Grants Aim to Improve Care Coordination for Children with Special Health Care Needs

PALO ALTO – Helping families coordinate care for their children with special health care needs is the focus of two grants awarded June 5 by the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health. A third grant is designed to increase families’ role in policymaking for state and county programs that serve these children.

See details about the grantees and their work here.

“Few things are more frustrating for families than trying to juggle the multiple services their child with a special need may require – medical appointments, therapy, special education, day care, transportation and more,” said Edward Schor, MD, senior vice president at the foundation. “Coordinating among numerous agencies adds to the burden. These grants will explore possible funding sources for care coordination, and will support community coalitions around the state that are developing local systems of care coordination tailored to their local needs.”

Through its grantmaking program, the foundation focuses on improving the health care system for the state’s estimated 1.4 million children who have one or more special health care needs. Grants totaling $380,000 went to three organizations. The grants will fund:

* The first comprehensive review of options for financing and reimbursing for care coordination for children with special health care needs, including recommendations to reduce perceived barriers in payment for essential service that these children receive.

* Engagement of up to three current grantees to continue the work of their coalitions in developing local systems of care coordination for children with special health care needs, and support for up to three new communities wanting to develop local systems; selected grantees will participate in a multi-community learning collaborative to improve systems of care coordination.

* A benchmark study of the ways families currently participate in the development of policy and operation of public health programs in states and California counties serving children, especially 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.