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90 °F Forecast | Road Cams Wednesday, May 25, 2005 Today's News | Shop Our Valley | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery | Contact Us SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Biz Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend May 20, 2005 Steve Wood of the Maentz Agency and Mary-Curtis Gramley look at a video promoting the idea of a Relief Nursery program for abused children and their families. Local organizers hope money currently in the state budget will help start a nursery in Medford. Mail Tribune / Jim Craven Relief effort A nursery program planned for Jackson County can help frazzled families cope, reduce child abuse, neglect By DON JEPSEN for the Mail Tribune SALEM — Jackson County families in crisis that need emergency child care and other services may find help soon. Rep. Dennis Richardson, R-Central Point, was successful in adding $350,000 to the Children and Family Services budget to provide up to $175,000 for a Relief Nursery program in Medford. Richardson chairs the House Budget Committee’s social services subcommittee. Relief Nursery programs help low-income families with young children at risk of being abused or neglected. The programs provide respite care when parents need a break, as well as counseling and referral services. Their goal: to prevent abuse and keep families together. Richardson said a Relief Nursery in Medford "is an important step in dealing with the meth problem in Jackson County." Officials estimate 80 percent of the 330 kids in foster care locally were removed from their parents because of methamphetamine abuse. Advertisement "Relief nurseries are a proven concept that works," said an elated Mary-Curtis Gramley on learning of the possible start-up appropriation. Funds would also go to Albany, which opened its facility with private donations in February. Gramley and Susan Harris, both of Medford, have been actively involved in getting a center up and running to serve Jackson County families. The full Budget Committee must still approve the funding, but Richardson said he has the support of its chairman, Rep. Wayne Scott, R-Canby. The Relief Nursery concept had a modest beginning. About 15 years ago one was set up in Eugene, where parents needing time to themselves could leave their children for several hours. Soon, other communities opened Relief Nurseries, thanks to federal grants. The state then stepped in and the program expanded, now providing a host of services to reduce conflicts and maintain the family unit. Sen. Alan Bates, D-Ashland, said the program is so successful because stressed families seek it out, not the other way around. "These people are in crisis. They have nowhere else to turn, and they are the ones that make the decision to seek help," said Bates. He said Relief Nursery clients are among the highest-risk families. Of the 1,461 families served in the Relief Nursery program statewide, only eight children have been placed in foster care — less than 1 percent, according to Children and Family Services. The program has grown in scope and size. Eugene received $719,330 in state funds for the 2003-05 biennium, but raised $2.9 million, plus another $100,000 in capital funds from private sources. Other cities with Relief Nurseries include Bend, Cottage Grove, Roseburg, Salem, Albany and Portland. Using the name "Relief Nursery" is somewhat of a misnomer, Bates said. "They do so much more," he said. Bates serves on the Senate Budget Committee and he plans to push Richardson’s spending plan there. Gramley said the Medford program will begin slowly. "Initially the program will be small, but it will be a quality program," she said. State funding requires a minimum 25 percent local match. Gramley said backers have raised some money and are busy writing proposals for grant aid. "If money is available, we will work night and day to get it up and running," she said, adding she is "extremely grateful" that a Medford center could finally receive state dollars. Don Jepsen is a freelance writer living in Salem. Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. 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