RELEASE: November 29, 2004

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A pediatrician with extensive experience operating public health systems and providing health care to impoverished children and families has been hired as the new medical director for the Division of Youth and Family Services.

Human Services Commissioner James Davy today announced the hiring of Dr. Joseph Jacobs to the medical director post. In that position, Dr. Jacobs will oversee the development of policies for providing routine and emergency care to children in DYFS' care and creation of data systems to better track the children's medical histories. Ensuring appropriate medical treatment for children in DYFS' care was a goal identified in New Jersey 's child welfare reform plan.

“His expertise, both as a pediatrician and as a public health expert, will help us coordinate services and better collaborate with the medical community to ensure that the children in our care get the medical attention they need,” Davy said.

“Meeting the health needs of all children is one of society's primary obligations,” Dr. Jacobs said. “But tending to the often complicated medical needs of abused or underprivileged children is even more imperative. I look forward to working with Assistant Commissioner Ed Cotton and the DYFS staff to better coordinate medical services and identify any gaps in the system.”

Dr. Jacobs said he will work to forge a better partnership between DYFS and the medical community. For example, Dr. Jacobs said he will recommend to the state Board of Medical Examiners and the Division of Consumer Affairs that all licensed health care professionals in the state receive ongoing training to recognize the signs of child abuse and neglect.

“I also want all DYFS case workers to be trained in childhood development so they can better identify potential problems in the children under their supervision,” Dr. Jacobs said.

Hiring the medical director was one of several initiatives underway at DYFS to improve health care for children in the child welfare system.

DYFS continues to assign nurses to field offices to facilitate medical assessments of children and provide a resource for caseworkers and their supervisors. All 38 DYFS field offices are covered by a nurse, with nurses actually stationed at 32 offices. Additional nurses will be hired shortly.

Through an agreement with the New Jersey Chapter of the American Association of Pediatrics, DYFS continues to reduce its reliance on emergency rooms by identifying local pediatricians to conduct medical exams of children who are entering foster care.

This month, DYFS began requiring that all foster children receive a Comprehensive Health Evaluation for Children (CHEC) exam within 30 days of entering placement to screen for acute or chronic conditions, provide immunizations, and assess for behavioral health, substance abuse and developmental progress.

In addition, DYFS has enrolled about half of all children in foster care in HMOs to better coordinate routine and ongoing medical treatment. Beginning in January, all children in out-of-home placement will be automatically enrolled in an HMO unless they qualify for a specific set of exemptions that DYFS developed with New Jersey Foster and Adoptive Family Services, the primary advocacy organization for foster families.

Before coming to DYFS, Dr. Jacobs, 58, held various public positions, including medical director for the Vermont Office of Health Access and Department of Corrections and director of the Office of Alternative Medicine at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda , Md.

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