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The BCFS System has promoted Mike Estrada to Director of Protective Services.

In this new position, Mike will be responsible for leading the BCFS System’s security efforts across the board, which means everything from making sure programs and events are safe for everyone involved, to creating training curriculum for use by BCFS System employees and partners. He will analyze risk from a security standpoint and plan around reducing potential hazards to the safety of the organization, as well as assist with investigations when appropriate.

 “Long before I was offered a full-time position with the BCFS System, I told Kari (EVP/COO of Administration, Education and Emergency Operations) that this is the only agency I would give up full-time policing for because I believe in what we do here,” said Mike. “I feel privileged to work with some of the best people our nation has to offer.”

Mike is a Master Police Officer, a firearms instructor for police and civilians, a Mental Health Officer assisting with crisis intervention, a Self Defense Instructor with a 4th degree black belt in Taekwondo and a 1st degree black belt in Aikido. He is certified with the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) and Gang Resistance Education And Training (G.R.E.A.T.) programs. He is also a former Master-at-Arms in the U.S. Navy.

Mike has been a Police Officer for more than 27 years and currently holds a commission with Hollywood Park. He has served the BCFS System for nearly nine years.

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The BCFS System has selected Beth Wasserstrum to serve as the organization’s first Legal and Compliance Officer.

The new position will provide legal oversight and management of the comprehensive government grants and contracts that make up the backbone for many of the BCFS System’s programs and services. It will also provide a deeper understanding of organizational compliance and associated risk mitigation. “Upholding the public’s trust is paramount and maintaining a culture of compliance within the organization will help us in continuing to fulfill this mission,” said Beth.

As a Legal and Compliance Officer, Beth will assist in evaluating and advising the BCFS System’s relationship to contractors, vendors, and clients to guarantee that the requirements from both financial and operational sides are being met and maintained. She will be responsible for reviewing regulatory and internal policies and procedures, as needed, to assist internal stakeholders with any compliance or other related questions. Beth’s subject matter expertise and oversight will assist employees, management, and many others in the BCFS System so that they can make informed decisions based on what is best in the growth and development of the organization, taking a proactive approach and staying true to the System’s mission. 

After receiving her bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at San Antonio, Beth served as a Juvenile Probation Officer here in Bexar County. She went on to study at St. Mary’s School of Law, where she received a Doctor of Jurisprudence. In her career, Beth has been an important legal and compliance resource, as well as an administrative advantage for the organizations she has served for more than 16 years.

“We are pleased to have someone with Beth’s expertise on board with us,” said Claudia Oliveira, Chief Financial Officer of the BCFS System. “Her robust background in legal and compliance matters will strengthen the BCFS System’s compliance culture.”

Beth joined the BCFS System family on Thursday, May 16, 2019 and will office at the System Headquarters.  

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The BCFS System has selected Sakshi Puri for the position of Public Health and Epidemiology Quality Assurance Director, where she will serve the Medical Services Division of BCFS Health and Human Services.

Sakshi has a master’s degree in public health from Texas A&M University, with a concentration in health policy and management. She is a former epidemiologist with Hidalgo County Health and Human Services, serving as a subject matter expert for investigating zoonotic and foodborne conditions in the Rio Grande Valley. Sakshi also worked with Northern Vermont Area Health Education Center and other medical colleges in the Vermont area as a health science educator, as well as the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley as a program coordinator, creating multidisciplinary activities to promote STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education tracks.

From developing curriculum for community-based health science programs for children to writing protocols for management and investigation of disease outbreak, Sakshi has the diversity of skills, knowledge, and experience that complements our agencies’ array of services, infrastructure, and clientele.

Serving earlier this year as an epidemiologist and public health group supervisor during the 2018 US HHS ORR Operations emergency sheltering event with BCFS Health and Human Services’ Emergency Management Division, Sakshi led a team of medical and public health staff to manage a system for vaccination administration and tracking.

In her new position as Public Health and Epidemiology Quality Assurance Director, Sakshi’s focus will be on effective sanitary and health care precautions aimed at mitigating illness in facilities across the agency, for the protection and health of our own forces as well as the clients we serve.

By collaborating with health partners and government entities, Sakshi will be able to deliver first-class guidance to the BCFS System and its programs on the most effective wellness practices, researching and reporting on interagency health concerns and mapping out effective solutions for staff and service populations alike.

Please join us in welcoming Sakshi to the BCFS System family.

By Janice Catley

As a BCFS Health and Human Services’ Emergency Management Division (EMD) Case Manager, I work closely with people to help them through some of the most trying, emotional, and dire events they have likely ever faced. In the wake of natural disasters and the catastrophes that men unleash on our communities, EMD case managers offer survivors wraparound support for their recovery, from basic needs to long-term counseling. In our jobs, EMD case managers bear witness to individuals and families working through these traumatic, tragic events, and the service we provide to these survivors is not only critical to helping them regain some stability, but also, in some way, I hope, helps strengthen their resolve to overcome the new set of obstacles that has brought us together. The following is just one example of the strength of the human spirit that EMD case managers often see in those we serve who have had their lives upended and are in the midst of a long road to recovery.

I met this specific survivor, “Daniel,” at one of the hospitals in San Antonio, Texas, where he had been evacuated to from the Texas Gulf Coast in the wake of Hurricane Harvey. Daniel is an elderly gentleman living with several medical issues for which he takes a slew of medications. During the storm, Daniel evacuated quickly, unorganized, and unwillingly. His wife would abandon him one week after the hurricane, but his daughter and her three children came to his aid in his time of need. After a two-hour intake session where I assessed his needs and listened to him tell me everything he wanted to, Daniel was in good spirits. I reassured him that his daughter and I would put together a long-term recovery plan and start working on it immediately.

The next week, Daniel was released from the hospital and returned to the hotel where he could recuperate comfortably. The first assignment on his recovery plan was for his daughter to talk with the building contractors at his Houston home to get an estimated time of completion for his home repairs. Next, we had to see if Daniel qualified for an extension of his Transitional Sheltering Assistance (TSA); then complete a CAN (Coordinated Assistance Network) Conditions, Actions, Needs) Intake Assessment for financial assistance. With his daughter’s help, we accomplished each task successfully.

His ‘get up and go again’ spirit not only helped his recovery, but also really motivated me as his case manager.

Through interactions with Daniel and his daughter, I could see that their time together was strengthening their bond, and their bonds with the children. I helped the family acquire some of the critical resources they needed, and helped them stay focused and faithful. Despite the odds against him, Daniel demonstrated a warrior’s mentality, a terrific sense of humor, a positive attitude about life, and the patience of Job. His “get up and go again” spirit not only helped his recovery, but also really motivated me as his case manager.

Daniel, his daughter, and I worked together to set measurable, attainable goals for each family member.Knowing they were important to the family’s success, the children agreed to keep their grades up with no less than a “B” average. Daniel agreed to follow the doctor’s orders to work toward getting healthy again, and his daughter set a goal to find suitable employment to help her family with their finances.

After several of weeks of dedicated case management, listening sessions, and learning about the mountain of federal rules and regulations, good things began to happen. Daniel’s medical disabilities qualified him for a rental assistance program, and all three of his grandchildren earned scholarships to attend summer camp. With Daniel’s dedication to his health, exercise had become part of his daily routine, with daily walks around the hotel where he lived while his house was repaired. As a result, his doctors decreased his medications from eighteen meds to twelve meds a day. And on the job front, when the hotel manager learned of Daniel’s daughter’s job hunt, he hired her to work in the hotel’s front office. Important milestones were being met and Daniel and his family were truly working together to emerge on the other side of this tragedy as better individuals, closer family members, and once again self-sufficient.

Daniel’s family’s story, ultimately, is a success story. Along the way, however, there were times when it was hard, times when it seemed like good things were never going to happen. But we didn’t give up…they didn’t give up. I hope their story can inspire others who might be going through their own hard times to not give up. As a case manager, I notice that survivors focus not on what they are going through, but instead focus on the decision and the determination that they are going to be stronger for having overcome all the obstacles they have faced.

We give survivors trusted guidance and encourage them to walk by faith, not by sight.

The EMD team and the entire BCFS System are committed to the work that must be done on behalf of those we serve who are in need of a helping hand. Case managers assemble the necessary resources, get our survivors actively involved in their case plans, and pay close attention to the answers they give and work to build on their strengths. We give survivors trusted guidance and encourage them to walk by faith, not by sight. We are determined to do a good job, to do right by those we serve, and remain at the ready to face new challenges with our survivors on their roads to recovery, believing fully that we are all connected, and that we’re all In this together!

Janice Catley is an EMD Disaster Case Manager on Texas-Houston-Team 9. Her service to the survivors of Hurricane Harvey resulted in several grants from the American Red Cross. She excels in the BakerRipley Disaster Case Management Process and the CAN Platform.

One of the ways BCFS Health and Human Services uplifts communities is through the Preparation for Adult Living (PAL) program. PAL is a way for youth aging out of the foster care system to build their skills and knowledge, fortify their self-confidence, create healthy community relationships, and ultimately learn self-guidance.

Throughout Texas, BCFS Health and Human Services is active in communities, guiding youth from the foster care system toward a stable adulthood through education, life skills training, and access to supportive and caring adults that can offer life advice and answers that can help a young person see a bright future through a past that, at times, may have seemed hopeless.

The following stories are testimonials from three youth with experience in the foster care system who received services through the PAL program. Each writer tells their story selflessly, in the hope that their experiences and stories might shine a ray of hope upon a seemingly insurmountable obstacle for another.

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Alana

Writing about myself has always proved to be rather difficult for me. I see myself as both a dreamer and a doer, but I am also a tad bit of a procrastinator. I have overcome an abundance of obstacles these past few years, and, at the same time, accomplished more than I expected.

My upbringing was not ideal, but I managed. I grew up in a household with my four other siblings, my grandmother, and my mother. I was born with a cleft lip and cleft palate, so there were numerous doctor appointments. My birth defects posed a huge challenge during elementary school.  There were times I’d get bullied, and I couldn’t do anything besides sit and listen. I might have been young, but I knew people would always have something to say about my appearance. I also struggled in school. I remember crying my eyes out as I did homework, and no one at home provided any assistance.  It wasn’t long before I realized I was on my own.

During middle school, I decided that I had to work hard because I did not want to struggle like my mother. I was already aware that college for me was a must. I was inspired by so many compassionate people in the medical field that I set my mind on being involved in health care. By the time I reached ninth grade, I felt a little more confident with myself. I had joined marching band that summer, and was placed in a selective advanced math course with other peers. I was on top of the world…for a little while.

Over time, the feeling faded. Since my mother was elsewhere, I had to juggle paying house bills, purchasing groceries, setting doctor appointments for my siblings, and running other errands for my family. When my mother did come home, it was utter chaos. Arguments sprouted everywhere! There were too many times when she was physically, verbally, mentally, and emotionally abusive toward my siblings and me, but it all went unnoticed. I began feeling overwhelmed, and decided to quit band. It was time consuming, and I thought it would be better if I turned my attention solely to academics.

I enrolled in dual enrollment courses – courses that earned college credit – in my high school and stayed involved in clubs and other extracurricular activities. I was very stressed, but I could not afford to give up. I needed to do better for myself. I would not settle for less.  Slowly, I began climbing my way up the class ranking.

During my junior year, my life took another turn. My biological mom was diagnosed with schizophrenia. Child Protective Services (CPS) intervened before life at home could get any worse. Two of my younger siblings and I were taken to a shelter in Laredo, Texas, and my little sister stayed in a behavioral institute.

I had lost everything. I was withdrawn from the rigorous classes I had worked so hard to obtain.  The clubs and extracurriculars were gone. My friends were out of reach. Eventually, my siblings left the shelter without me. I remained there for two whole months. Alone.

Like many other individuals in the shelter, I developed a negative perspective about life. It took me by surprise that, early in 2017, I was placed in the Lopez family home where I was welcomed with open arms.  Since that day, they have treated me with utmost respect and kindness. Mr. and Mrs. Lopez always make sure I am doing well. Besides them, my caseworker, Carla F., and attorney, Latoya C., were always there to support me.

When I enrolled at Porter Early College High School, my foster parents encouraged me to continue taking dual enrollment classes and to remain focused. As a senior, I did just that. I even joined clubs such as HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America) and BPA (Business Professionals of America) where I advanced and placed in competitive events. Without the support from many individuals, I do not know how I would have graduated with so many achievements. I definitely did not expect to graduate number nine in my class.

I ended my senior year with two certifications in Medical Billing and Coding and Medical Administrative Assistant. I volunteered at VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance), which allowed me to give back to my community and impact low-income families positively.

I look forward to attending the University of Texas at
Austin this fall. I will be part of the College of Natural Sciences and major
in biology. I have been accepted to the
University Leadership Network program (which comes with a scholarship), the TIP
Scholars program, and the Freshman Research Initiative Program. I earned a
few other scholarships, and they’ll surely assist me financially. My ultimate
goal is to someday become a prestigious cardiothoracic surgeon. I look forward
to being able to give back to my community and others in foster care someday.

All in all, even though I’m still in foster care, I feel it is for the best. I am in a more stable environment that allows me to exceed even my own expectations. I cannot deny that, while I was with my biological family, I acquired key principles such as being responsible and determination. After all the obstacles and achievements, I feel more mature. I’m excited for the future, and live by Nelson Mandela’s wise words: “After climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb.” 

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Elvia

I was a lonely child.  My mother gave birth to me in the prison she and my father were held in in Tamaulipas, Mexico. My sweet grandmother, since the day I was born, took care of me as if I were her own child. I grew up in a lovely, humble home with my grandmother and a very close aunt.

Unfortunately, my grandmother started to get sick when I was in my early teens, which led me to move to Texas. It was challenging moving to a new environment and culture. Plus, my grandmother being sick made it more difficult for us. 

At first, my life in Texas was very strenuous because I didn’t speak English. Time passed, and my grandmother got worse, to the point that I wouldn’t go to school so I could take care of her. The weariness and fearful thoughts made me feel exhausted day and night. 

I started using drugs to calm myself down, but in the long run it only made me feel more ill. I tried to stop using the drugs, but it made everything ten times harder. I had to ask for professional help, which led me to a rehab recovery home for teenagers. After successfully completing my time in rehab, they were investigating to see whether I could go back to my home. Sadly, they found out that my grandmother was not capable of taking care of me anymore, which made them call Child Protective Services as soon as they saw that I had nowhere else to go. 

At the age of sixteen, I was moved to San Juan, Texas, where I lived with my first foster mother. To this day, I am still in foster care, even though I could have gone out of care at the age of 18, I decided to stay for a better life for my grandmother, and for me. 

Entering into the system was uncomfortable at first because you do not know the people you are living with and feel left out. With time, everything got better in many ways. I graduated high school and got a well-paying job. I appreciate all of the organizations that have helped us make our life a little easier. 

BCFS Health and Human Services helped me get a job and be prepared for it. They also helped me open my very first bank account, and make a smooth transition into adulthood.

This is just the beginning for me. I am aiming for success, not giving up, and living to make my grandmother proud.

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Andrew Luke

My biological parents were really bad drug addicts and I was born positive for cocaine. When I was two years old, they were so drugged up that my father beat me and tied me in a dark closet. I was found a couple of hours later by my brother, Dionicio, who was about six years old at the time, and he called the authorities.

I was taken by ambulance to the hospital. The doctor told CPS and the authorities that it was a miracle that I even made it to the hospital alive. CPS took me and my older brother (Dionicio) and my little sister (Karissa) out of our home and placed us with relatives.

We were there only for a couple of months until they were not able to care for us. When I turned four, we were adopted by Eliseo and Celia Reyes from a small town named Rio Hondo. I loved them as if they were my own parents. I remember when I got to the home, I ran around the house just laughing and crying tears of joy. I loved that family.

Things were awesome until I turned fourteen. As soon as I hit middle school, I became a victim of bullying. After some time I would not want to even go to school. Then when I did, I would come home and take out the anger on my family. It got so bad that one day the police were called and I went to juvenile lock-up. 

In the detention center, a CPS caseworker came to visit me. I figured it was probably to talk about what happened when I was younger, but I was wrong. The CPS worker told me that when I was to be released, I would be taken into foster care. That night I cried knowing I made the biggest mistake in the world. 

It was also the first time I tried to commit suicide. 

I tried to cut myself with broken glass from the mirror. Luckily, a guard saw me and restrained me and transported me to the medical room to get attention. I was released a week later. 

The very first foster home I went to was the Esquivel Family. We grew close, but then problems started that had nothing to do with me and I had to leave.

I moved from foster home to foster home until I was seventeen, when I landed in a residential treatment center. There, I got my first job and learned about BCFS Health and Human Services. 

One day I was told that I would be moving back to my hometown to live with the Moreno family. I was 18. When I got there, I was welcomed with open arms. Frank Moreno taught me and molded me to the man I am today. He was tough on me, but it was necessary. I helped him with yardwork and a backyard project.  After about a year, though, I made another mistake and decided it was best for me to leave, after I had problems with him. 

I turned 20 on the Fourth of July in a homeless shelter. I am still living in the shelter, but things are different. I needed to be homeless – completely down and out – in order to see my place in the world. 

I’ve been accepted into college and I start in the Fall. It may not sound like it, but right now, I’m successful for two reasons:  One is that I’m still alive. And two is that I haven’t given up – and won’t. There might be people that have nothing going for them, but for me, I know soon I’ll be where I belong. 

To every foster youth out there in the whole world: Even if you feel alone, you are not, and these feelings and hardships will pass. Never give up and you will succeed with your goals in life. To be honest, I may still be staying at a shelter, but I’m in college now and will be working soon. I’m happy and I owe it all to the Lord and people who made a positive impact in my life.

Texas Families: Together and Safe

Texas Families: Together and Safe (TFTS) is a program operated by BCFS Health and Human Services that helps families with children ages 3-17 years old in Texas. In TFTS, parents can learn about the importance of stress management and improved communication. Families are also provided connections to community resources.

The following testimonials from different sides of the classroom dynamic ­­­– teacher and student – offer a glimpse into one of the ways BCFS Health and Human Services cultivates our communities by investing time and instruction to the families who live there alongside us.

Calming Influence
By Elizabeth De La Rosa

I have always been a yeller. The more upset I became, the louder I yelled. With three growing boys, I was beginning to realize that this was not working, and I needed to change the way I was approaching situations. I felt like I was losing my oldest son to technology and that if I took the technology away I was being too hard on him. I also felt that if I forced him to spend time with me with me or do things with the family, he would just resent me. I was at a loss. The TFTS Parenting Wisely class helped me see that yelling was only making me more and more angry. It was not solving the situation at all. I was creating a monster!

I began to practice what the program was teaching and just speak to my children more and hold them more accountable for their actions. I valued what they said and took that into account before making rash decisions. I began speaking more with my husband as well. We started to agree on things before we spoke to the kids.

The greatest thing about this is how it changed my relationship with my oldest son (13 years old). I began to speak with him and ask for his input as well. My expectations are the same, but now we discuss them. I let him help make decisions that I can live with. Some, I may not agree with completely, but after hearing his side, I can be okay with them. We’ve had many ups and downs and struggles to get where we are today. I did think many times that he was doing it on purpose just to irritate me, but I stayed firm and kept my composure. That was very hard to do! He truly tested me beyond what I would have ever thought.

After much struggle, I now feel like we have become closer than ever. In a world of technology, I found myself calling or texting him to get his attention, he now asks me to spend time with him! He hugs and kisses me more (not in public, of course). He comes down from upstairs and wants to watch movies with me. He now understands when he has consequences and follows through with them with little resistance. The best part is that I am not yelling nearly as much as I used too. When I do yell (because old habits are very hard to break) I catch myself and keep my composure. The children now let me know that I am yelling and remind me that we agreed we would speak to each other and not yell.

We are a much happier family now. I am no longer worried about my blood pressure. In all reality, I felt like I was losing my son. Now, I no longer carry such a fear. I don’t know what tomorrow brings, but I feel we are better able to discuss things together and come up with the most suitable way to handle the situation…together.

Thank you for giving me such great tools.

Mindful Parenting
By Patricia Heredia

My name is Patricia Heredia, Parent Education Facilitator with the Texas Families: Together and Safe (TFTS) parenting program. I taught TFTS at El Dorado Elementary School in San Antonio, Texas, where I met Mrs. Cardenas.

Mrs. Cardenas had perfect attendance at the TFTS Parenting Wisely Young Child class. During the first few weeks of class, she was skeptical because she thought it was going to be like all the other classes she had attended where they would lecture her and tell her all the things she was doing wrong. Mrs. Cardenas did not believe the parenting skills mentioned in the parenting book would work.

Halfway through the course, she mentioned that she had practiced the active listening technique and the “I” Statement that we discuss in class. Throughout class, she mentioned that the self-reflection exercise during each class has helped her understand why she made the choices she did. She said that TFTS helped her finally understand that her choices have consequences for her and her children.

“I did not give my kids the chance nor the time to express their feelings, listen, and be mindful,” Mrs. Cardenas says. “I did not put them first when I was supposed to, and now I have hope and pray other people can realize how important it is to be present.” 

At graduation, Mrs. Cardenas was so grateful when talking and expressing her thoughts about her experience in class, the activities provided, and the home practice. She maintains that TFTS helped her understand parenting much better.

“Maybe my story and struggles can help somebody else bond,” she says, “and be mindful of placing their children first. Because of my participation in class, I have been able to keep a close relationship with my children. I will continue practicing the parenting skills.”