LARGO – Eckerd Community Alternatives is pleased to announce that Lutheran Services Florida has been awarded a multi-year contract to provide child welfare case management and adoption-related services in Pinellas County.

Earlier this year, Eckerd made the decision to put the contract out for bid in an effort to foster innovation and ensure a competitive process was in place to achieve the best possible outcomes for children and families. Following a highly competitive negotiation process, Lutheran Services Florida was awarded the contract to provide protective supervision, foster care and adoption-related services for about 1,000 children and their families in Pinellas County. The current contract, held by Gulf Coast Community Care, will officially transition to LSF on July 1.

“We have been extremely happy with the level of communication and professionalism demonstrated by both Gulf Coast Community Care and Lutheran Services Florida leadership during the transition,” stated Lorita Shirley, Executive Director of Eckerd Community Alternatives. “Eckerd, Gulf Coast and LSF have worked diligently to ensure a smooth transition for our community’s children and families.”

LSF’s expertise in the delivery of child welfare services and proven ability to achieve quality outcomes for children and families served them well in the competitive procurement process. They currently provide child welfare case management services in Lee and Charlotte counties, in partnership with the Children’s Network of Southwest Florida, and have built an excellent reputation within the child welfare community.

“We look forward to serving children and families in Pinellas County, and building on the successes we’ve had in other parts of the state,” remarked Sam Sipes, President and CEO of Lutheran Services Florida. “Our goal is to make the transition as seamless as possible for our clients and for Gulf Coast employees who choose to stay on with our organization. Moreover, we invite community stakeholders, foster parents and other providers to get to know us better and to understand we are always open to new ideas, answering questions, and listening to concerns.”

To that end, Eckerd Community Alternatives and Lutheran Services Florida will host a Town Hall Meeting on Wednesday, May 11, 2011, from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the EpiCenter at St. Petersburg College, 13805 58th Street North, Largo, Florida.

The meeting is open to the public and will provide an opportunity to learn more about LSF and meet President and CEO Sam Sipes and his leadership team. For more information about the town hall meeting call Lutheran Services Florida PR Manager Kelly Lynn at 813-676-9498 or email klynn@lsfnet.org.

About Eckerd Community Alternatives

Eckerd Community Alternatives serves as the lead agency for community-based child welfare services in Pinellas and Pasco counties and is responsible for the safety, well-being and permanency of more than 3,100 children in the local foster care system. Eckerd Community Alternatives is a program of Eckerd Youth Alternatives, a national nonprofit organization that has given second chances to more than 100,000 children and families since 1968. Headquartered in Clearwater, Florida, Eckerd provides a full continuum of life-changing behavioral health and child welfare services to children in eight states. To learn more visit www.eckerd.org.

About Lutheran Services Florida

Lutheran Services Florida is a statewide, nonprofit human services agency dedicated to helping all people in need regardless of religious affiliation, age or national origin. Headquartered in Tampa, the agency has more than 60 programs located throughout Florida. Since it was established in 1982, LSF has helped more than 850,000 children and families. LSF’s mission is to bring God’s healing, hope and help to people in need. To learn more visit www.lsfnet.org.