Anyone who has a child or young adult with special health care needs has most likely experienced the many hurdles that exist when trying to coordinate health care services and community resources. Lack of accessible community programs, gaps in available services, communication barriers and bureaucratic snafus all play a role.

Because coordination of care is a challenge for so many families, one of the goals of the Southeast Region Center for Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs is to build a network of community providers with a strong focus on local public health departments (LPHDs). The purpose of this network is to develop a system where families caring for children with special health care needs receive special assistance with the coordination of and linkages to supports, services and resources for their children.

Service coordination may also be called care coordination or case management. Regardless, the primary focus of each is on the family. Family-centered service coordination focuses on family needs and family satisfaction by providing an individual service plan for the family. In addition, this plan has built-in flexibility that recognizes each family's unique situation and needs.

In the southeast region, the Southeast Regional Center networks with LPHDs and delegate agencies in our eight counties so that families have access to service coordination within their own community. The Southeast Regional Center currently has strong working relationships and subcontracts in place with nine LPHDs and six community agencies as part of this effort.

Forty percent of the total grant dollars are earmarked for distribution to support the efforts of the LPHDs and community agencies. Fifty percent of this amount is distributed to support individual services such a referral and follow up and service coordination. The remaining amount is distributed to support community action grants throughout the Southeast region. To learn more about the LPHD/community agency in your community click on service providers.

Service Providers 2007

Medical Home Capacity Grantees