Network
Family Voices of ND continues to grow, as evidenced by our mailing list (over 2100), and an increase in calls and activities. Partnerships are a vital component of all that we do...We remain diligent in listening to and advocating on behalf of families of children and youth with special health care needs. - - Donene Feist, Executive Director, Family Voices of North Dakota
The Family Voices network is made up of family leaders, some within newly-approved Family Voices State Affiliate Organizations* (SAOs) and/or Family to Family Health Information Centers. These family leaders, many of who are employed by organizations that helps families, are ready to assist you with issues related to the health care of a child or youth with special health care needs or disability whom you love. Family Voices representatives are involved in efforts to improve the healthcare for children and youth with special health care needs. These efforts include:
- providing individual information and support to families related to access to medical care and care coordination, insurance, public health programs, diagnoses, early intervention and transition services
- advocating for public health programs, services, and benefits,
- helping families find parent to parent support,
- representing the family perspective in committees and work groups including Title V Block Grants and Medical Home,
- training providers, case managers, and other staff in private and public health organizations about family needs,
- sharing family needs in policy discussions at the state and federal level, and
- providing networking opportunities with other parents and professionals by running listservs.
To get help from a Family Voices representative or to find out more about Family Voices in your state, please visit Family Voices in Your State.
National Field Coordinators
The Family Voices infrastructure now includes National Field Co-Coordinators (NFCs) and Regional Field Coordinators/Coordinator Teams (RFCs) who, with FV National Staff, provide support to the network of Family Voices representatives across the country within the following four regions:
Region I/New England/Mid-Atlantic: Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, West Virginia and Pennsylvania
Region II/SouthEast: Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas and New Mexico
Region III/Midwest: Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, and Kansas
Region IV/West: Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Colorado, Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, California, Nevada, Arizona, Hawaii, and Guam
National Field Co-Coordinators:
- provide technical assistance and support to the RFCs,
- monitor of progress of RFCs with Family Voices State Affiliate Organizations (SAOs) and Family to Family Health Information Centers (F2FHICs) in their regions,
- engaging in appropriate outreach to identified constituencies; and
- preparing materials and working with National Family Voices staff, RFCs, SAOs,and F2FHICs.
The National Field Co-Coordinators are:
- Diana Autin, who provides support and oversight to the RFCs and states in Regions I and II;
- Molly Cole, who provides support and oversight to the RFCs and states in Regions III and IV.
Regional Field Coordinators/Coordinator Teams
Regional Field Coordinators/Coordinator Teams (RFCs), with the NFCs and FV staff, promote the Family Voices mission in their assigned regions and:
- coordinate technical assistance to the states, including regular communication among the levels of membership;
- build or strengthen the Family Voices presence, including supporting the development of State Affiliate Organizations (SAOs) in states/territories, supporting identified SAOs in meeting the requirements of a SAO and identifying and mentoring new and culturally diverse parent leaders within the Family Voices Network;
- assist the Family to Family Health Information Centers (F2F HICs) including those that are not SAOs, and
- support partnerships within the states among key family stakeholders organizations.
The Regional Field Coordinators/Coordinator Teams are:
- Region I: The Parents’ Place of Maryland (Josie Thomas and Mary Baskar)
- Region II: Parent to Parent of Georgia (Debi Tucker and Sherry Richardson)
- Region III: Mary Jo Paladino (IN)
- Region IV: Support for Families - CA (Juno Duenas and Tara Robinson)
* A State Affiliate Organization (SAO) is a statewide/territory-wide/tribal, parent/family-led non-profit organization, with a Board composed of a majority of family members of CYSHCN, that meets the requirements of an SAO and works to advance the mission, vision and principles of Family Voices, Inc. One SAO per state.
