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Providence House CEO & President Natalie Leek-Nelson to testify on the vital role of crisis nurseries in Columbus

Posted May 24, 2017 in Press Releases

Columbus, OH – Natalie Leek-Nelson, CEO and president of Providence House, is testifying today in front of the Ohio Senate Finance: Health and Medicaid Subcommittee in Columbus on the significant need for funding for the vital work of crisis nurseries. Leek-Nelson’s testimony will focus on securing funding in each fiscal year of the upcoming biennium for Ohio’s licenses Crisis Nurseries, of which there are currently two.

“Providence House is grateful to have received funding during the last two state budget cycles,” said Leek-Nelson. “In addition to the vital day-to-day work of a crisis nursery, we are seeing an increase in helping families who are impacted by many of the state’s greatest challenges, such as the opioid epidemic and Ohio’s high infant mortality rate.”

In addition to stepping up to plate to meet the state’s child welfare challenges, Providence House has a proven record of enduring impact on families and significant economic benefit to the community. A long-term outcomes study by Case Western Reserve University found that when families engage in Providence House’s services, their children are less likely to enter foster care. Knowing the average cost annually for each child in foster care is $25,782, services provided by Providence House saved $8,404,932 in foster care costs just last year alone. Factor in additional costs for higher need children and related medical and legal costs for foster care placements and this figure quadruples to nearly $30 Million annually.

For over 35 years, Providence House has protected children in situations where they are at risk of abuse or neglect due to homelessness or unsafe housing, having a caregiver in need of medical or mental health services, substance abuse treatment, or families struggling with poverty, and community or domestic violence.

Editor’s note: Natalie Leek-Nelson will be available for phone or in-person interviews to discuss her testimony, as well as the impact of Providence House’s services on the local community.

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