FY 23-24 Program Report

Agency Name: Jacob's Heart Children Cancer Support Services Program Name: Comprehensive Grief Support Services for Low Income Families of Children with Cancer Equity Dimension: Income

Condition: Thriving Families Tier: Medium Budget: $90,000.00

Annual Goal FY 23-24	Annual Goal FY 23-24
Unduplicated Participants     Total Unduplicated Participants 115 105	How Many Activities/Services Will Be Provided?     Forever Siblings -4 quarterly outings for children/teens/young adults  4 12 Forever Loved Grief Retreat -One 3-day, 2-night camp transformation in the Santa Cruz redwood forest where families from diverse languages and experiences share their unique sorrow 1 1 Individual Crisis Counseling and Psychotherapy - 200 sessions with bicultural psychotherapists, family support specialists, and interns with expertise in healing complex grief and trauma.  200 141 Grief Support Groups - 12 thematic support groups for parents with concurrent interventions and healing activities for siblings.  12 20 Family Day Events - 2 facilitated events bring bereaved families together despite language differences and cultural differences.  2 2
Annual Goal FY 23-24 Age     0-5 6% 6% 6-18 30% 30% 19-59 49% 49% 60+ 15% 15% Unknown 0% 0%	Annual Goal FY 23-24 Language     English 40% 40% Spanish 60% 60% Other 0% 0% Unknown 0% 0%
Ethnicity     African American 1% 1% Asian 1% 1% Latino 77% 77% Multi-racial 5% 5% Native American/Alaskan 0% 0% Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 0% 0% White 16% 16% Other 0% 0% Unknown 0% 0%	Gender     Female 51% 51% Male 49% 50% Transgender- Female 0% 0% Transgender- Male 0% 0% Other 0% 0% Unknown 0% 0% Nonbinary 0% 0%
Location     Capitola 2% 1% Santa Cruz 20% 21% Scotts Valley 2% 2% Watsonville 52% 51% Unincorporated Mid-County (e.g., Live Oak, Soquel, Aptos ) 9% 10% Unincorporated North County (e.g. , Davenport )  2% 1% Unincorporated San Lorenzo Valley (e.g., Ben Lomond ) 2% 2% Unincorporated South County (e.g., Freedom ) 11% 12% Unknown 0% 0% Out of County 0% 0%

Annual Goal FY 23-24   Annual Goal FY 23-24 How Well Did We Provide Service?     How many participants did you survey? 115 31 80% of program participants report being either “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with program services as measured by a one-question participant survey that will be completed by June 30th of each FY. 80% 100%

Annual Goal FY 23-24   Annual Goal FY 23-24 Is Anyone Better Off?     100% of program participants will have increased feelings of safety, support and being loved as measured by participants' self-reporting during ongoing counseling and psychotherapy sessions. 100% 100% 95% of Forever Loved Retreat participants will demonstrate improved coping skills as a result of peer and family connection and a strong safety net of community support that address their needs effectively, efficiently, and with compassion, as measured by participants’ self-reporting in surveys provided post retreat by Jacob’s Heart staff. 9500% 95% 90% of program participants experiencing the death of a sibling will demonstrate increased connection, community, and resilience as measured by regular attendance of Grief Support Program activities. Attendance participation will be tracked using a sign i 90% 90%

Additional CORE Questions  (The maximum length is limited to 1200 characters in the below boxes)
1. Briefly describe any progress and/or successes your CORE program achieved implementing its activities during FY 2023-2024. (Recommended 2-4 sentences)	Thanks to CORE funding, our grief support resources and support groups are welcoming, accessible, relevant, and meaningful for all members of our community. Interviews with family members indicated that their support needs are being met. 100% of Jacob’s Heart’s Grief Support Groups and communication materials are available in Spanish and English, which created deeper and more trusting connections while generating more awareness within our community. As a result, a record number of families are engaged with our Grief Support services today. This field is required
2. (Optional, Success Stories) Please share a short story about the experience of a participant or family that received services funded through this contract during FY 2023-2024. Please state the specific activity that was provided and the impact or positive change that occurred as a result of the service(s) provided. *Please make sure to change any identifying information, such as names.*	Forever Loved, a weekend retreat for our Jacob’s Heart families who have lost a child to cancer, is a time for families to gather, share memories, and honor their children. This retreat is all about creating meaningful moments, supporting each other, and cherishing family bonds. From group sessions with our team of clinicians to doing art projects together, it's a chance for families to connect with others who are walking similar paths. The families we serve say it best: "This has been a roller coaster of a week starting with a retreat with other families who have lost their children to cancer. It was bittersweet and brought up a lot of emotions. Feeling I have not even tapped into yet...I commend anyone who will talk openly about their hurt, their grief, their love, and their sadness. It doesn't make you unhealthy, it doesn't make you broken. Someone this past weekend at the retreat said it just means your heart is broken, but you are not a broken person." ~ Bereaved parent
3. Please describe any challenges your agency experienced in implementing its CORE funded program.	We are saddened to share that 18 Jacob’s Heart children died during this grant term, and two died in the month leading up to this report. Recognizing the challenges associated with an increasing number of families in need of our services, Jacob’s Heart implemented a plan to offload administrative tasks and coordination responsibilities so that our bilingual/bicultural Family Support Specialists could dedicate their time and focus on families, including grief support. The table above reflects the 141 hours of care that clinicians provided with CORE funding, and our Family Support Specialists provided an additional 2,109 hours of support to bereaved Santa Cruz County family members with braided funding. This strategy created deeper and more trusting connections while generating more awareness within our community, and as a result, a record number of families are engaged with our Grief Support services today. This field is required
4.Have you encountered challenges in collecting CORE program or participant data?	Yes No This field is required
5. If you answered yes, what challenges did you experience? (Recommended 2-4 sentences)	N/A
6. What technical assistance can HSD or the CORE Institute provide to support your data collection activities?	N/A This field is required
7. During FY 2023-2024, did your CORE program staff participate in a CORE Institute event (e.g., Coffee Chats or Conversations)?	Yes No This field is required
8. During FY 2023-2024, how did your CORE program engage its staff on issues of equity?	Jacob's Heart staff tracked and responded to the needs of families to improve our programs from an equity and inclusion perspective. Our programs flow from our community members' needs and requests, which we encourage and seek via deep listening and trust-building over time. Through empathy and culturally sensitive approaches, we empower families to voice their concerns, leading to more targeted and impactful solutions. Jacob’s Heart knows firsthand how students with Latino cultural competency help tailor our services to meet the diverse cultural health beliefs, practices, and needs of the community we serve. Our intern program for bilingual/bicultural Master in Social Work (MSW) supports the development of career pathways for BIPOC and Spanish-speaking healthcare workers. This helps ensure that the families we serve receive care from professionals who understand their language and cultural background, allowing them to feel seen and understood. This field is required
9. In the CORE RFP, your program indicated an equity issue your program would address. How has your program impacted this equity issue in FY 2023-2024?	Factors such as inadequate income, lack of insurance, limited internet access, or unreliable transportation exacerbate inequitable access to resources within our community. Our bilingual Family Support Specialists played a crucial role in bridging the access to care gap that exists for families. For example, we expanded our transportation fleet with hybrid, energy-efficient vehicles so that families in need always have a way to get to behavioral health services at our Family Center. Families that lack reliable transportation to individual counseling, family therapy sessions, or support groups can now be picked up by our compassionate drivers. We also focused on equity in service eligibility: All of our services are available to the entire family without restrictions - including anyone that they say is family. Demand for our services says it all - in Q1 2023, our staff provided 3,413 direct support hours across four counties, but in Q1 2024 that skyrocketed to 6,178 hours. We are grateful for your support. This field is required