HRSA has awarded first-year grants totaling more than $540,000 to six community-based organizations to establish a network of statewide centers run by families of children with special health care needs (CSHCN) to help other families with special needs children.  The organizations will receive annual grants from HRSA’s Maternal and Child Health Bureau over the next four years, bringing grant totals to more than $2 million.

These centers, called Family-To-Family Health Care Information and Education Centers for Families of Children with Special Health Care Needs, will be designed and supervised by families in partnership with State Title V CSHCN programs and other providers.  They will offer:

• health and related information to families and providers for improving health decision-making;
• assistance on gaining greater access to and making better use of services within communities; and
• educational and leadership opportunities to family members.

Children with special health care needs have, or are at risk for, chronic physical, developmental, behavioral or emotional conditions that require health or related services beyond those needed by most children.  An estimated 18 percent of U.S. children have special health needs.

Technical assistance and training will be provided by Family Voices, a national grassroots family organization funded by cooperative agreement with HRSA.  For more information on the Division of Services for Children with Special Health Needs, visit www.mchb.hrsa.gov and click on “About MCHB.”

A list of grantees follows:

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