State Implementation Grants
ChampionsInC has written a series of articles highlighting exciting state efforts under the New Freedom Initiative grant. A new state is interviewed and highlighted in the ChampionsInC newsletter regularly, so watch for future updates to this page.
Arizona's Turtle Nation Partnership (AZ)
Arizona's New Freedom Initiative (NFI) through the Arizona Department of Health Services has been actively involved with the Hopi Turtle Nation Partnership, a community-based coalition that is designed to increase community awareness and acceptance of persons with special needs through "strength, support, and wisdom." Together, they have provided an opportunity to understand the importance of culture in supporting community systems building.
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The Hilopa'a Project's Rainbow Book Training (HI)
A pot of gold at the end of the rainbow is no myth when it comes to the Hilopa’a Project’s “Rainbow Book.” The resources provided in this simple book and the training sessions that accompany it are as priceless as gold to those who receive them.
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Massachusetts’ Family-Professional Partners Institute (MA)
Families of children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN) can be invaluable assets to the health care system. The Family-Professional Partners Institute’s goal is to form partnerships between family members and health related organizations to improve systems of care. The Institute serves as a "broker" that can create, facilitate, and support these partnerships.
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Maine’s Regional Report Cards: How would you grade your community’s system of care? (ME)
When a child brings home a report card from school, the grades clearly tell parents whether they should be concerned about their child’s academic performance. The report cards that Maine receives from families and youth are designed to do exactly the same thing concerning the performance of the community’s system of services and support.
Oklahoma’s Sooner SUCCESS: Building Community Capacity (OK)
Strong community capacity can “bring about community changes over time and across concerns.” Oklahoma’s Sooner SUCCESS (State Unified Children’s Comprehensive Exemplary Services for Special Needs) is an incredible example of building the capacity of communities by coordinating health care, identifying existing services in communities, and developing community-based strategies to fill service gaps.
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The Oregon Screening Learning Collaborative: 5 Teams, Tremendous Results (OR)
In Oregon, health care providers can proudly boast that nearly 100% of newborns are screened for hearing and metabolic disorders. While this is indeed commendable, unfortunately the same can’t be said about screening children ages zero to five for developmental and behavioral delays. What’s more, the system of early childhood services that supports developmental and behavioral screening varies from community to community.
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Rhode Island’s PPEP (RI)
Providing accessible medical care for CYSHCN is a challenge in many communities. Physicians typically have limited time to talk to patients about care beyond their basic physical health and have limited staff to connect patients with other community-based services they need. Doctors also struggle to keep up with the financial demands of treating children with special needs. At the same time, many parents of CYSHCN have difficulty finding the services their children need within the confusing web of health care options. Enter the “parent consultants”.
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Putting their Money where their Mouth is (UT)
Utah's NFI is committed to ensuring families and young adults are included in all project goals and activities. They accomplish this in three ways:
1. "Parent partners" are hired.
2. Youth serve as members of the Young Adult Advisory Committee.
3. Family representatives are considered NFI administrative staff members.
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Mini-Grants Make a Giant Impact (WI)
In Wisconsin, CSHCN leaders are "making a quilt" out of funding opportunities that include the New Freedom Initiative grant and the Title V Block grant. These mini-grants are being used to focus on achieving CYSHCN outcomes #2 (medical home) and #6 (transition to adult life).
... read rest of "Mini-Grants Make a Giant Impact"