Telehealth, Parent Advocacy Get Boost from Grants

PALO ALTO – A project to promote the use of telehealth for children with special health care needs and another to train parents in advocacy are among grants awarded April 2 by the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health.

See details about the grantees and their work here.

Grants totaling $263,643 went to five organizations seeking to improve the health care system for the state’s estimated 1.4 million children who have one or more special health care needs.

All families of children with special health care needs must cope with a highly fragmented system of care, said Edward Schor, MD, senior vice president at the foundation, but for those who live far from specialty care services, the problems are compounded. “Emerging technology is making it easier for primary care physicians, specialists and families to interact virtually,” Schor said. “We hope through this telehealth grant to identify policy barriers and solutions that will promote and facilitate the use of telehealth for children and families in California.”

Other grants will fund:
* Replication of a successful family leadership training program and creation of a statewide network of family advocates
* Support for coalitions working to improve hospice and palliative care for children
* Promotion of new nationally developed standards for what constitutes a comprehensive, high-quality health care system of care for children with special needs
* Research to help Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital become an exemplar of care for children with special health care needs

For more detailed information on the grantees and their projects, click here.

 

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About the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health: The Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health is a public charity, founded in 1997. Its mission is to elevate the priority of children’s health, and to increase the quality and accessibility of children’s health care through leadership and direct investment. The Foundation works in alignment with Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital and the child health programs of Stanford University. Through its Program for Children with Special Health Care Needs, the foundation supports development of a high-quality health care system that results in better health outcomes for children and enhanced quality of life for families.