RELEASE: October 23, 2001

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NEWARK-The New Jersey Division of Youth and Family Services (DYFS) introduced an initiative today to address the state’s critical shortage of foster homes for boarder babies- infants mainly born substance- or HIV-exposed who are medically cleared for discharge but remain hospitalized until an appropriate foster home can be found.

According to DYFS Director Charles Venti, 1,700 boarder babies have been placed in a DYFS foster home the past two years. More than 30 percent of these boarder babies come from Newark and its neighboring communities.

"Boarder babies deserve every opportunity to be in a loving home rather than a hospital," said James W. Smith, Jr., acting commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Human Services. "However, there is still a great need for foster parents for these infants especially those with special needs."

As part of the initiative, DYFS is introducing a new recruitment campaign featuring current foster parents who care for boarder babies. While focusing on the problem of babies waiting in New Jersey hospitals, the campaign urges people to make a difference by discovering the joys of being a foster parent.

The campaign will begin by concentrating on Newark and the surrounding Essex County area. The campaign, which costs $31,000, includes newspaper advertisements, billboards and New Jersey Transit buses and bus shelters.

The initiative also includes a new partnership with the United Clergy of the Oranges to recruit more foster homes for boarder babies. Under the leadership of the Reverend James Holcomb, this group of 17 churches will work with their congregations to distribute promotional material and host recruitment meetings to help meet the critical need for foster homes in their community.

"Hundreds of families have come forward the past several years to provide a home for boarder babies," said Acting Commissioner Smith. "With more foster homes, we can further reduce the amount of time they spend in a hospital."

DYFS has seen a significant decrease in the average length of stay in hospitals for boarder babies. In the Metro region, which includes Essex County, the length of stay has decreased from 33.9 days in 1996 to 16.17 days last year. Statewide, DYFS has been able to cut the length of stay by more than half from 32.4 days to 14.10 days.

"Our success is the direct result of those dedicated individuals who have made the commitment to be foster parents," said Venti. "Over the past three years we have added over 1,300 foster families and been able to provide thousands more children with a loving and stable home."

The event also featured closing comments from foster parents Hope and Roland Donald of Plainfield, Union County who have cared for six boarder babies since 1999. The Donalds are featured in the new recruitment campaign along with several other foster parents who attended the event.

To learn more about being a foster parent, call 1-877-NJ-FOSTER or visit the DYFS foster care web site
http://www.njfostercare.org.

For a copy of the campaign poster (click here jpg - pdf )

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