Lisbeth Schorr, author of United in a Common Purpose, spoke to a sold-out crowd last month at a lunch MHSC sponsored with the YWCA and Church Women United. Schorr, who is the Director of the Harvard University Project on Effective Interventions, spent 7 years researching the book to identify large-scale intervention programs that strengthen families and rebuild neighborhoods.
The years of research led Schorr to conclude that, "The collapse of the public's trust in social institutions - the 'trust deficit' - is the single biggest obstacle to bringing families and children into the American Dream." Schorr's book provides proof that the obstacle is surmountable, that trust can be rebuilt by demonstrating that institutions can be made to work. Common Purpose identifies a wide array of such programs across the country. Many of them, she found, combine the skills of "Mother Theresa, Machiavelli and a CPA" to be effective. In the lecture, Schorr described the characteristics common to successful interventions.
Schorr was optimistic as she shared her findings about what works to improve the quality of life in families and neighborhoods. Saying that, "The evidence is there that we can do so much better than we are doing," Schorr asserted that, "It is possible to tame bureaucracies, to craft new partnerships, to put together a critical mass to change neighborhoods." Common Purpose, published by Doubleday in September, joins Schorr's previously acclaimed Within Our Reach at area bookstores.
Attributes of Highly Effective Interventions
1. They are comprehensive, flexible, responsive and persevering.
2. They deal with children as parts of families.
3. They deal with families as parts of communities and are deeply rooted in the neighborhood.
4. They have a long-term, preventive orientation, a clear mission, and continue to evolve over time.
5. They operate in settings that support the maintenance of high quality standards, and hold staff accountable for achieving shared purposes.
6. Their managers are competent, committed, and responsible, with clearly identifiable skills.
7. They encourage professionals and other staff to build strong relationships with the individuals and families with whom they work, based on mutual trust and respect.
Infant mortality, defined as babies dying before age one, is widely considered to be a valuable indicator of a community's health and welfare. According to the Deceased Child report, a high infant mortality rate "indicates not only unmet health needs, but also conditions such as poverty, poor nutritional status, lack of education, a high rate of unintended pregnancies and changes in maternal characteristics such as drug use." It is also one piece of the county's child death rate that is able to be compared to state and national data.
Between 1988 and 1994, Franklin County's infant mortality rate declined from 12.2 to 8.6 per 1000 live births. The community appeared to make progress toward meeting the local and national goal of reducing the rate to 7 deaths per 1000 live births by the year 2000. In 1995, the county's rate reversed this downward trend with a jump to 10.2. Black infants were more likely (14.3 per 1000) than white infants (8.7 per 1000) to die.
How does Franklin County's rate compare to state and national ones? Not very well. The U.S. posted a record low rate of 7.6 in 1995; Ohio continued its steady decline, to 8.7 per 1000 live births.
What is responsible for the increase in the infant mortality rate? That's what members of the review team asked. The report suggests a number of strategies that could be used to reduce the rate, including prenatal care, more use of nurse practitioners and home visit programs. Careful tracking of the results of these kinds of services, if implemented, could tell how effective they are in lowering the infant mortality rate.
According to data reported by the Deceased Child Review System and analyzed by MHSC, child deaths in Franklin County increased by 12% in 1995. Of the 230 children age 17 or younger who died, the cause of death was determined in 226 cases. This translates to a child death rate of 9.7 per 10,000 children.
The report of the county's child deaths, the most recent available, was prepared from a review of the death certificates by a team composed of 19 local child-serving systems. The breakdown of causes of death shows that the largest number of children died at or near birth.
Two critical points are clear from the report. First, nearly half of the children who died in 1995 came from low income families. 109 children who died (or 47%) met the low income definition of eligible for Medicaid or receiving food stamps for at least one month in 1995. This 47% figure compares to 38% in 1994.
Second, many of the deaths were judged "preventable," defined as one where a "reasonable intervention might have prevented the death." The report cites 29% of all deaths as being preventable; when the youngest category (neonates - birth through 27 days) was excluded, a full 47% of the deaths were considered preventable. This figure does not include SIDS deaths, which are often judged preventable by health professionals and reporting systems.
The county's child death rate has fluctuated greatly during recent years. 1990 was the peak year for child deaths, with 245 children dying. Since then, the number of children dying ranged from a low of 205 to a high of 232.
The Metropolitan Human Services Commission invites you to submit nominations for its Barry Mastrine and Grace Kindig Awards. Both awards honor people involved in human services in the Franklin County community.
The Mastrine Award honors professionals who have promoted cooperation and coordination among human services organizations in order to improve the dignity, well-being and self-sufficiency of area residents. The award is named for MHSC's first executive director, who died in July of 1995.
The Kindig Award has been given to 33 volunteer individuals and organizations since its creation in 1979. Mrs. Kindig was a member of MHSC's first Board of Trustees and a well-respected advocate for human services.
Nomination forms will be mailed in late December or can be obtained by calling MHSC at 224-1336. Deadline for nomination is January 31. The awards will be presented at MHSC's annual meeting next spring.
MHSC hosted a 5 day course on program planning and proposal writing in October. Taught by Grantsmanship Center trainer Chuck Putney, the class drew participants from Kentucky, W. Virginia and Indiana as well as from the Columbus metropolitan area.
The training course included a strong program evaluation component, a primary reason for MHSC's interest in hosting the event. According to Michael Kasler, "For a number of years MHSC has emphasized the need to measure the impact that programs have on changing people's condition. The course, for us, was a natural follow-up to our work helping local human services systems develop evaluation plans and frameworks."
The Grantsmanship Center is a leading source of training for the nonprofit sector. Since its founding in 1972, the Center has trained more than 65,000 people in subjects such as resource development, evaluation and grantwriting.
The Ohio Association of Nonprofit Organizations (OANO) has published the Ohio Grants Guide, in cooperation with Grant Guides Plus, Inc. The guide provides important information regarding funding available from Ohio foundations, corporations, trusts, religious institutions and state government. The 900 page book has an extensive indexing system that allows organizations to search for funding by grant category, geographic location and type of support.
OANO Director David Maywhoor says the guide is the "first comprehensive directory of major funding sources in Ohio; it brings together a wealth of information, squeezes it between two covers and delivers it to your desk." It can be ordered by calling 1(888)247-2689.
Last month Michael Kasler informed the MHSC Board and staff that he is resigning his position effective early in 1998. Mr. Kasler, who has been President since 1989, said he reached his decision during recent months while leading MHSC through a strategic visioning and planning process. He believes that early 1998 "is a good transition point, one that will allow me to pursue other opportunities and interests and will allow MHSC to have new and different leadership." Board chair Barbara Jennings reported that the Board is moving ahead to initiate a national search on January 1, explaining that, "The Board has begun its work to recruit a new President who will be in place to guide the work that results from the strategic planning process."
Barbara Jennings, Chair
Ohio Tuition Trust Authority
Dean Conley, Vice Chair
Public Issues Management, Inc.
Mark Bainbridge, Treasurer
Ernst & Young
Penelope Bach, Secretary
Huntington Banks
Jonathan Beard
Columbus Compact, Inc.
Lou Briggs
Community Volunteer
E. William Butler
Police & Fireman's Disability & Pension Fund
Anthony Celebrezze, Jr.
Dinsmore & Shohl
Nancy Colley
Ohio Department of Insurance
Nana Jones
Columbia Gas
Annette Mizelle
Community Volunteer
Kevin Osterkamp
Roetzel & Andress
Frederick Rice
Attorney
William Rittenhouse
Columbus/Franklin County AFL-CIO
T. Ronald Sams
Children's Academy
Charleta Tavares
Ohio House of Representatives
Grayce Williams
Community Volunteer
The Scan is published by the Metropolitan Human Services Commission (MHSC).
The mission of MHSC is to provide strategic leadership for the Columbus metropolitan community in building and maintaining a human services system that strengthens the condition of all residents. The Commission is funded by Franklin County, the City of Columbus, and United Way of Franklin County.
Questions or comments should be referred to Claudia Herrold, Communications Specialist, Metropolitan Human Services Commission, 360 S. Third Street, 3rd Floor, Columbus, OH 43215-5481, 224-1336.