|
WHO WE ARE ::
Organizational History and Background.
The mission of Children’s Health Involving Parents (CHIP
of Greater Richmond) is to work in partnership with parents
to improve the health and wellbeing of their children. CHIP
has provided home visiting services to the Richmond community
since 1992, when it replicated the CHIP of Roanoke
model, which had been funded by the Kellogg Foundation for
its first five years. CHIP of Greater Richmond had
its start as a program sponsored by the Richmond Community
Action Program (RCAP) and the Richmond City Health Department.
CHIP has been an independent nonprofit agency since
1997.
Our Holistic Approach
CHIP’s approach to services
and families is holistic. Staff members develop relationships
that make change seem doable and desirable by focusing on
the positive and not highlighting the negative. They go into
families’ homes—on their own turf— so that
they feel in control. They listen to parents and respect their
circumstances. When trust is established, real change can
occur as mothers set their own small, achievable goals and
build on them month by month. Empowering the parent as the
decision maker for their child is crucial to the success of
the family.
CHIP of Greater Richmond is a voluntary
and free program. Referrals are accepted from parents themselves
and other agencies and service providers including churches
and schools. Typically, families are headed by a single female
who has not finished high school with at least two children,
living in poverty in a neighborhood plagued by drugs and crime.
Approximately 80% of families live in public housing projects,
with the remaining 20% in some form of subsidized Section
VIII housing, or in shelters or trailer parks.
It is a strategic initiative of the Board
of Directors at CHIP to serve 1,000 children by June
of 2006. The need is overwhelming – our target population
is there – desperately waiting for services. We continue
to have families on our waiting list and the need for additional
funding to accommodate the ample requests is vital. In Richmond,
Virginia Youth Matters has identified approximately 8,000
families in the Metro area alone who could benefit from intensive
home visiting.
Community Recognition
CHIP and its leadership have been
recognized for its commitment to the community in a variety
of ways. In 1999, Executive Director, Barbara W. Fleming,
RN, MS, was named one of 99 Outstanding Nurses in Virginia.
In 2003, she received the YWCA of Richmond’s Outstanding
Woman Award in Health and Human Services and in 2005, received
the VCU Outstanding Nurse Alumni Award for community service.
She has her BS from the Medical College of Virginia, Virginia
Commonwealth University and her MS in maternal-child nursing
from the same institution. She has more than 30 years experience
as a nurse in both maternal-child and community health settings.
She has extensive experience as an administrator, in hospital
and community settings, and as an instructor of graduate and
undergraduate nursing students. She is also the President
of the Central Virginia Asthma Coalition. She has guided CHIP
since inception in 1992 when home visiting services were not
seen as a viable service delivery model in our area.
The agency has received two awards from
the Virginia Healthcare Foundation, in 1999, for Outstanding
Alumni Achievement and in 2001 – the Teamwork Award.
In 2005, Aetna awarded CHIP the Mid-Atlantic Small
Business of the Year Award for service to the community and
commitment to staff.
|
| CURRENT EVENTS |
| |
4th ANNUAL CHOCOHOLIC!
February 5, 2009
at the Holocaust Museum.
Tickets Available
at the Door
* VIP Tickets Sold Out *
Read More About it!
or
Call (804) 233-2850
|
|
| |
|
of Greater Richmond 
CHIP is certified by the 