plan (CHP) to integrate medical and behavioral health services for children in out of home care. Services available to children in foster care will remain consistent.
You should receive a new Mercy Care DCS CHP within the first two weeks of April. In the meantime, after April 1 and before you receive the new card, children will maintain the ability to get care and receive services. There should be no interruption in getting or receiving care and services.
April 1, 2021, CMDP is becoming Mercy Care DCS Comprehensive Health Plan (CHP) to integrate medical and behavioral health services for children in out of home care. Services available to children in foster care will remain consistent.
You should receive a new Mercy Care DCS CHP within the first two weeks of April. In the meantime, after April 1 and before you receive the new card, children will maintain the ability to get care and receive services. There should be no interruption in getting or receiving care and services.
If your child needs care before you receive the new ID card, here’s what to do:
What to Bring:
- a copy of this notification either printer or via mobile device
- your child’s CMDP card
- your child’s Notice to Provider
What to tell the Provider or Pharmacy:
- the new payer is Mercy Care
- the new plan is Mercy Care DCS CHP
- provider can go to www.MercyCareAz.org and select Family Connect in upper right to verify eligibility and information
- If the provider or pharmacy has trouble verifying the child's information, tell them to call Mercy Care DCS CHP Member Services at 602-212-4983 or 1-833-711-0776 (TTY/TDD 711).
Questions?
If you have questions before April 1, 2021:
Call CMDP Member Services (602) 351-2245 or 1-800-201-1795 (TTY/TDD 711). Or email CMDPMemberServices@azdcs.gov.
If you have questions on April 1, 2021 or later:
Call Mercy Care DCS CHP Member Services at 602-212-4983 or 1-833-711-0776 (TTY/TDD 711).
Example of the new card
Child Abuse Prevention Month
Each April states across the country use the month to bring increased awareness to Child Abuse Prevention. One of the tools used to identify abuse within the community are the public servants who also serve as mandated reporters. In Arizona, mandated reporters are people who have roles such as law enforcement officers, teachers, child care workers, foster parents, and many others. Below is a 45 minute video of a mandated reporter training that answers questions many people might have about knowing when or what they should be reporting.
Arizona Helping Hands
Arizona Helping Hands is the largest provider of essential items for children in foster care in Arizona. Our programs provide a safe place to sleep, clothing, hygiene items, birthday packages, backpacks filled with school supplies, licensing safety items, foster footlockers, and more.
Visit us online at azhelpinghands.org to learn more and make an appointment today!
480.889.0604
Raise the Future Trainings
Raise the Future, previously known as the Adoption Exchange now offers a variety of online training programs. Please check them out at the link below.
Neurosequential Model in Caregiving
Training With Child Crisis AZ
STEP Training- TUCSON
AZ.127 Foster Family Support & Connections
AZ.127 will be offering support via Facebook & Instagram mini-sessions of techniques and tools from the Trust-Based Relational Intervention program. Additionally, they will be matching mentor foster families with foster families in need of support.
Birth to Five Workgroup Training Series (Virtual)
Service Provision for the Birth-Five Population - April 22, 2021 12p-1:30p
Presenter: Cathleen Phelan, LCSW, IMH-E®
Participants will learn the clinical intent of different services used to support the Birth to Five population and their caregivers. Training will cover home visiting programs, AzIEP, and PCRA.
Sunny's Closet
FBI Teen Academy
Caring Connections for Special Needs
Early Head Start
Royal Family Kids Camp
Arizona Early Intervention Program
Tucson Resource
Spreading Threads is a grassroots, nonprofit community clothing bank that provides free clothes to foster youth in southern Arizona. The organization was founded by two foster moms in Tucson who have fostered and adopted several children in Arizona. Your donations go directly to local children in need. The second Saturday of each month foster, adoptive, and kinship families can visit the clothing bank. A Notice to Provider will be needed. The clothing bank events are held at 1870 W. Prince, Suite 54 in Tucson.
Respite Resource
A Mighty Change of Heart
A Mighty Change of Heart provides FREE duffle bags to foster children with new, age-appropriate items inside: 2 outfits, shoes & socks, underwear, book, diapers/wipes, hygiene items, and more. These bags have the children’s names embroidered on them, and are something that they can call their very own. They have delivered over 3,500 bags across the state.
Please check out their website for more information: www.amchaz.com. If your family, business, church group or school would be interested in holding a donation drive, please contact A Mighty Change of Heart. Items are always needed.
Warmline Supports Kinship and Foster Families
The Foster Parent Warmline is available for kinship families and licensed foster parents. While not an emergency number, Warmline staff can assist with information, authorizations for services, timely communication, and support. It is not intended to discourage or replace direct and regular communication between the DCS Specialist and the out-of-home caregiver. You can reach the Warmline by calling 1-877-KIDSNEEDU (1-877-543-7633) and selecting Option 3. Warmline staff are available during business hours. Callers also have the option of leaving a voice message.
Children's Heart Gallery
More than 70 percent of the children in need of forever families are adopted by their relatives or foster parents. For the remainder, special recruitment efforts like the Heart Gallery are used to connect them with a forever family.
The children featured in the Heart Gallery represent all ethnic groups and range from toddlers to teenagers. Some have special behavioral or medical needs, some are without siblings, and others are in groups of siblings.
Vanessa & Reyes
Vanessa is a vivacious young lady with a caring, open heart and a knack for making friends. After she meets you, it doesn’t take long for her outgoing, talkative nature to shine through — or for the giggles to start. She’s your typical teenage girl who loves being connected to friends. She jokes that the social aspects of school are her favorite “subjects.”
Friendly, with a laugh that can light up a room, that’s Reyes. Whether he’s playing a game outside or cozying up inside to read a book, Reyes finds the fun and adventure in every activity, and he can’t wait to find a forever family that loves to laugh as much as he does. Besides playing games and reading, Reyes loves PAW Patrol. He would love nothing more than to spend time together watching the pups’ latest antics in Adventure Bay. Or, even better, join a home with real dogs or other pets that he could have fun with.
Evan J.
Evan is an adventurous and curious boy that does not shy away from learning new things!
In his spare time, Evan likes to play on various gaming consoles as well as on a smart phone. He also enjoys being active and playing basketball when the weather permits. He loves to learn and watch airplanes fly as well. On a nice day, Evan enjoys going to the park, playing sports or paintballing. He also likes to chill and watch TV.
He is in the 6th grade and has a particular interest in Drama class. Evan would benefit from a one or two family household what provides unconditional love.
Evan was born in 2008.
Nelly
Meet Nelly! A young lady that enjoys puzzles, word searches, the Disney channel, music, dancing and physical fitness! She is a very motivated individual and strives to maintain a healthy lifestyle through her physical fitness. Outside of being physically fit, Nelly has a great passion for the arts. She enjoys painting and arts and crafts projects.
Nelly would do well in a one or two parent home that has foster care experience. She will do well with siblings and pets. The right family for Nelly will be one that is very structured, patient and able to push and motivate her to be the best she can be.
Nelly was born in 2003.
AZ Families Thrive is published monthly by the Arizona Department of Child Safety to inform foster, kinship and adoptive families across the state. Ricky Denwood created this edition, please feel free to email with questions, comments or content you may be interested in seeing in future editions. Sign up to receive email updates when new issues are posted.
Interested in becoming a foster or adoptive parent? Call us: 1-877-KIDS-NEEDU (1-877-543-7633) or email us: FosterAdoption@azdcs.gov. Visit us online: www.azkidsneedu.gov.
To report child abuse or neglect: 1-888-SOS-CHILD