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Show Wednesday, March 14, 2001 The Park Record A-21 Criticism follows DCFS firing I The State Division of Child and Family Services loses leader; 'not caring' enough SALT LAKE CITY (AP) The head of the state Division of Child and Family Services has been fired after coming under criticism from groups who say the division has needlessly taken some children from their homes. Division director Ken Patterson was removed from his job Friday, state Department of Human Services executive director direc-tor Robin Arnold-Williams, who oversees the department, announced to staff in an e-mail. Although Arnold-Williams praised Patterson for moving DCFS forward, she said it was time for a "different set of leadership lead-ership skills" and admitted that the criticism played a role in the decision. Deputy division director Richard Anderson will become acting director Monday as a nationwide search for a new director begins. Patterson said he was pleased by the job that DCFS staffers have done. He has asked to be reassigned within the division, and Arnold said that request is being considered. "It's been a really challenging job for me," Patterson said. "I'm proud of what we've accomplished." accom-plished." Patterson, a former child caseworker case-worker and the director of Nevada's child welfare system, took over DCFS in 1997. By then, the troubled division was operating under terms imposed by a 1994 settlement to a lawsuit filed by the National Center for Youth Law and a legislative leg-islative overhaul that same year. Under his leadership, the division divi-sion made a philosophical shift, changed its employee training programs, instituted a new computer com-puter database for tracking cases and made administrative changes to trim the budget and increase efficiency. Reviews of the division by a national child welfare group indi cate that services have improved as a result of the changes. "He's built some things up in the last 312 years," said Pamela Atkinson, an Intermountain Health Care executive, children's advocate and member of the panel that oversaw the division's compliance with the settlement. "They're looking for somebody to do more implementation." Despite the improvements, DCFS has still faced criticism from parent and advocacy groups for its practices in the areas of child removal, foster-care placement place-ment and inconsistent practices in post-adoption practices. Earlier this month, a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit brought by a Davis County family that contends their son was wrongfully wrongful-ly taken from them. "We're just glad to see (Patterson) go," said Bonnie Macri, executive director of the group JEDI Women, which has targeted the division's practices. "Whenever we talked to him, he could quote numbers, but when it came right down to it, he really was not caring for the children of our state." Children's Center receives grant Grant used to train workers in early childhood child-hood developmental issues, treatments The Children's Center received a $7,000 grant from the UPS Foundation, the charitable arm of United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS). The grant will be used to support The Center's statewide training efforts in diagnosing diag-nosing and treating early childhood child-hood developmental issues. The Children's Center is a private, pri-vate, non-profit agency providing therapeutic treatment to behav-iorally behav-iorally and emotionally troubled preschool aged children. The Center is the only agency of its kind in Utah, and one of the few resources existing nationally that focuses on early developmental issues. With some four decades of experience, The Children's Center also helps train mental health clinicians throughout Utah on diagnosis and treatment approaches for these at-risk children. chil-dren. "This grant is the type that creates cre-ates a very positive ripple effect. The funds will be used to support our efforts to train others in helping help-ing young children with serious problems," said Douglas Goldsmith, executive director and chief psychologist of The Children's Center. "Thus, the impact is magnified and we are very thankful for the generosity shown to us by UPS." Founded in 1951 and based in Atlanta, GA, The UPS Foundation identifies specific areas where its support will clearly clear-ly impact social issues. The Foundation's major initiatives currently include programs that support family and work place literacy, lit-eracy, prepared and perishable food distribution and volun-teerism. volun-teerism. Corporate grants benefiting benefit-ing organizations or programs such as The Children's Center positively impact communities today. The UPS Foundation has a unique philanthropic structure that distributed approximately $35.1 million in 1999 throughout the U.S. and internationally. Of that, over $17.8 million was awarded through the Corporate Grant Program, $3 million was distributed through the RegionDistrict Grant Program, $1.9 million was awarded through the Community Investment Grant Program, $8.2 million to United Way and $4.1 million in local charitable giving. "United Parcel Service delivers much more than 12 million packages pack-ages each day. We deliver support to communities worldwide," said Evan Cooper, Executive Director of The UPS Foundation. "By 'support,' we mean more than financial support. We mean longstanding long-standing programs to ensure the safety and well being of our employees and the communities we serve, as well as hands-on community service through programs pro-grams that reinforce our commitment commit-ment to education and urgent human welfare needs. We are delighted that The Children's Center shares our vision of improving our communities." wm. niversityHW WSmmlrW&sKKmBKmMmGmh Protect children, adults from poisons I Next week is National Poison Prevention Week; warnings for non-prescription drugs "Children act fast, so do poisons," poi-sons," is the theme for National Poison Prevention Week 2001. Accidental poisoning can happen at any time and in any place, but over 90 percent happen in the home. Children are most at risk for poisoning because they are smaller, small-er, have faster metabolic rates, and are less able to physically handle toxic chemicals. Also, children's natural curiosity and desire to put everything in their mouths increase their risk. Approximately 40 children between the ages of one and five die each year from accidental poisoning. The most common causes of poisonings poi-sonings are prescription and nonprescription non-prescription drugs, cleaning agents, plants and cosmetics. During Poison Prevention Week, the Utah Safety Council offers the following tips to help raise awareness and prevent childhood poisonings: Buy products with child-resistant packaging. Always completely close containers con-tainers after each use. Keep products in their original containers. Never have products open and unattended when children are pres ent. Many poisonings occur while the product is in use. Reduce the amount of toxic, poisonous materials in your home. Make it a point to buy products that are less toxic. Throw away medicines that are no longer needed or that are past their expiration dates. Always supervise children in your home and especially when you are visiting others. In the event of a suspected poisoning, poi-soning, it is important that prompt and appropriate action is taken. The most effective first aid approach includes these steps: 1. Post the following numbers near your phone. Utah Poison Control Center at (801) 581-2151 or 1-800456-7707 outside the Salt Lake area. Call Poison Control first . Your local emergency number (usually 911). Your pediatrician and hospital. 2. Keep ipecac syrup on hand but do not use it unless told to do so by a poison control center or an emergency emer-gency room physician. Ipecac syrup causes vomiting, which is important for some poisonings, but dangerous for others. 3. When phoning for help, have the following information ready. The child's age and weight, along with any health problems. Circumstances of the poisoning (eaten, breathed, spilled on skin or splashed in the eyes). The poison container. What, if any, first aid has already been administered. If the child has vomited. How fast you can get to a hospital. hospi-tal. 4. Follow the instructions given by the poison information specialists carefully. If unable to contact Poison Control, call your local emergency number or your family physician. For a free brochure on preventing pre-venting poisonings, contact the Utah Safety Council at (801) 262-5400, 262-5400, or 1-800-933-5943 outside the Salt Lake Metro area. s5? Employment Rally April 3, 2001 6:30 p.m. Yarrow Hotel - Park City Leam more about over 200 PAID Student positions with The Coca-Cola Company 2002 Olympic Hospitality Program What's in it for you? Money towards tuitionbooks An active role In the 2002 Games A full Olympic uniform and pins An unforgettable experience! ToRSVP: Call 801-272-9446 or email elainebtravel-zone.com National Ability Center s Annual Weekend of Fun & Fundraising March 16 & 17, 2001 .HH . V HI Aw Thank Vom Park City We are sold out! On behalf of those we serve - individuals with disabilities, their families, and friends the National Ability Center would like to extend our deepest gratitude to the Park City community for the overwhelming support we nave received for our winter fundraiser: IOMEGA Corporation's A Starry Night & Wells Fargo s Ability Ski Challenge We would also like to extend our appreciation to those event sponsors, whose financial support ensures proceeds from this gala weekend directly fund our year-round sports and recreational programs: Iomega Corporation Glenwild The Hamlet Companies First American Tide Insurance Co. Delta Air Line Silver Lake Associates DaedalusUSA The Chateaux Bistro Toujours Blind Dog Grill Wells Fargo Park City Mountain Resort 4 4 UTAH David Holland's Resort Lodging The Colony Swire Coca Cola Big Four Distributing Nacho Mamas Rossmiller Photography |