Champions for Inclusive Communities (ChampionsInc) Star Communities
ChampionsInc, a national center designed to support communities in organizing services for families of children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN),  has created the Star Communities program to recognize exceptional communities that work to support organizing services for families of CYSHCN. To read about the Hillsborough County, FL community selected to be recognized, click here.

Article: Grace Medical Home in Orlando Helps Close Health-Care Gap for Working Poor
The May 2010 issue of the Orlando sentenial highlights the effectivenes of the medical home and it's implementation in a local Orlando practice. The article goes on to discuss medical home saying that "It is what some health-care experts call "the missing link": a place where the working poor and their families can go for basic medical needs and continuing care for chronic illness, where someone knows their names and their medical histories and will charge them only $20 per visit. It was the dream of one local pediatrician. Today, it's a reality."

AAP: Community Pediatrics Grant Database
The Community Pediatrics Grant Database archives previously funded Community Pediatrics grant projects, including those funded through the CATCH Program, the Healthy Tomorrows Partnership for Children Program, the Community Pediatrics Training Initiative and the Healthy People 2010 Chapter Grants. The database is searchable by seven major categories: target population, health topic, state/territory, project activity, AAP program, AAP district, and project year. Members of the AAP can obtain grantee contact information by searching through the Member Center. If you are not an AAP member, but have questions please contact docbi@aap.org.

Dyson Community Pediatrics Training Grant
University of Florida Health Science Center/Jacksonville Pediatric Residency Program
The Initiative, in conjunction with other regional academic institutions, the Duval County Health Department, public and private sector human services agencies and the Jacksonville Community will implement a Residency Program in Pediatrics and Community Health. The Initiative will introduce residents to the social, political, cultural, environmental and behavioral determinants of child health and the evolving epidemiology of child morbidity.

University of Miami School of Medicine
The Initiative will firmly establish a model advocacy program that will improve child health through stimulating and self-sustaining innovative partnerships between pediatricians and community-based organizations in South Florida, and will instill in the minds of pediatricians in training the positive impact that such collaborative efforts can have on the lives of children. The ultimate goal of the Dyson Initiative is the development of pediatric professionals with greater skills and interest in community-based medicine, advocacy, and the capacity to improve the health of children in their communities. Here you can learn how diverse programs around the country are educating residents about community pediatrics and fostering practical community experiences.

MCHB State Implementation Grant for Integrated Community Systems of Services for CSHCN (Florida Institute for Family Involvement (FIFI) )– Abstract  
This project is entitled Integrating Families, Communities, and Providers. IFCAP is one of just six projects, nationally, funded by MCHB in 2005 under its initiative to support the development of community-based systems of care for all CSHCN. The purpose of this initiative is to promote and support the development of community-based integrated family-centered, culturally competent, community-based systems that serve all CYSHCN and their families.

Goals:

1. Work with four community coalitions in Florida to develop family-centered, culturally competent, community-based systems for all CYSHCN and their families using a medical home/family-professional partnership FIFI invited applications from community-based coalitions in Florida to partner with FIFI to integrate family, community and provider efforts in support of the development of local family-centered systems of care for CYSHCN and their families. To learn more about the RFA click here .
2. Evaluate, enhance, disseminate and promote use of the medical home/family-professional partnership model, statewide.

What FIFI is doing
In partnership with a statewide Taskforce, FIFI is currently developing a set of technical assistance and resource materials that communities can use to guide the development of their local CSHCN-systems of care. FIFI has forged partnership with MCHB-funded National Resources Centers, secured the services of four nationally recognized experts has formed a Task Force comprised of individuals in Florida with expertise in the Medical Home and Family-Professional Partnerships. These consultants, along with members of the Task Force the staff of FIFI will provide on-going consultation and support to four “implementation” communities. FIFI hosted the 2006 "Transformational Partnerships Conference" designed to help integrate family, community and provider efforts in support of the development of local family-centered systems of care for children and youth with special health care needs and their families. Audio recordings and PowerPoint files.

Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (CHIPRA) Grants
Florida is a lead on one of 10 CHIPRA grants, representing single-state projects and multi-state collaborations, from HHS to improve health care quality and delivery systems for children enrolled in Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). The money will help states implement and evaluate provider performance measures and utilize health information technologies such as pediatric electronic health records and other quality improvement initiatives.

American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Chapter - Florida
Academy chapters are organized groups of pediatricians and other health care professionals working to achieve AAP goals in their communities. Chapters are the channels of representation for individual members of the Academy. Please contact your local chapter for additional state resources

American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) Chapter - Florida
The American Academy of Family Physicians is one of the largest national medical organizations, representing more than 94,000 family physicians, family medicine residents, and medical students

Family Voices Chapter - Florida
Family Voices aims to achieve family-centered care for all children and youth with special health care needs and/or disabilities. Through a national network, they provide families tools to make informed decisions, advocate for improved public and private policies, build partnerships among professionals and families, and serve as a trusted resource on health care.

Family-to-Family Health Information Centers (F2F HICs)
F2F HICs are non-profit organizations that help families of children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN) and the professionals who serve them. F2F HICs are in a unique position to help families because they are typically staffed/run by parents of CYSHCN themselves, and as parents, they have traveled through the maze of services and programs designed to help CYSHCN. Staff at F2F HICs understand the issues that families face, provide advice, offer a multitude of resources, and tap into a network of other families and professionals for support and information. Family Voices, through the National Center for Family / Professional Partnerships, provides technical assistance, training, and connections to other F2F HICs and partnering organizations.

Florida Institute for Family Involvement (FIFI)
Address: PO Box 208 , Sopchoppy, FL 32358
Phone: 305/293-7626 | Toll-Free: 877/926-3514 | Fax: 925/475-6525
Primary Contact(s): Stacy Justiss | Tammy Thompson

Title V Block Grant to States
Title V of the Social Security Act is one of the largest Federal block grant programs. It leads the nation in ensuring the health of all mothers, infants, children, adolescents, and children with special health care needs (CSHCN). Title V is administered by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) as part of the Health Resources and Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

MCH Contact
Annette Phelps, ARNP, MSN, Division Director, Family Health Services
Address: 4052 Bald Cypress Way, Bin A-13, Tallahassee, FL 32399-1723
Phone: 850/245-4102 | Fax: 850/414-6091 | E-mail: Annette_Phelps@doh.state.fl.us

Title V and Children with Special Health Care Needs
MCHB Objective: Support development and implementation of comprehensive, culturally competent, coordinated systems of care for the estimated 18 million U.S. children who have or are at risk for chronic physical, developmental, behavioral or emotional conditions and who also require health and related services of a type or amount beyond that required by children generally.

CSHCN Contact
Phyllis J. Sloyer, RN, PhD, Division Director, Children's Medical Services
Address: 4052 Bald Cypress Way Mail Bin #A06, Tallahassee , FL 32399-1707
Phone: 850/245-4218 | Fax: 850/488-3813 | E-mail: Phyllis_Sloyer@doh.state.fl.us

Early Hearing Detection & Intervention (EHDI) Contact(s)
State EHDI programs promote universal newborn hearing screening, develop effective tracking and follow-up as a part of the public health system, promote appropriate and timely diagnosis of the hearing loss, prompt enrollment in appropriate Early Intervention, ensure a medical home for all newborns and strive to eliminate geographic and financial barriers to service access.

State Newborn Screening & Genetics Programs
Florida Newborn Screening Program and Contact Information
From the National Newborn Screening and Genetics Resource Center Web site

Florida Genetic Services and Contact Information
From the National Newborn Screening and Genetics Resource Center Web site

Newborn Screening and Genetics Collaborative – HRSA Region 3
Translating research into practical health care services and systems to improve the health and quality of life of individuals with heritable disorders through Collaboration and Partnership

Early Intervention/Part C Coordinator
The Program for Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities (Part C of IDEA) is a federal grant program that assists states in operating a comprehensive statewide program of early intervention services for infants and toddlers with disabilities, ages birth through age 2 years, and their families.

Janice Kane, Part C Coordinator
Phone: 850/245-4200 x4221 | Fax: 850/921-5241 | E-mail: Janice_Kane@doh.state.fl.us
Web site

Section 619/Special Education for ages 3-5 Coordinators
This program provides free appropriate public education (FAPE) for children, ages 3 through 5 years, with disabilities:

Cathy Bishop, Interim 619 Coordinator
Phone:850/245-0478 | Fax: 850/245-0955 | E-mail: cathy.bishop@fldoe.org

Carole West, Part C Liaison
Phone: 850/488-1106 | Fax: 850/922-7088 | E-mail: carole.west@fldoe.org
Web site

State Interagency Coordinating Council (ICC) Chairs
The ICC advises appropriate agencies on the unmet needs in early childhood special education and early intervention programs for children with disabilities, assists in the development and implementation of policies that constitute a statewide system, and assists all appropriate agencies in achieving full participation, coordination, and cooperation for implementation of statewide system.

Ilene Wilkins, President/CEO
Phone: 407/852-3303 | Fax: 407/852-3301 | E-mail: iwilkins@aol.com

Medicaid
Medicaid is Title XIX of the Social Security Act and is a federal/state entitlement program that provides medical assistance to certain individuals and families with low incomes and/or special health care needs. Medicaid is of unique importance to children; together with the Children's Health Insurance Program, Medicaid insures over 1 in 4 children in the United States, with millions more eligible but currently unenrolled. The Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment (EPSDT) program is a critical component of Medicaid, which guarantees that children enrolled in Medicaid are screened for medical or developmental problems early, and that necessary treatments and services are provided.

Medicaid State Director
For the most updated contact, please refer to the National Association of State Medicaid Directors Member List.

State Waiver Information
Waivers are the result of a process that allows state Medicaid agencies to apply for and receive permission from HCFA to provide services not otherwise covered by Medicaid and/or to do so in ways not described by the Social Security Act. Most Medicaid managed care programs require Waivers. The Waivers, which can differ greatly, are known by their numbers (1115, 1119), or as home-and community-based, or as Katie Beckett Waivers.

Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP)
CHIP is Title XXI of the Social Security Act and is a state and federal partnership that targets uninsured children and pregnant women in families with incomes too high to qualify for most state Medicaid programs, but often too low to afford private coverage. Within federal guidelines, each state determines the design of its individual CHIP program, including eligibility parameters, benefit packages, and administrative procedures. The Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 (CHIPRA) reauthorized the program through FY 2013, and includes many incentives for states to find and enroll more eligible children in both Medicaid and CHIP. CHIPRA also includes a number of quality provisions that aim to monitor and improve care delivered through the Medicaid and CHIP programs. Each state does have a CHIP program, and the names of these programs differ from state to state.

Children’s Health Insurance State Program Director
For the most updated contact, please refer to the CMS listing of CHIP Directors.

Community Health Centers in the State
Federally-funded health centers care for you, even if you have no health insurance. You pay what you can afford, based on your income. Health centers provide checkups when you're well, treatment when you're sick, complete care when you're pregnant, immunizations and checkups for your children, dental care and prescription drugs for your family, mental health and substance abuse care if you need it. For a listing of CHCs in Florida, please use HRSA’s ‘Find A Health Center’ search engine.

Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs (AMCHP) Florida State Profile
These state profiles provide a snapshot of how the Maternal and Child Health Block Grant works in specific states. The profiles detail the Federal funds appropriated to each state, state match, specific programs funded, numbers of people receiving services and state health needs.

AAP Issue Brief: Implementing the Medical Home in Medicaid, CHIP, and Multistakeholder Demonstration Programs
(AAP Member access only)
The Medical Home Issue Brief serves to provide guidance to AAP chapters working with states to implement medical home projects in Medicaid and CHIP as well as multipayer demonstration programs. It also addresses a number of the policy questions that frequently arise in creating state supports for the medical home.

Child Health Measurement Initiative (CAHMI) Medical Home Portal - Floria State Profile
These state profiles provide a state’s medical home performance level for all children or children with special health care needs, based on national survey data.

National Adolescent Health Information Center (NAHIC) Adolescent Health Database
The NAHIC database includes national and state-level profiles of key measures of the health of adolescents and young adults, based on Healthy People 2010. Known as the Data Project, the online resource contains information on recent progress in key areas of adolescent health. National-level data is available by gender and race/ethnicity and also state-by-state, with summaries and data tables. The site also features information about data collection and presentation, state and national Excel files and guidance for using this data to improve the health of adolescents and young adults.

2010 KIDS COUNT Databook
The Annie E Casey Foundation has released the 2010 Kids Count report. The annual Kids Count report is a national and state-by-state profile of the well-being of America's children that seeks to enrich discussions concerning ways to secure better futures for all kids. The 2010 Kids Count report data is available as an interactive databook, a complete PDF-format report , and on request, in print. Data and rankings on 10 key indicators of child well-being are available by state, county, and city.

Evidence-based Developmental Screening: A Quality Improvement Project
Developmental Screening with a standardized tool such as the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ) is recommended at every well child care visit. Pediatricians report that they use these tools in 23% of visits and that they use the ASQ in 7% of visits. An informal survey of training programs in Florida indicates consistent use of focused developmental questions, but not standardized, evidence-based tools. In order to facilitate resident learning in evidence-based screening, we are including the ASQ process in the 15 and 18 month WCC visits. It is hoped that this experience will better prepare the pediatric and internal medicine-pediatric residents to identify children with developmental concerns and to assist families in early language and learning opportunities. Although focusing on one age is far from ideal, it will allow us to identify barriers on a small scale and explore the possibility of further implementation. This program is supported in part by the Pediatric Clinical Research Center of All Children’s Hospital and the University of South Florida, and the Maternal and Child Health Bureau, R60 MC 00003-01, Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration. Pediatricians interested in the program can contact Mary H. Pavan, MD, FAAP through mpavan@hsc.usf.edu or 727/767-6723.

Family Network on Disabilities, Inc (FND)
FND is a national network of individuals of all ages who may be at-risk, have disabilities, or have special needs and their families, professionals, and concerned citizens. The mission of Family Network on Disabilities is to ensure through collaboration that individuals have full access to family-driven support, education, information, resources, and advocacy and to serve families of children with disabilities, ages birth through 26, who have the full range of disabilities described in section 602(3) of IDEA.

Florida’s Quality of Care Chartbook
The Institute for Child Health Policy has completed a chart book examining the quality of care provided to children in the Florida KidCare Program. The quality of care indicators assessed include:

1. Children's compliance with well child visits
2. Children's access to primary care practitioners

Families' satisfaction with their children's medical homes, and others. Often quality of care assessments are reported for children as a group, without considering their health status.