| Name | Amy Jo |
|---|---|
| Last Name | Osborn |
| Home Address | 11976 McGhee Rd Apison, TN 37303 United States |
| Organization Name | Austin Hatcher Foundation For Pediatric Cancer |
| Describe Your Role In The Organization | My role at the Austin Hatcher Foundation as President, CEO and Co-Founder is to develop, implement and execute strategic objectives and direction in areas of budget, marketing, and public relations. Develop and implement clinical staff and all services/therapies to provide childhood cancer patients, survivors, and the entire family reach their full human potential through education, balance, and health & well-being. |
| Organization Address | 1705 S. Holtzclaw Avenue Chattanooga, TN 37404 United States |
| Website | https://www.hatcherfoundation.org |
| Best Phone Number To Reach You | 678-372-5001 |
| Alternate Phone Number | 423-243-3471 |
| Email Address | amyjo@hatcherfoundation.org |
| Alternate Email Address | info@hatcherfoundation.org |
| Please Describe Your Project In Detail | The Austin Hatcher Foundation is focused on maximizing the emotional, academic and social development of the child and family unit after a diagnosis of pediatric cancer. Services are offered out of the foundation’s newly opened Education Advancement Center in Chattanooga, Tenn. The foundation also has satellite locations where services are provided regularly in Dalton, Georgia, and Birmingham, Ala. The Individualized Programs and Services provided to the Chattanooga Community are: Providing Affordable Health Care: (All of the services below are offered at NO cost, to the entire family) - Neurocognitive Testing (Measures Cognitive Abilities, Attention, Problem Solving, Memory, Language, IQ, Visual/Spatial Skills, Academic Skills, and Social-Emotional Function) - Occupational Therapy(Physical, Sensory, or Cognitive Development) Supporting Mental Wellbeing: (All of the services below are offered at NO cost, to the entire family) - Counseling (Individual, Trauma, Grief, Sibling, and Family) - Art + Music Therapy (Enhance Emotional and Physical Function) - Cognitive + Behavioral Health Therapy - Sibling Support (One-On-One Counseling, Enrichment, and More) - Academic Support (IEP/504 Plan, Tutoring, and Virtual Learning) - Family Programming (Day Camps, Parent Events, and Sibling Events) - Industrial Arts (Shop Class) The Objective of the Tennessee Cancer Care Plan for Childhood Cancer states, " Improve the medical, psychosocial and educational outcomes and needs of childhood cancer patients in Tennessee by providing the highest quality, state-of-the-art, comprehensive cancer care during and following Chemotherapy" The Pediatric Blood Cancer Research study developed the Psychosocial Standards of Care for families with 15 standards. The Austin Hatcher Foundation, not only has developed, but is implementing and administering 14 out eh 15 standards through evidence-based services in mental health and long-term supportive care to families and children affected by childhood cancer. To break down the organization's therapies and programs the Foundation has broken it into four major divisions: Psycho-Oncology, Diversionary Therapy, Industrial Arts Therapy, and Healthy Lifestyle Education. All programs and services are offered through its Education Advancement Center. Every service and therapy offered at AHFPC is provided at no cost to individuals, and the foundation does not accept insurance. Families are relieved from the burden of having to pay or go through the challenges of insurance in order to access high-quality healthcare and mental health services. Services are also offered for the entire lifetime of the whole family. To understand the need for psycho-oncology (mental health + wellbeing) services in a pediatric cancer setting, it is important to understand the effects that cancer has on the affected child and his or her family members. More than 1,300 children in the U.S. will be diagnosed with cancer this month alone. With the treatments available today, 4 out of 5 of those children will survive. On the surface, that sounds like good news, but these numbers don’t tell the whole story... The numbers don’t tell you what kids have to go through to be cancer free. And they don’t tell you what life is like after childhood cancer. Many children will face learning problems, growth problems and developmental delays that can result from years of too-harsh treatments on small, growing bodies. They’ll have endless appointments with endocrinologists, neurologists, psychologists and countless other specialists to manage the lasting effects of treatment. Some will have psychosocial issues when they go back to school and try to resume a “normal” life after months or years spent isolated from their peers. Some will have mental health problems like depression, anxiety and even PTSD from the trauma of childhood cancer treatment. Many will have late effects that follow them well into adulthood, including fertility problems, secondary cancers, and increased risk of other health problems such as diabetes, obesity and heart disease. And many children (siblings and parents) will live with a constant, nagging fear that the cancer will return — a fear that flares with every little headache, pain or bruise. This is what life is like for childhood cancer survivors. Two out of three childhood cancer survivors are left with a chronic illness from their treatment. The remaining third are the lucky ones, but even they will face physical, mental and emotional challenges in the years after treatment ends. The Austin Hatcher Foundation provides to every family, in treatment, or survivors of childhood cancer in the Chattanooga Area with the aim of providing patients/survivors and families the services needed to live meaningful and productive lives. Lastly, the decline in academics is strongly correlated with children diagnosed with cancer, due to the development of cognitive deficits, which turns into a mental wellbeing deficit for children and their families. The Austin Hatcher Foundation provides Neurocognitive testing to help measure the child's Cognitive Abilities, Attention, Problem Solving, Memory, Language, IQ, Visual/Spatial Skills, Academic Skills, and Social-Emotional Function. The testing feedback and report is completed and a treatment plan is put in place for the children. To this day, the Austin Hatcher Foundation for Pediatric Cancer is the Regions ONLY Psycho-Oncology Center that focuses on children with cancer and their entire family. |
| Please explain how your project meets the requirements of the American Rescue Plan | There is a significant concern that the severity of the coronavirus and the fear revolving around it currently - and will continue to be - a "trauma trigger" for families who have been affected by pediatric cancer. Families who have survived pediatric cancer have reported a significant increase in symptoms of anxiety (i.e., night terrors, panic attacks, withdrawn behavior, anger, aggression) which can easily exacerbate other mental health issues and overall wellbeing (i.e., depression, mood disorder, substance abuse). Many survivors are reporting thoughts of past trauma, such as isolation (due to treatment), severe sicknesses, and more, which are resurfacing during this new form of isolation. Whether they are survivors or in current treatment, the coronavirus will continue to play a large role on the psyche of an individual and the full development and relationship of these family units. Many families are reporting increased marital issues, stress on relationships with children and self-care, which will continue to be a growing issue. The Foundation provides therapies and services tailored to each family members long-term mental health, emotional, and physical needs as they arise as a late effect from the coronavirus. There are over 483,000 survivors of childhood cancer in the United States, representing approximately 1 in 570 young adults. In East Tennessee alone, there are 14,900 children who are childhood cancer survivors. Survival comes with a cost. Two-thirds of those who do survive face at least one chronic health condition. One quarter of survivors face a late-effect from treatment that is classified as severe or life-threatening. Siblings of children with cancer feel a lot of stress. Family routines change, and they may feel experience anger, sadness, anxiety, and guilt. They may worry about what is happening to their brother or sister, feel afraid they did something to cause their sibling's cancer, or feel as if they are getting less attention from their parents. These are families in our community living with the childhood cancer that we serve, at no financial burden to the family Patients seen at Austin Hatcher Foundation that are seen within a 100-mile radius, 42 percent are indigent. The Austin Hatcher Foundation is a national 501-3c Organization. |
| Where would your project take place? | Chattanooga, Tennessee in the Foundation's Education Advancement Center |
| How much will your project cost in total? | 679495.00 |
| Do you have any matching funding sources from other local governments, private entities, non-profits, or philanthropic entities for your project? | No |
| Please describe the source and list amounts of any other funding. | |
| What portion of the project are you asking the city to fund? | |
| If funded, when would your project start? | March 1, 2022 |
| How long would your project take to complete? | 12 months |
| What milestones would you use to measure your project’s progress? | The Austin Hatcher Foundation has been very fortunate in our ability to adapt and meet the needs of our patients during the pandemic. The patients we serve are facing the immense challenge of two health crises, and our team has spent hundreds of hours developing new programs, adaptations, and services to help patients thrive during this unprecedented time. We added a variety of services including HIPAA Compliant Tele-Health Services, Virtual Tutoring, Virtual Enrichment Classes, Leadership in Training for Young Adults, Educational Webinars for Parents and Caregivers, With the economic down turn, discretionary income has been significantly diminished nationwide. Like all nonprofit organizations, we also face the challenge of fundraising during this pandemic. We currently have a fundraising plan and budget in place to allow us to continue our operations while also maintaining the expansion that was necessary for us to undergo as the pandemic created an increased need for our services. Our plan to address these issues includes working within the confines of the stimulus plans for opportunities, optimizing our fundraising events that are currently scheduled for Fall 2021, and seeking fundraising opportunities that are outside of in-person events (such as virtual auctions, automotive builds and auctions, grants, capital campaign funding, and more). All programs/services at the Austin Hatcher Foundation are designed to not only address but to resolve the underlying cause that created the need for families journey of childhood cancer The Foundation services are focused on maximizing the emotional, academic and social development of the child and family unit after a diagnosis of pediatric cancer. |
| How would you ensure accountability and transparency throughout the project lifecycle? | The Austin Hatcher Foundation will provide quarterly reports for all services, impact and surveys. |
| If successful, how would your project benefit the community? | The Austin Hatcher Foundation benefits the Chattanooga Community by provides to every family, in treatment, or survivors of childhood cancer in the Chattanooga Area with the aim of providing patients/survivors and families the services needed to live meaningful and productive lives. It reaches beyond the diagnosed and empowers the entire family unit. The Foundation provides an opportunity for families to come in through our doors at any level of education, race, religion and ethnicity and be provided the highest standard of care at no cost. . The patients we serve are facing the immense challenge of two health crises, and our team has spent hundreds of hours developing new programs, adaptations, and services to help patients thrive during this unprecedented time. The Foundation benefits the Chattanooga Community by increasing the decline in academics is strongly correlated with children diagnosed with cancer, due to the development of cognitive deficits, which turns into a mental well-being deficit for children and their families. The Austin Hatcher Foundation provides Neurocognitive testing to help measure the child's Cognitive Abilities, Attention, Problem Solving, Memory, Language, IQ, Visual/Spatial Skills, Academic Skills, and Social-Emotional Function. The testing feedback and report is completed and a treatment plan is put in place for the children. To this day, the Austin Hatcher Foundation for Pediatric Cancer is the Regions ONLY Psycho-Oncology Center that focuses on children with cancer and their entire family. |
| How will you attract community buy-in for your project? | The Austin Hatcher Foundation has a large support system in our community. Once individuals and corporations hear about the mission and vision of the Foundation, they want to be involved on this cutting-edge, one of a kind opportunity. The Austin Hatcher Foundation's key collaborative (established) medical and mental health partners include, but limited to, Pediatric Hematology/Oncology at Children's Hospital at Erlanger, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Tennessee Cancer Coalition Southeastern Division, Hamilton Medical Center, Hematology/Oncology at East Tennessee Children’s Hospital, Pediatrics Psychology Department at University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Neuropsychology Division Children’s National Health System at George Washington University School of Medicine, Psychology and Neuropsychology Department at John’s Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, University of Tennessee, College of Medicine and St. Judes Children's Research Institute |
| Is there anything else you would like us to know about your project? | Although this decline in funding due to the pandemic related event cancellations and discretionary incomes, we have seen an increase in the need for the services we provide from families. Many families have expressed their fear around childhood cancer and Covid-19. A child that is in active chemotherapy treatment means that their child's immune system is not able to fight even the common cold. These children are at high risk of developing serious complications, including risk of death if exposed to the coronavirus infection. These families are now under a level of anxiety, fear and isolation due to the risk in the community. With increased anxiety throughout the family units, diagnosed children and siblings are showing behavioral issues, parents are having increased symptoms of anxiety and depression, and families are expressing huge concerns with continuing treatment for their children. These panicked families are also in charge of playing the teacher role for the other children in the home, due to the fear of exposure in the school system. |