Left to right: JWYC Supervisor, Leah Bogdanski, and FRS Lori Hubert
JWYC received a call from a distraught mother who reported that her house was on fire. Indiana County Supervisor, Leah Bogdanski, and Family Resource Specialist, Lori Hubert, immediately responded to the home to assist.
While on scene, Leah and Lori worked with three Indiana County CYS workers to help guide the family to safety and provide food. In addition to ensuring the wellbeing of the parents and their five children during the fire, the duo went above and beyond by working to get an aftercare plan in place for the family after the fire. For instance, one of the children, an infant, was on special prescription formula. Leah and Lori called the infant’s pediatrician and made arrangements for the formula to be available for the baby at the hospital. They also contacted the Red Cross for disaster relief assistance. In order to process the referral, the Red Cross needed specific documentation which was lost in the fire. Leah thought of the idea of accessing the information through the JWYC data-base system, ClientTrax. Social security paperwork, which had the family’s address and other relevant information needed, was uploaded by JWYC staff and provided to the Red Cross so the family was able to receive additional aid.
As temporary living situations were assessed for each family member, CYS contemplated sending one of the children to reside with a relative who showed up at the scene. Leah and Lori shared relevant background information about this family member to CYS so that an informed decision of the child’s placement was made not to send the child with the relative. Had Leah and Lori not been actively involved in the case, and at the scene, CYS may have placed this child with a family member that would have otherwise been considered a safety concern.
Leah and Lori did an awesome job working together and with CYS in order to provide this family with emotional and tangible support prior to, during, and after the fire.
Thank you, Leah and Lori, for your collaboration with Indiana County CYS and doing ‘Whatever it Takes’ to ease this family’s burden during a tragedy! Great job!