HRSA’s Division of Services for Children with Special Health Needs (DSCSHN) within the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) www.mchb.hrsa.gov/index.html provides community-based family centered culturally competent coordinated systems for “Care for Children and Youth with Special Health Needs” (CYSHCN).
Children and youth with special health needs include children who have been or at increased risk for chronic, physical, developmental, behavioral, emotional conditions, or health and have needs beyond that required by children in general.
One of the most frustrating aspects for families and for CYSHCN is the complexity and fragmentation of services at the community level. While data indicates that families are fairly satisfied with services in their communities, there are disparities that do exist across age, race, ethnicity, and communities.
HRSA in the future intends to release a Funding Opportunity Notice titled “State Implementation Grants for Enhancing the System of Services for CYSHCN through System Integration”. The FOA is expected to be posted January 16, 2015 with funding estimated to be $1,800,000 with 6 awards expected.
The MCHB Family/Patient Centered Medical Home program is a collaborative effort that has child health professionals working through the CYSHCN program so more children can have universal access to medical homes. The objective is to provide access to comprehensive healthcare that is accessible, family-centered, coordinated, compassionate, and delivered in a culturally effective manner. Partnerships help with planning, development, and the oversight of the medical home.
The MCHB medical home program supports the National Center for Medical Home Implementation www.medicalhomeinfo.org to provide leadership, technical assistance, and other resources to help implement quality pediatric patient and family-centered medical homes.
In addition, MCHB’s Genetics Service Branch has a program to help State officials, healthcare providers, public health professionals, families, and individuals respond to new scientific findings and technologies in genetics and newborn screening.
Plus, MCHB’s Genetic and Newborn Screening Services and Public Health Infrastructure program develops and coordinates the use of health information systems to improve links between screening programs, state systems of care for CYSHCN, and for the medical home.