aX s we f a ’ i x Sint ay 2ye abs ro ae y tae ’ ele Saree” ” Shriners Hospitals Explain Why Every Child Deserves A Medical Home (NAPSA)—Aneducational program,titled “Every Child Deserves a Medical Home,”offered by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and Shriners Hospitals for Children, focuses on providing a medical home for children with special needs in managed care arrangements. A collaborative effort by the AAP, Shriners Hospitals, Family Voices, the federal Maternal and Child Health Bureau, and the National Association of Children’s Hospitals and Related Institutions, the program supports pediatric healthcare professionals, children with special healthcare needs and their families, and communities interested in the well-being of special needs children in a changing healthcare environment. In 1998 and 1999, the medical home training program was tested and revised for national distribution. The curriculum was written at a national level so that communities can customize it and add local information. The program may be implemented in a one-day session or at various times. The flexible curriculum also makes it easier to customize for a specific audience, such as pediatric health professionals and their staff; families of children with special needs or managed care professionals. In 2000, the program was hosted by Philadelphia, Lexington, Intermountain, Northern California and Twin Cities Shriners Hospitals, as well as A new training program may help children with special healthcare needs. national children’s advocacy networks, such as the AAP state chapters and other local community-based networks. At the Philadelphia Shriners Hospital, about 230 pediatricians, parents and other health professionals learned how to provide a “medical home”—care that is accessible, family-centered, continuous, comprehensive, coordinated, compassionate and culturally competent. More than 30 organizations with resources for special needs children attended. “This program’s purpose is to identify and access all the medical and nonmedical services needed to help children with special health care needs achieve their maximum potential,” said Dr. Deborah SmithWright, a pediatric physician at Twin Cities Hospital, which also hosted the event. “We hope that, via the medical home, there will be improved coordination of care, efficient use of limited resources, a forum for problem solving and increased patient, family and professional satisfaction.” The meeting at the Twin Cities Hospital brought numerous providers together and resulted in the publication of a manual that lists the various services available in the Minneapolis area. “This has become a great resource for our patients, families, and health care providers,” said Dr. Smith-Wright. In 2001, the medical homeprogram will be held at Shriners Hospitals in Cincinnati, Boston, Shreveport and Erie. For a schedule and to register online, visit AAP at www.aap.org. To receive a brochure by mail or fax, call 800433-9016, Ext. 4902, or e-mail to mhtraining@aap.org. For more information on Shriners network of 22 hospitals that provide free treatment to children with orthopaedic problems, burns and spinal cord injuries, write to Shriners International Headquarters, Public Relations Dept., 2900 Rocky Point Dr., Tampa, FL 33607, or visit www.shrinershq.org. If you know a child Shriners can help, call 1-800-237-5055 in the United States or 1-800-3617256 in Canada. Shriners Hospitals provide free treatment to children under age 18 without regard to race, religion, or relationship to a Shriner.
