As back-to-school season gets under way, Corina Samaniego empowers parents of children with special health care needs to get the educational services their children require.
Jim Santucci, an advocate at the forefront of California’s pediatric palliative care movement for seriously ill children, talks about an innovative Medi-Cal hospice program and its uncertain future.
Pip Marks, manager of Family Voices of California, talks about a new program to help families learn to advocate effectively for their children with special health care needs.
Keeping families at the center of children’s health care is always the priority of Family Voices, says Lynda Honberg, mother of a young adult with special health care needs and director of strategic partnerships for the national advocacy group.
Care coordination is critical for linking children with special health care need and their families to needed medical, developmental, behavioral, educational, and social services, and for providing logistical assistance and emotional support. This report outlines the key components of an effective, sustainable care coordination system, examines approaches to care coordination in six states other than California, and offers considerations for options in California's unique environment.
Dr. Susanne Martin Herz is on the front lines of a San Mateo County demonstration project to improve early screening and treatment of children at risk for developmental disabilities.
At Caring Corner, a pediatric day health center in Bakersfield, nursing director Meg Molloy oversees care for dozens of medically fragile children – “but we don’t treat them like they’re sick,” she says.
More than 50 stakeholders – including families, health care providers, state officials, advocates and insurers – offered their thoughts on potential changes to the California Children’s Services (CCS) program when its “carve-out” from Medi-Cal managed care ends in December 2015.
More than 90% of children with chronic illness now survive into adulthood, which presents a range of challenges for individuals and for the system of care. This Issue Brief describes key unmet needs regarding a) developing chronic disease self-management skills; b) enhancing the capacity of the adult health care system to care for young adults with special health care needs; and c) reducing lapses in care during the transition period. The authors, fellows at the Stanford University Clinical Excellence Research Center, offer recommendations for improving the transition.
California’s uncoordinated system of care for children with special health care needs often creates significant difficulties for families, yet family voices are generally absent from policymaking. A new report documents the level of family participation in decision-making processes for organizations that influence the health and well-being of their children.
