Mothers and Children in Crisis group to hold summit
Oct 11, 2017 | 2017 Archives, Briefs
Mothers and Children in, Inc., (MCC), a local not-for-profit organization, in collaboration with the All Saints Parish Women’s Taskforce, will hold a summit 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 26, at the Bishop Harrison Center, 1342 Lancaster Ave., Syracuse. The summit will focus on raising awareness of the issues facing women in the community involved in one of the Syracuse Community Treatment Courts, as they work to rehabilitate their lives through intensive substance-abuse treatment while raising young children. Speakers at the Summit will include Judge Ted Limpert, of the Syracuse Human Trafficking Intervention Court.; Dr. Michelle Bode of Crouse Hospital; a representative from Hannick Hall, a drug addiction treatment center in Newark; an advocate from McMahon/Ryan Child Advocacy Center; and Kelly Whitman, vice president of Substance Use Disorders for The Lighthouse Women’s Residence in Buffalo. According to state Health Department statistics, Onondaga County has one of the highest rates in the state of hospital discharges of newborns with drug-related issues. Dr. Bode will speak on her work with babies born to drug-dependent mothers. Kelly Whitman from The Lighthouse Women’s Residence and the representative from Hannick Hall will discuss their rehabilitation centers which allow mothers participating in an intensive drug-treatment program to live with their children, two of only a few such treatment centers currently operating in New York state. In addition to raising awareness, the summit will also explore opportunities in which our community can assist MCC with its goal of opening a residential center to provide a safe, nurturing environment for women to care of their children while receiving intensive substance-abuse treatment. Lunch will be provided. Anyone interested in attending the summit can contact Mary Jensen at jensenmcc@twcny.rr.com by Oct. 19.