Health Works aids foster families

My husband and I are taxpaying residents of Kane County, and like more than 100 other families in the county, we are also foster parents. I write this letter for all the children who have been through our home, those yet to come, and those in all other foster homes, because their access to health care is threatened today by possible cuts to the county health department.

During the past four years, we've had seven children come through our home, each with different circumstances and outcomes. One thing each child had in common was the need for medical care. And every time, we turned to Health Works - a county health department program - to make that care possible.

Health Works assists foster families like ours in locating medical, mental health, and dental professionals who will accept the state medical card. Many of these children have medical and dental needs that cannot be postponed. Mental health services is a given. Without Health Works, our job of caring for and helping our children heal would be much more difficult.

But now the director of the Kane County Health Department wants to dump the Health Works program and other needed services. He complains that there is no money for these state-funded programs, yet simultaneously insists that other agencies can find the funding that he apparently cannot. This does not make sense.

Perhaps other agencies could eventually provide similar services, but how many children would be lost in the transition?

To the county board members and concerned citizens, we are your neighbors. Our children are your children's classmates and friends. We are just like every other family in Kane County. Please help us help our children, and save the county health services we need.

Diane Pospisil-Kinney

Batavia