Agency Mission and Purpose:

            The mission at Cumberland Children Hospital is to assist the children in living a more independent life. This means to learn how to do their treatments on their own, Cumberland is a hospital that takes children that have a dual diagnosis which is both mental and medical. When they have the children under their care, they strive to make sure that the children get the care that they need. This means that their goal is that the children are able to attend to their treatment while remaining safe. Their goal is that the children are able to successfully open up to their therapists and the behavioral counselors that are there. The goal is that they are successful in the school program that they have at the hospital. While at the hospital they have a nutritionist there, recreational therapists, occupational therapists, psychotherapists, nurses, doctors, and behavioral counselors. The hospital is equipped to take children with big behavioral issues. Overall, when the child leaves the hospital the hospital strives that the children can perform their medical treatment on their own along with reducing negative behaviors. There are some kids that come that do not have behavioral issues but might have things like depression. The hospital strives that there is improvement in the reason the child came to the hospital. The ultimate goal is that the treatment plan is met, and the child leaves the hospital and can interact with society in a positive manner for themselves and those around them. 

Population for the Hospital:

            The hospital is at service for children all around the United States and even children out of the country. The hospital offers a house, that has several rooms for families that live out of state and want to visit their children. There are not many hospitals like Cumberland around the world. The hospital is there to serve children from the ages of 2 to 22. The hospital takes children that are suffering from many different medical reasons, as well as children that also have mental disabilities. There are children there with HIV, diabetes, cystic fibrosis, catheters, anorexia, autism, fetal alcohol syndrome and many more. The hospital takes in children that also have psychotic episodes. Some of the children that come, can not care for themselves at all. There are children that are total care. The hospital is makes sure that there is someone that can change their diapers and feed them etc. This hospital uses de-escalation methods in order to maintain the safety of the children there as well as the staff that are at the hospital. There are short term stays that can be a month and there are also some kids that have been there for more than one year on the hospital side. There is also a residential program that takes kids that need placement before they go back home or before they go to foster care. The child that has been at the hospital the longest has been there for three years. 

Geographic Location for the Hospital:

            The hospital is located in New Kent County. New Kent is in the middle of Richmond and Williamsburg Virginia. The hospital is on a dirt road that is surrounded by a river and corn fields. The hospital has an open campus to ensure that the children do not feel like they are trapped. The children have access to an open campus and are able to move around the campus alongside an employee. The children are not able to go on campus outside of their units without an employee. The campus is located in a great area, due to there is no main road for about 3 miles. Within one mile from the hospital there are houses. The one thing that is negative about the hospital, is that when the children escape there is the danger that they will jump in the river. There are also many trees, forest like setting surrounding the hospital, along with the corn field; this also makes it hard to locate the children when they escape from the hospital.

Why I chose this agency:

            I chose this agency because, this agency has a good number of children with autism. When I graduate, I want to get my master’s in behavioral Analysis. I want to work directly with children that have autism. I also like this hospital because, I feel that it does a lot for children that they service. The hospital has great things to offer to children with disabilities and overall health issues. I would like to work in a hospital like this as a BCBA in order to get more knowledge not just for kids with autism but children overall. Even if I do not become a BCBA I do know that I want to work with children.