A Transition Team comprised of UVM Health Network – Home Health & Hospice leadership, board representatives, Family Room parents and staff and community partners, was formed earlier this summer to explore options for the future of the program.

The Transition Team engaged Jane Van Buren and Rebecca Gurney of Noonmark Services, experts in strategic planning for nonprofit organizations, to facilitate these discussions and to evaluate the options for transitioning to a new organizational structure. A Request for Proposal was issued seeking organizations interested in providing support and services for families with young children. The UVM Health Network – Home Health & Hospice was open to a variety of possibilities, including another organization operating the Family Room program under its corporate umbrella. We engaged in discussions with a number of local social service agencies. To date, none have emerged as a potential partner.

Currently, the team is drafting a business plan to create a new nonprofit organization that could operate the Family Room as a standalone Parent Child Center. The plan will address all aspects of governance, business development, finance and fundraising in order to ensure a sustainable future for the Family Room.

The UVM Health Network – Home Health & Hospice will continue its role of managing the day-to-day operations of the program and soliciting funding during the transition. We remain committed to positioning the Family Room for success in the future.

Going forward, we plan to provide quarterly updates on the work of the Transition Team and the outcome of the efforts outlined above. In the meantime, if you have questions or concerns, please feel free to contact Beverly Boget at boget@uvmhomehealth.org or (802) 860-4441.

Fundraising

The UVM Health Network – Home Health & Hospice remains engaged in on-going fundraising efforts in support of the Family Room’s daily operations and programs. These efforts draw on community support and generous gifts from local and national foundations who value the role of early childhood interventions and parent education.

The community-led fundraising effort to restore staffing for the Family Room, organized by a group of parents and supportive community members, concluded on April 1, 2016 and successfully raised the $70,000 needed to restore staffing for one year. This money was raised entirely by the parents and community group through a variety of events, appeals made through social media and Front Porch Forum, generous gifts from local foundations and funders, and a contribution from the City of Burlington.

Background

The UVM Health Network – Home Health & Hospice Board and leadership are making strategic decisions to concentrate our resources on services and programs most closely aligned with the agency’s home health and hospice mission. We feel it is imperative to direct our expertise and capacity to meet the community needs we are best suited to address.

In March 2016, it was decided that the Family Room, one of 15 state-designated Parent Child Centers in Vermont, would transition to another organization or operate as a free-standing center. Following this decision, the UVM Health Network – Home Health & Hospice began work on a comprehensive community process to determine the best organizational structure to ensure the future of the Family Room.

Frequently Asked Questions