A NEW ADDITION

VIP is proud to announce that it has acquired another historic building to renovate and transform into a safe and welcoming place for victims of all ages. The building, which is adjacent to the S. Mark Taper Foundation Family Advocacy Center, will house the Los Angeles County Elder Abuse Forensic Center and expanded foster care services, including mental healthcare and onsite services provided by the Department of Children and Family Services. The building is on its way to opening in Spring 2006. Naming opportunities to honor gifts from individuals, foundations and corporations are available. For more information, please contact the VIP development department at (323) 226-2097.

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD): The Hidden Disability Conference: January 20, 2006

VIP Launches LA County's First Elder Abuse Forensic Center

The California Department of Social Services estimates that there are 40,000 cases of elder abuse in Los Angeles County each year, but research indicates that this number could be up to five times higher if unreported cases are considered. The reported types of abuse are equally divided among neglect, fiduciary abuse, psychological abuse and physical abuse, according to Los Angeles County's Adult Protective Services (APS). When VIP partnered with APS and LAC+USC Medical Center more than six years ago to address this urgent need by forming the Adult Protection Team (APT), the goal was to provide wrap-around medical and social services to elderly victims of abuse. Now, with a generous two-year grant of $374,834 from the Archstone Foundation, these services will expand to create the Los Angeles County Elder Abuse Forensic Center. The Forensic Center will engage multiple county and community-based agencies in an effort to increase prosecution rates against perpetrators, and to increase the capacity and availability of services to elderly victims. The Forensic Center will allow representatives from agencies such as APS, the District Attorney, City Attorney, Long-Term Care Ombudsman, Los Angeles Police Department, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and others to come together one day a week and work under the same roof in order to determine the best course of action for cases of elder or dependent adult abuse. The Forensic Center, currently in the planning phase, will be housed in newly renovated space and is expected to be operational in April 2006. "Elder abuse is a crime without boundaries, crossing all racial, social, class, gender and geographic lines. As the older adult population in California continues to increase, it is anticipated that the rate of elder abuse will also increase," said Joseph F. Prevratil, President and CEO of the Archstone Foundation. "To respond to this growing need, the Archstone Foundation has committed $8 million over five years for the Elder Abuse and Neglect Initiative. The goal of the Initiative is to improve the quality and coordination of elder abuse and neglect services in the State of California." Under the leadership of APT Medical Director Diana C. Schneider, M.D. and Astrid Heppenstall Heger, M.D., the innovative Forensic Center will be only the second such center in the country, the first being located in Orange County. By 2030, Los Angeles County's elderly population will double from ten to twenty percent of the total population, reaching a total of approximately 2,365,456 persons. The Los Angeles County Elder Abuse Forensic Center will undoubtedly meet the challenge of ensuring fair treatment to all seniors in the years to come.

CATC (COMMUNITY-BASED ASSESSMENT AND TREATMENT CENTER) OPEN HOUSE

On Wednesday November 17, 2004, the newest program addition to VIP, the Community-Based Assessment and Treatment Center (CATC) had an open house for public health nurses and social workers from the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) offices throughout Los Angeles. Over 100 DCFS representatives attended the event, where tours were given of the clinic. The attendees enjoyed lunch in the adjacent Nike Play Yard and familiarized themselves with the new program. "I am thrilled to be part of the VIP, and excited to face the challenge of providing continuous, comprehensive medical and mental health care to children in foster care. These children are often medically fragile, and have frequently suffered abuse or neglect. They need strong advocates to ensure that their complicated needs are addressed. I have spent many years as a community pediatrician and bring those years of clinical experience with me to tackle this new challenge." Dr. Janet Arnold Medical Director, CATC Learn more about the Community-Based Assessment and Treatment Center (CATC).

Dr. Heger poses with past president of ISPCAN, Marcellina Mian in Brisbane, Australia DR. ASTRID HEPPENSTALL HEGER SPEAKS AT 15TH ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS ON CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT IN BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA In September 2004, Dr. Astrid Heppenstall Heger traveled to Brisbane, Australia where she was invited to present the C. Henry Kempe Lecture at the 15th Annual International Congress on Child Abuse and Neglect presented by the International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (ISPCAN).

GRAND OPENING OF THE S. MARK TAPER FOUNDATION FAMILY ADVOCACY CENTER:
FIRST HOSPITAL-BASED CENTER FOR VICTIMS OF FAMILY VIOLENCE AND SEXUAL ASSAULT

“The S. Mark Taper Foundation is committed to the VIP and is honored to be associated with the expert victim-sensitive services the organization provides Los Angeles’ most vulnerable children and families,” said S. Mark Taper Foundation executive director Raymond F. Reisler (pictured here) with Astrid Heppenstall Heger, M.D. (center) and Adrienne Wittenberg (right).

Los Angeles-The Violence Intervention Program, California’s largest child abuse program, celebrated the grand opening of a newly restored 19,000 square-foot historic Mission-style building on October 16, 2003. The building is home to the nation’s first hospital-based center dedicated to providing medical and mental health services to victims of family violence and sexual assault. The building was named the S. Mark Taper Foundation Family Advocacy Center in honor of the foundation’s lead gift of $750,000.

The VIP provides a “one stop shop” environment offering medical, mental health, protective, legal and social services to victims of family violence and sexual assault throughout Los Angeles County. The S. Mark Taper Foundation Family Advocacy Center will allow the VIP to double mental health therapy, case management and advocacy services. These expanded services will be provided in a beautifully designed child-friendly and accessible building across the street from County-USC Hospital in East Los Angeles.

“The Violence Intervention Program’s (VIP) family advocacy center will provide one-of-a-kind services to children and families in Los Angeles County,” said Gloria Molina, Los Angeles County Board of Supervisor for the First District in which the VIP is located. “I take great comfort in knowing that these critical services will be provided in a comfortable and private setting.”

As a lead funder, the S. Mark Taper Foundation acted as a catalyst for the additional support needed to complete the project. “The S. Mark Taper Foundation is committed to the VIP and is honored to be associated with the expert victim-sensitive services the organization provides Los Angeles’ most vulnerable children and families,” said S. Mark Taper Foundation executive director Raymond F. Reisler.

VIP executive director Astrid Heger, M.D. who is a clinical pediatrician and associate professor at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, said the center’s caseload has grown from 300 to 5,000 victims annually. “This is a tremendous opportunity for Los Angeles. There has been an exponential rise in the number of family violence cases throughout the county and this new facility will help us care for the children and families who rely on us every day,” Heger said.

In addition to the S. Mark Taper Foundation, major contributors include the Everychild Foundation, The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation, Deborah and Carlos Santana and The Ahmanson Foundation. “What happens to some of these kids is unspeakable, and the VIP is out there trying to make a difference in a world most people could never imagine,” said Jacqueline Caster, president and founder of the Everychild Foundation.

LOS ANGELES GROUP OF WOMEN PHILANTHROPISTS AWARD $600,000
TO CALIFORNIA’S LARGEST CHILD ABUSE PROGRAM

Program to be Renamed Everychild Foundation Center for the Vulnerable Child

“What happens to some of these kids is unspeakable, and VIP is out there trying to make a difference in a world most people could never imagine.”
–Jacqueline J. Caster, President/Founder, Everychild Foundation

Los Angeles–In recognition of an Everychild Foundation grant of $600,000 the Violence Intervention Program (VIP), which is responsible for evaluating and treating child abuse victims throughout Los Angeles County, has officially renamed its child abuse program. The newly named Everychild Foundation Center for the Vulnerable Child was celebrated on October 16, 2003 at a 10:00 a.m. ribbon-cutting event.

Founded in 1999 by Jacqueline J. Caster, the Everychild Foundation, which is based in Los Angeles, is made up of women who pay membership dues of $5,000 a year. There are no fund-raisers. Each year the total of the dues are awarded to one nonprofit group, selected by a vote of all members, whose work is geared toward in-need children. The foundation’s grant awards have surpassed $1.2 million since its founding nearly three years ago. In 2002 the Everychild Foundation awarded $385,000 to the Wonder of Reading to build and stock new libraries for dozens of LAUSD elementary schools. In 2001 the foundation awarded $230,000 to QueensCare for the purchase of a mobile dental clinic to provide free care to students in the district’s lowest-income schools.

Membership in the Everychild Foundation continues to grow and currently there are over 150 members.

Caster, who is president and founder of the Everychild Foundation, said VIP was selected for the 2003 award after reviewing its pioneering work in detecting and treating child abuse victims, and equally important, providing long-term follow-up care. “That’s what swayed us,” Caster said. “What happens to some of these kids is unspeakable, and VIP is out there trying to make a difference in a world most people could never imagine.”

The Center for the Vulnerable Child, now named in honor of the Everychild Foundation, was established in 1984 and remains the largest child abuse center in California. By working closely with law enforcement, social services and the legal system, this program ensures that abused and neglected children are appropriately evaluated and treated. The center has been recognized locally, nationally and abroad for its pioneering efforts in the field of child abuse and now this renowned program will carry with it the name of the Everychild Foundation.

The Everychild Foundation grant of $600,000, awarded in March 2003, allowed the VIP to complete the renovation of a historic building into a child-friendly and appropriate space for mental health, case management, tutoring, mentoring and other supportive services that are integral to each child’s healthy physical and emotional recovery. In honor of the Everychild Foundation’s generous support, the VIP is honored to rename its world-renowned child abuse program in honor of the Everychild Foundation. “For us, this is a statement of permanence,” Heger said. “This is a gift to the community.”

For more information about the Everychild Foundation, please visit www.everychildfoundation.org.

VIP RECOGNIZED FOR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SERVICES

On May 13, 2003 the Mary Byron Foundation honored the Violence Intervention Program (VIP) for its pioneering efforts to stop domestic violence. The Foundation’s Celebrating Solutions Award? recognizes institutions that have demonstrated an innovative approach to and clear focus on confronting the root causes of domestic violence and developing solutions to break the cycle. The VIP received a $10,000 cash award in recognition of its work. The VIP has named a group therapy room in honor of Mary Byron.

“The VIP has proven itself to be a trailblazer in the field of domestic violence awareness and intervention,” says Marcia Roth, executive director of the Mary Byron Foundation. “They are offering solutions, not excuses, to victims. All communities should do the same.”

The Mary Byron Foundation, a public grant-making charity based in Louisville, Kentucky, is named for a woman whose time was cut short. On her 21st birthday, Mary Byron was shot and killed by an ex-boyfriend who had been sent to jail for raping her. She had not been notified of this man’s release. Louisville and Jefferson County, Kentucky responded to Mary’s murder with the creation of VINE? (Victim Information and Notification Everyday), the nation’s first automated system of victim notification. A decade later, VINE is saving lives in more than 1,300 communities in 36 states. The foundation honors Mary by supporting communities throughout the nation in their efforts to end domestic violence. It is her legacy.

For more information, visit the Mary Byron Foundation website.