Supporting Community-based Sytems Change for Children with Special Health Care Needs

Project Details

Need: Title V CSHCN programs are being asked to move from a direct serve model for a few to an assurance, infrastructure model for all CYSHCN. However, there are no mechanisms to guide states in this effort, allowing them to learn from one another.
Goals: The goal of this study is to develop and pilot a model for assisting stae Title V CSHCN programs in their desire to implement systems change that will:
1. Serve the borad ppulaitoin of CYSHCN rather than narrowly-defined, disease-specific populations;
2. Employ community-based sytesms building strategies such as creating local/regional CSHCN offices, care coordination, coalition building, braided funding, and regional family support structures.
3. Unusual features: A 'learning community' model is being applied, whereby state teams learn from one another as they apply a participatory action research method.
Expected benefits: States will design their CSHCN program infrastructure to meet the needs of the broadly-defined CYSHCN population, assuring enhanced comprehensive, coordinated services.