July 20, 2007
Oral Health: Brushing Up on Issues for CYSHCN Recently, oral health issues for children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN) have been a focus of discussion among families and professionals. Family Voices has contributed to this exchange of knowledge through several activities.
An article by Betsy Anderson, Family Voices Staff, Boston, was recently published in the March-April 2007 issue of Pediatric Dentistry
Based on a presentation given by Betsy at the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry in November 2006, “A Look Back: Lessons in Family Activism and Recommendations to Address Today’s Oral Health Challenges for Children with Special Health Care Needs” discusses family activism in the care of CYSHCN, and examines the successes and obstacles families have encountered from the 1970s to the present regarding family centered care, availability of resources and health care services, and financing. Recommendations are made to address these areas of concern as they relate to dental issues.
Family Voices IMPACT and the National Center for Family Professional Partnerships recently hosted an informative
topical call—Oral Health: Brushing Up on Issues for CYSHCN—that was attended by over 75 family members, Title V
programs, dental health associations and providers.
Facilitated by family leaders and professional partners, call
participants learned about: Special needs and issues for CYSHCN (including implications of specific medical
conditions; special importance of preventive care; medications; behavioral influences); State/Federal Policies
and Financing; Oral Health Forums and State Plans for CYSHCN; and Issues for Families; Roles and Opportunities
for Family Leaders. Special thanks to Beth Dworetzky, Massachusetts Family Voices and
Gina Pola-Money, Utah
Family Voices for their great input. A resource provided during this call,
Dental Health Issues for Children, Including Children with Special Health Care Needs, is available on our website.
Additional materials will be posted in the weeks ahead.
The Association of State and Territorial Dental Directors (ASTDD) have funded mini-grants in states to hold state forums and develop state plans to address oral health for CYSHCN. In some states Family Voices has been the recipient of the funds and in many states Family Voices members were active participants in the forums and planning. Watch this newsletter for related information and future topical calls on dental health and CYSHCN.
We’re all encountering more change in more areas of our life than ever. Where are you in the process of change? Are you avoiding it? In denial? Trying to hold on to the way things were? Hoping that things will take care of themselves? Or perhaps you are excited each day about what the world hands you and you’re just dancing in the flow of it all. Come join us and guest facilitator Steve Davis as we explore the three phases of change and strategies you can use to flow with it like a great dance partner.
This call is open to all, but you must register first. Please share this information with your friends and colleagues.
To register, please complete our online registration form. This call is sponsored by the National Center for Family / Professional Partnerships at Family Voices, Inc. Learn more about Steve Davis and Facilitator U at www.facilitatoru.com.
Family Voices continues to grow this vibrant national Network of parent leaders, youth leaders, partners and friends. We are pleased to welcome Traci Castles, as the newest Network member in OK, to Family Voices. Traci, mother of three beautiful children, all with special health care needs, is not new to Family Voices. Since 2002, she has partnered with Lyn Thoreson to provide written articles and resources for the Family Voices newsletter and website in Oklahoma. Traci shares the FV newsletters with SoonerStart Early Intervention Program families and multiple Oklahoma support groups. Traci works as the Family Services Coordinator at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center/Tolbert Center for Developmental Disabilities and also for the Oklahoma State Department of Education’s Early Intervention Program, SoonerStart. Traci views her primary role as a FV State Network member as providing Oklahoma families with information and educational opportunities that will enhance their capability to raise their child who has special health care needs. She enjoys researching, developing and teaching family friendly curriculum; providing technical assistance to families and professionals who are supporting young children with disabilities; and learning from mentor parents who have walked this road before her. What a dynamic duo we have with Traci and Lyn in OK !
Leau Phillips, Training and Technical Assistance Coordinator with Family Voices for over 5 years, has left Family Voices to begin exciting new adventures. We thank her for the tremendous creativity, energy, humor and innovation that she has brought to her Family Voices work. We wish her great joy and God Speed in her next adventures, and will be excited to follow her future artistic and educational endeavors. Thanks, Leau, for all that you’ve given to Family Voices!
Helping Families Transition to the Future
This publication summarizes the work of seven Parent Information and Training (PIT) Programs funded by the U.S. Department of Education Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA). These programs "provide training and information to enable individuals with disabilities, and the parents, family members, guardians, advocates, or other authorized representatives of the individuals to more effectively participate with professionals in meeting the vocational, independent living, and rehabilitation needs of individuals with disabilities (Rehabilitation Act, 1998)." Data was compiled from seven RSA funded PIT Programs serving 10 states: California, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Wisconsin, and Washington. The resulting data represents program outcomes for activities over a 12-month period in 2005 and 2006. Available in html and pdf formats.
Negotiating the Curves Toward Employment: A Guide About Youth Involved in the Foster Care System
This new Guide from the National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth (NCWD/Youth) encourages
collaborative efforts between workforce development, child welfare, mental health, schools, and other
community institutions to improve opportunities for youth in foster care so they can successfully transition
into adulthood. The youth involved in the foster care system represent one of the most vulnerable populations
in our society. Of the more than 500,000 youth in foster care, 30 to 40% are in special education. Building
upon the NCWD's Youth Organizing Framework known as the "Guideposts for Success" this new publication helps
meet the needs of youth in foster care. In addition, the Guide provides facts, statistics, and contextual information about youth involved in the foster care system; gives examples of states and communities that are
changing policy and practices; identifies areas requiring further attention by policy makers and providers of
services; and identifies resources and tools to assist cross-system collaborative efforts.
Health Care Language Services Implementation Guide
The Office of Minority Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is pleased to announce the release of the "Health Care Language Services Implementation Guide," an interactive Web-based learning tool designed to help health care professionals plan, implement, and evaluate language access services (LAS) within their organizations. The Guide is
available at no cost to health care providers through www.thinkculturalhealth.org or directly from the HHS Office of Minority Health website.
Developed with input from a panel of experts in the field of LAS and through rigorous field research, the Guide is patient-centered and family focused, and provides practical step-by-step advice on how to implement LAS to include translation and interpretation services. The Guide features an interactive content presentation, multimedia-based case studies that underscore the importance of LAS, and interactive worksheets to help with planning, implementation, and evaluation of LAS in your organization. The Guide is supported by a rich collection of resources, implementation tips, and examples of forms and documents.
This tool should help in efforts to provide quality health care to limited English proficient populations. Be sure to share it with your' child's providers. To receive more information, email HCLS-IG@thinkculturalhealth.org.
In a Good Place: Minorities with a Medical Home Do Better
A "medical home" is more than just a regular place to go for medical treatment. It is a health care setting where patients develop relationships with their providers, working with them to maintain a healthy lifestyle and to coordinate preventive care and other ongoing health services.
According to the Commonwealth Fund report, Closing the Divide: How Medical Homes Promote Equity in Health Care (June 27), when adults have both health insurance coverage and a medical home, racial and ethnic disparities in access to care and quality of care tend to disappear. In fact, the analysis, which was based on a Fund survey of more than 2,830 adults nationwide, found that regardless of race, the vast majority of adults with a medical home always get the care they need in a timely fashion.
