“We are excited about the opportunities the integration with The Buckeye Ranch presents,” said Maurice Ware, CEO of Oesterlen. “The Buckeye Ranch shares our values and dedication to the well-being of children and families, and strategic restructuring will allow us to extend our reach and impact even further. At the same time, the formation of the Oesterlen Foundation will ensure that we continue to invest in the future of those we serve.”
The Buckeye Ranch will integrate Oesterlen’s foster care program into its current programming and provide continued residential services to the youth who meet their admission criteria.
Oesterlen officials said the 18 youth currently served at Oesterlen who are in residential care will transfer to The Buckeye Ranch’s residential mental health treatment campus in Grove City in Columbus.
Vickie Thompson-Sandy, President & CEO of The Buckeye Ranch, said they only serve youth ages 9-18, while Oesterlen served past age 18. The Buckeye Ranch also doesn’t do place-based respite care but does provide it in licensed foster homes.
“We are honored to welcome Oesterlen’s programs into our organization so that youth and families who are receiving services from Oesterlen do not experience disruption,” Thompson-Sandy said. “Together, we will be able to offer even more comprehensive services and support to those in need, building on the strong foundation that Oesterlen has established over the years.
For the youth that The Buckeye Ranch does not serve, they will be referred to another provider in Ohio. Ware said their case managers are working with referral agencies for backup plans in case certain youth don’t meet the criteria at The Buckeye Ranch.
If transportation is an issue for youth and families in Springfield to get to the new Grove City location, The Buckeye Ranch will provide it those if it’s part of their treatment.
The Buckeye Ranch served over 7,000 individual children and youth for the fiscal year that ended in June, as well as 14,000 through prevention and early education services.
As for Oesterlen’s other services, they have a program that will soon end and others that have already ended. They had 13 youth in respite care, but that program will end this Friday. Ware said. Respite care is temporary and planned emergency housing for youth with diverse physical, emotional, and behavioral health challenges.
Oesterlen’s contract with the Springfield City School District ended in May; the outpatient counseling program, which served just under 30 students, ended in March; and they had no other big partners to potentially transition to The Buckeye Ranch, Ware said.
This transition is currently underway. Thompson-Sandy said The Buckeye Ranch has met with Oesterlen’s foster families and foster care team, the transition of the foster care program is currently happening, and they met with state officials to let them know about the transition and partnership.
Oesterlen is not closing or selling the property at 1918 Mechanicsburg Road in northeast Springfield at this time, according to Ware. He said the focus is on transitioning services to The Buckeye Ranch and restructuring the organization to become a foundation.
About the Author
