JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA SITUATION
POSTING DATE: 8/3/2017 DUE DATE: 1/1/18
Deadline: Tuesday, August 15, 2017 by 10:00 a.m.
“Camilla”
Child:
Due 1-1-2018– Jacksonville, Florida
Gender:
Girl
Race:
TIMELINE – very simplistic and over-generalized:
Mother: Caucasian
Father – Caucasian
Overall Risk: She is a 3.3 on our Risk Scale and that puts this in the moderate risk range.
Be forewarned that this non-scientific assessment should not be solely relied upon to make your decision. It is simply a guide to my thought process.
See Risk Matrix below.
“Positives v. Negatives” or pros v. cons:
Positives – She is drug, alcohol and tobacco free. Two birth mothers that have placed with us in the past vouch for her credibility. She is in a stable relationship and has family support for her adoption plan. Father has signed off.
Negatives – First placement. Some mental health history – see below. She is being treated for sub-chorionic hematoma. See below.
Birth Mother:
She was born in April, 1986. She is Caucasian and is 5’8 with blue eyes and brown hair. She normally weighs about 220.00. She is single. She has been with the father of two years. They appear to be in a healthy relationship.
She asserts that she does not drink alcohol, do any type of drugs and does not smoke.
She is being treated for sub chorionic hematoma. Look up “What Is a Sub chorionic Hematoma During Pregnancy?” or consult with a medical professional. She is currently getting consistent and frequent medical care and is on medically required bed-rest for the next six weeks. Her initial sonogram indicated a “thick line of blood” but today’s sonogram seemed to
indicate the line was much thinner. The sonogram today was NOT conducted by her ob/gyn. The sonographer is licensed but cannot provide any medical advice or diagnosis. It is a concern but the severity of the problem is unknown at this time and is being monitored.
She has a sonogram today on 8/3/17 and we are ordering her medical records which should include results from her first sonogram.
Her due date is 1/1/18 and that puts her at about 18.5 weeks and a conception date of about April 10, 2017.
She reports she was diagnosed as being bi-polar and even related that a prior doctor about 5 years ago indicated that she had indicators of schizophrenia due to her mood swings. She admits that she does have mood swings but does not consider them serious enough to take medication. She has held employment as a manager of a convenience store and most recently was a home health care provider at a memory care facility.
She has two sons – 12 and 9. Both are healthy but the younger one is overweight. During her last pregnancy she suffered from preeclampsia and gestational diabetes.
She went to her first OB for two visits and he referred her to a different facility and she has gone once and has a follow up. A new hospital is opening up closer to her home but is linked to her current hospital and she will be going to that ob clinic in the middle of August.
She describes her distinguishing features as “glasses, rose tattoo on right shoulder and says her personality is “outgoing, funny, down to earth.” She completed high school and wants to go to college and study dermatology. She describes herself as a very good artist.
She lives with her two children and the father and his child with the father’s grandmother. This living situation only started a few weeks ago and they are going to try to stay there until the baby is born.
Birth Father:
He is Caucasian born in August 1985. He is 6’3, 250 and has blue eyes and brown hair. He has a 9 year old son. He and his son are healthy.
He describes himself as outgoing, easy going and a good listener. His interests/hobbies/talents are: athletic, loves sports and movies. Swims and has a high IQ and is mechanically inclined. 2, 33 years old, 5’ 10 and weighs approximately 165 lbs. and has brown eyes and brown hair. He has executed his affidavit of non-paternity and this cannot be revoked, absent a showing of fraud or duress.
The Child:
Girl Due 1/1/18. Sonogram pix below from 8/3/17. Private facility.
RATIONALE FOR ADOPTION:
They are both in their 30’s. They both have children 9 years or older. They both want to be able to focus on raising the children they have at this time and provide the child with a family that can give her all she deserves and needs.
Medical Expenses:
Her medicals will be covered by pregnancy Medicaid.
The child’s medical costs will be paid by the adopting parent’s health insurance provider. Florida Medicaid will likely cover the child but do not rely on that coverage.
Legal Costs (from beginning to end):
$12K – 15K. It is difficult to estimate a cap until the case progresses further. That number may go up or down depending on the complexity of the process going forward. Please keep in mind that all my time on this situation is billed to the selected parents and this includes the time expended in the selection process, any complications related to the selection of an adoptive parent, any medical issues, or other legal issues. Court approval will be obtained for all legal fees in excess of the statutory cap.
ICPC factor: if you are from out-of-state, estimate an additional $1500.00 to cover that process.
Maternity Related Costs and Living Expenses:
It is expected that her total maternity related living expenses (MRLE) will be not exceed 15K. A court order will be obtained to allow for the MRLE to exceed the statutory cap of 5K, if necessary. The MRLE will cover housing, transportation, phones, food, clothing and utilities for the duration of the pregnancy and six weeks post-placement.
It is expected that she will meet with a licensed mental health counselor to ensure this is a healthy adoption decision for her now and in the future and to comply with ICPC requirements on counseling. The LHMC also helps in coordinating expectations for all the parties to diminish stress and anxiety. This cost will be borne by the adopting parents and is estimated to total no more than $1500.00.
Total costs*: approximately $30K to 35K
Legal fees/costs: ICPC:
Maternity: Counseling:
Approx. $12K - $15K approx.
Typically not more than $1.5K, depending on complexity of receiving state’s requirements. $15K - approximation
approx. $1.5K
Open v. Closed and who she is hoping will be interested in adopting:
Please keep in mind that these are simply some criteria that they want the interested couples to meet when they apply. Please do not ask me any question that starts with “Do you think it is worth applying for this situation as we do not meet .........”
She is interested in letters and pictures only, at this time.
Interested applicants should expect to send quarterly letters/updates/pictures to my attention for the first 5 years and no less than annually for the years following. Please outline the greatest level of openness you are willing to explore.
They open to married opposite sex couples or singles. No same sex couples, please.
They would like the applicants to be between 25 and 35.
Christians only.
They will give special consideration to applicants with no children or those with adopted children.
Applicants should live more than 100 miles from Jacksonville.
New York couples SHOULD NOT APPLY unless you have consulted with a New York adoption attorney who can advise you on private placements from Florida to New York. Connecticut and possibly Delaware require agency placement. In those instances, an additional agency fee will be added. Maryland residents can apply but be advised that the adoption may come with added fees and expenses due to their rules and requirements placing children.
If you are interested:
Please see application packet. If you wish to apply for the situation, please follow ALL the instructions contained within the application packet.
Please refer to “Camila” when responding. Someone will email me after they have sent in their application and say they forgot to reference which situation they are responding to...don’t let that be you.
Deadline:
The deadline is 10 am on Tuesday, August 15, 2017 at 10:00 a.m. A meeting is currently set for that day to go over the applications and make a selection. If possible, a meeting with the selected family would take place later in that week or early the following week.
