MAYOR GIULIANI AND COMMISSIONER SCOPPETTA VISIT "BABY ROSIE"
Remind New Yorkers About the Rewards of Adoption
Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani and Nicholas Scoppetta, Commissioner of the Administration for Children's Services, today visited with a newborn baby girl who was abandoned last week in Rosedale, Queens. The Mayor and Commissioner Scoppetta were on hand at Long Island Jewish Medical Center (LIJMC) to meet "Baby Rosie" and to speak about the need for adoptive parents in New York City.
"Last Wednesday, a newborn baby was found on the steps of a Queens home," Mayor Giuliani said. "'Baby Rosie' is now doing very well and should be released from the hospital soon. She and hundreds of children like her are in need of adoptive parents. Fiscal Year 1997 saw the largest number of adoptions ever completed by the City, and the prospects for 1998 look even better.
"Thanks to a grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, ACS has launched two projects aimed at recruiting adoptive parents: the 'Should I Adopt?' ad campaign and the NYC Family Album, a book featuring color photos of foster children available for adoption. I want to thank the staff of Long Island Jewish Medical Center for the wonderful care they have given 'Baby Rosie,' and urge all New Yorkers to consider adoption," the Mayor concluded.
Commissioner Scoppetta said, "Giving a child the gift of a secure and loving home not only provides permanency in the life of that child, but also enriches the life of the adoptive parent as well. Please consider opening your heart and home to one of New York City's foster children and receive love in return for many years to come, as our children need families for life."
Hospital staff at Long Island Jewish Medical Center named the baby girl, "Rosie" after the Queens neighborhood in which she was found at approximately 8p.m., February 18th. "Baby Rosie" weighs 7 lbs. 5 ozs. and will remain at LIJMC until she is medically cleared and then she will be placed in foster care.
Infants who are abandoned are placed in foster care. If the natural family is not identified then the parental rights can be terminated by Family Court, freeing the child for adoption. The Mayor and Commissioner Scoppetta urged New Yorkers to consider adopting through the City of New York.
The Administration for Children's Services completed a record 4,009 adoptions in Fiscal Year '97, a 73 percent increase over Fiscal Year 1994 when 2,312 adoptions were completed. Last year, ACS led the nation in adoptions, completing 20 percent of all adoptions in the United States.
Anyone seeking information about adoption should call the Adoption Hotline (212) 676-WISH, in operation from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Friday, which is staffed by 10 full-time adoption representatives who can answer questions in English and Spanish.
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