January 12, 2010

Medical Homes@Work Issue #155
An E-newsletter dedicated to providing medical home info and resources for children with special needs
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Announcements

1. New AAP Policy—Supplemental Security Income (SSI) for Children and Youth with Disabilities

2. January is National Birth Defects Prevention Month

3. Downloads and Videos Available from the 2009 MCH Partnership Meeting

4. HHS Creates $235 Million Grant Program to Advance Health IT

5. Pediatric Emergency Medicine (PEM) Leadership Conference: Enhancing Leadership to Improve Quality of Care in Emergency Settings for Children; April 16-18, 2010; San Antonio, Texas

6. Educational Sessions from the World Congress on Disabilities

7. AAP CME:  Intensive Review of Adolescent Medicine; February 3-6, San Antonio, Texas

8. The Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. Foundation - Public Policy Fellowship Program 2010-2011


New AAP PolicySupplemental Security Income (SSI) for Children and Youth with Disabilities
Council on Children with Disabilities
PEDIATRICS; Vol. 124 No. 6 December 2009, pp. 1702-1708

The Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program remains an important source of financial support for low-income families of children with special health care needs and disabling conditions. In most states, SSI eligibility also qualifies children for the state Medicaid program, providing access to health care services. The Social Security Administration (SSA), which administers the SSI program, considers a child disabled under SSI if there is a medically determinable physical or mental impairment or combination of impairments that results in marked and severe functional limitations. The impairment(s) must be expected to result in death or have lasted or be expected to last for a continuous period of at least 12 months. The income and assets of families of children with disabilities are also considered when determining financial eligibility. When an individual with a disability becomes an adult at 18 years of age, the SSA considers only the individual's income and assets. The SSA considers an adult to be disabled if there is a medically determinable impairment (or combination of impairments) that prevents substantial gainful activity for at least 12 continuous months. SSI benefits are important for youth with chronic conditions who are transitioning to adulthood. The purpose of this statement is to provide updated information about the SSI medical and financial eligibility criteria and the disability-determination process. This statement also discusses how pediatricians can help children and youth when they apply for SSI benefits.

Additional SSI resources can be found at the Social Security Administration Web site.

Comments or questions regarding the report can be directed to Stephanie Skipper, COCWD Manager, at sskipper@aap.org.


January is National Birth Defects Prevention Month

To decrease the number of babies born with birth defects, each year the month of January is dedicated to raising awareness about birth defects and strategies for their prevention.  January 2010 is dedicated to alerting women of childbearing age about the critical link between diabetes and increased risk for birth defects.  The chance for all types of birth defects, especially of multiple birth defects is increased when the mother has diabetes type or type 2.  The rates of central nervous system defects, heart defects, limb deficiencies, urogenital anomalies and orofacial clefts are all increased.

Join the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and over 350 members of the National Birth Defects Prevention Network (NBDPN) to raise awareness of the need and ability to help prevent birth defects—the leading cause of death in children less than one year of age.  Read and utilize 2010 National Birth Defect Prevention Month materials developed for raising awareness and preventing birth defects from the NBDPN and CDC. 

In a 5 year cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, National Center for Birth Defects and Disabilities, Program to Enhance the Health and Development of Infants and Children, the AAP is working to support health promotion, disease prevention, development and health, hearing screening, early identification of children with developmental disabilities, prevention of secondary conditions in children with disabilities, health promotion for children with disabilities and transition to adult life with medical home activities at its core.

As a part of this cooperative agreement, a Congenital Heart Public Health Consortium with representation from diverse agencies and national organizations has formed to increase congenital heart disease awareness, surveillance throughout the lifespan, promotion of primary and secondary prevention research, and translation of research and data into interventions and policy.

 

Downloads and Videos Available from the 2009 MCH Partnership Meeting

Videos and downloads from the October 2009 Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Federal/State Partnership Meeting are available for download. The meeting focused on the concept of improving the health of the Nation by investing in strategies that examine and address the intersectional nature of social determinants, life course, and health inequities that impact the MCH population. It showcased the unique role of the Title V MCH programs to Make Change Happen in a transformed health system through investments that build and sustain healthy families across the lifespan. The meeting explored opportunities to advance the health and well-being of all MCH populations throughout the life course, with a particular focus on addressing those factors and means that help women lead longer, healthier lives.

 

HHS Creates $235 Million Grant Program to Advance Health IT

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said the agency is creating a $235 million Beacon Community Cooperative Agreement Program—a three-year initiative that aims to advance health IT adoption in communities. The grant program consists of $220 million for contracting select nonprofit groups to spread their experiences and knowledge of health IT to other communities, $10 million for assessments and $5 million for providing technical aid. More information can be found in Modern Healthcare (free registration).

 

Pediatric Emergency Medicine (PEM) Leadership Conference: Enhancing Leadership to Improve Quality of Care in Emergency Settings for Children
April 16-18, 2010
, San Antonio, TX
Sponsored by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the AAP Section on Emergency Medicine

The PEM leadership conference is targeted to:

  • Emergency Medicine Medical or Nursing Directors
  • Emergency Medicine Division Directors
  • Pediatric Emergency Medicine Fellowship Directors
  • Emergency Medicine Quality Improvement or Safety Leaders
  • Physicians interested in developing leadership/improvement skills in pediatric emergency care
  • Nurses interested in developing leadership/improvement skills in pediatric emergency care
  • Academic physicians with a desire to publish and disseminate improvement work
  • Administrators of emergency departments or urgent care centers

Participating in this conference will result in many benefits for emergency care physicians, nurses and administrative leaders, including learning the practical application of improvement methodologies, measuring performance and outcomes to improve care, enhancing a culture of safety and developing a workforce that is able to accelerate system changes to benefit patients seeking emergency care. Online registration is now available for the conference.

 

Educational Sessions from the World Congress on Disabilities

EP Global Communications and Exceptional Parent magazine co-hosted the 10th Annual World Congress on Disabilities in Jacksonville on November 19-20, 2009. Several of the educational sessions presented are now available via archive to those unable to attend the Expo in person. The presentations can be viewed online by registering for free at http://www.epliveonline.com/wcd_2009.html.

 

AAP CME:  Intensive Review of Adolescent Medicine
AM: PREP® - An Intensive Review of Adolescent Medicine
February 3-6, 2010, San Antonio, Texas
Sponsored by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the AAP Section on Adolescent Health, and the Society for Adolescent Medicine (SAM)

AMPREP® will feature sessions to help providers care for your adolescent patients in your busy pediatric practice. The conference includes talks given by experts in the field of adolescent medicine and pediatric/adolescent specialists. An added feature to the conference is a special panel discussion, "Tackling Tough Teen Problems in the Office," moderated by pediatricians who have unparalleled experience taking care of adolescents in a general pediatric practice.

Additional sessions include:

  • School Problems: ADHD and Learning Problems in Adolescents
  • Eating Disorders in Primary Care and Adolescent Medicine: How YOU Can Make a Difference
  • Confidentiality
  • An Approach to Management of the Adolescent with Abdominal Pain
  • Coding for Adolescent Medicine
  • Male Reproductive Health
  • Transitioning Patients with Chronic Conditions from Pediatric to Adult-Care Settings

Register online or call 866/THE-AAP1 (866/843-2271).

 

The Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. Foundation - Public Policy Fellowship Program 2010-2011
Deadline:  March 5, 2010, 5pm EST

The Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. Foundation is seeking exemplary professionals and/or family members of persons with intellectual or developmental disabilities who are currently working or volunteering in the field of inclusive services and supports for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities for an intensive one-year Public Policy Fellowship in Washington, DC. The purpose of the Fellowship is to prepare both early career and veteran leaders to assume leadership in the public policy arena in their home state and/or nationally. During this one year Fellowship, the successful applicant will learn how federal legislation is initiated, developed, and passed by the Congress, as well as how programs are administered and regulations promulgated by federal agencies.
 
The successful applicant's background will include distinguished involvement in efforts to improve the lives of persons with intellectual and other developmental disabilities at the regional, state or national level. The expectation is that fellows will become future leaders in the field of inclusive community supports for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. After their year in Washington, it is expected that former Kennedy Fellows will make significant contributions to policy and program development in their home state or continue to advance their work on the national level.

The program provides a one-year full-time exposure to the federal public policy making process, and includes a stipend and modest relocation expenses. Selected fellows must be prepared to live in the Washington, DC area during their fellowship year and to devote themselves full-time to the fellowship. In addition, applicants have the opportunity to participate in the Intensive Bioethics Course offered at the Joseph P. and Rose F. Kennedy Institute of Bioethics at Georgetown University.

More information can be found on The Kennedy Institute of Ethics Web site.