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Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs Program

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Promoting quality care for children and youth with special health care needs in Wisconsin.

Program Goal

To assure that children and youth with special health care needs are: 

  • identified early,
  • receive high quality coordinated care, and
  • their families receive the supports they need.

The Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs Program collaborates with national, state and community-based partners to link children to appropriate services, close service gaps, reduce duplication and develop policies to better serve families.

 New picture of Finding Your Way navigation guide for parents

Finding Your Way: A Navigation Guide for Wisconsin Families Who Have Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs and Disabilities assists families who may have concerns or questions about their child’s development or have recently received a diagnosis of a special health care need or disability. It provides brief descriptions of programs, services and systems of support and gives contact information and links to learn more about these and other resources.

Click on the picture to download a .pdf version of the Guide at http://www.waisman.wisc.edu/cedd/pdfs/FindingYourWay.pdf. 

 

Order copies of program brochures

 

 

Who are Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs?

The Program works to improve systems of care for anyone from birth through age 21 with a chronic physical, developmental, behavioral or emotional illness or condition. Some examples include ADHD, asthma, autism spectrum disorders, childhood cancers, cerebral palsy, deaf or blind, diabetes, Down syndrome, heart disease, and mental health conditions.

What is the impact on Wisconsin families? 

Nearly 200,000 or 15.3% of Wisconsin children have a special health care need, of which: " Over 1 in 10 children missed 11 or more days of school due to illness, " Nearly 1 in 10 families report spending 11 or more hours each week providing or coordinating their child's care, " Over one third of families currently insured report their insurance is inadequate, and " 1 in 5 report spending $1,000 or more each year for out of pocket medical expenses.

Source: Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative. 2005/2006 National Survey of Children with Special Health Needs, Data Resource Center for Child and Adolescent Health website.

For more Wisconsin specific data on CYSHCN, go to: SLAITS-CYSHCN Summary Report (publication date: 01/09) (PDF, 94 KB)

2010 National Performance Outcome

The Program advances the 2010 National Performance Outcomes, strengthening:

  • Parent Leadership
  • Medical Homes
  • Health Insurance Coverage
  • Screening and Identification
  • Coordinated Services
  • Transition to Adult Life

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services, Division of Public Health, Bureau of Family and Community Health, Family Health Section, Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs Program is funded by the Maternal and Child Health Title V Services Block grant, Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Health Resources and Service Administration, US Department of Health and Human Services and other funding sources. For more information about the Maternal Child Health Bureau, go to www.mchb.hrsa.gov. (exit DHS)

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Last Updated: December 09, 2011

 

 

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