Contact Information
Carol Keltner
(937) 208-7547
chkeltner@mvh.org
Family Voices of Ohio (FV OH) activities focus on assisting families to
partner in decision making for their children and at the policy level. FV OH provides
assistance to families of CYSHCN in many ways, including: parent matches and
support groups; and printed and web based information, including care notebooks,
family surveys and newsletters. Through a variety of activities, FV OH addresses
youth and family leadership, early intervention and EPSDT, Special Education,
transition to adult services, cultural competence, disaster planning and emergency
care, and public and private health care financing.
“ There is no way my son, who has quadriplegic cerebral palsy, could be attending
and succeeding at Wright State University if he did not have intensive quality
therapies throughout his childhood.”
- a parent
“ How can you say my baby can only have rehabilitative therapy? She can’t be ‘
rehabbed’ if she never had the ability in the first place.”
- a parent
FV OH brought this issue to the attention of many advocacy groups, supported families in providing testimony, and will continue to work with families to be sure their voices are heard on this issue of critical importance to Ohio families of CYSHCN.
BUILDING PARTNERSHIPS: Youth and Providers
This past year, FV OH developed
relationships with children’s hospitals in
the state. Three major hospitals
expressed interest in housing
experienced parents in their Family
Resource Centers. The idea of
locating several parent navigators
throughout the state allows for the
creation of services that are truly
community-based. FV Ohio will
continue to work tirelessly to find
funding for this collaborative project.
WORKING TOGETHER FOR CYSHCN:
FV OH partnered with Voices for Ohio’s Children, a non-partisan, resourceful, and
popular group of organizations and individuals interested in improving the well-being
of our community’s children and their families. Family Voices Ohio participated in
the Steering Committee that identified an agenda of 6 key areas for how Ohio can
best invest in our children. FV Ohio was particularly vocal in defining the needs of
families of children with special health care needs under the key area of Child and
Family Health. Collaborating with Voices for Ohio's Children and with the state's
Title V CSHCN program has had a positive impact on FV Ohio.
Useful Links
- Arc of Ohio
- Bureau for Children with Medical Handicaps (BCMH)
- Down Syndrome Association of Central Ohio
- Early Intervention, Birth to Three Services
- Nisonger Center UAP
- Ohio Coalition for the Education of Children with Disabilities
- Ohio Department of Education
- Ohio Developmental Disabilities Council
- Ohio Legal Rights Service (OLRS)
- Division of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
