***NEW***  On March 2-3, 2010 Family Voices of California held its eight statewide Health Summit, bringing together families, advocates, state agency representatives, health policy advocates, legislative representatives, providers and insurers.  

• Online Photo Album (if you have photos to add, please email trobinson@familyvoicesofca.org)
  

Agenda

• English and Spanish
  

Bios

• English  and Spanish

Powerpoint Materials

• Laurie Soman "The Current Landscape for Children with Special Health Care Needs: Riding the Roller Coaster"

• Edwin Park "Explaining the Federal Budget: What Does it Mean for Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs?"
   
• Marty Omoto "Defying Gravity: Accountability with Action"

Handouts from Family Voices

• 2010 Budget Analysis: What's in Store for Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs (in English and Spanish)
   
• Call to Action (in English and Spanish)
   
• Tips for Visiting Legislators (in English and Spanish)
   
• Family Voices: Who Are We? (in English and Spanish)
   
• Highlights from 2009 Summit (in English and Spanish)
   

Handouts from Other Participants

• Department of Managed Health Care: "Getting the Help You Need" (in English and Spanish)

• Health Access, "Hospital Bill Help"
   
• Office of the Patient Advocate, "How to Use your Health Plan"
   
• DREDF, Diabetes in Public Schools

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THANK YOU TO ALL WHO PARTICIPATED!

 Family Voices of California
Annual Health Summit & Legislative Day
March 2-3, 2010
Sacramento, CA

Come learn about pressing issues facing children and youth with special health care needs AND do something about it. Hear from experts, get trained in advocacy, and build a relationship with Legislators in the State Capitol.

Each year, Family Voices of California hosts a statewide Summit in Sacramento to bring together families, youth, providers, policymakers, advocates, state agencies, insurers, and other stakeholders to identify and address challenges affecting one of California’s most vulnerable populations: children and youth with special health care needs.

Click here to Register and here for more info

Cost: FREE for families. $25 suggested donation for professionals. Registration is limited to first 150 people to sign up. Travel scholarships available for qualifying families. Please contact us for more information.

Prior to the Summit, family members will schedule meetings with their Legislative representatives for March 3rd between 9-3pm. Not sure how to make Legislative appointments? Don’t worry! Family Voices of California council members will provide you with information that will help you make Legislative appointments. Participation in both the Summit and Legislative Days is strongly encouraged.

2010 Sponsors:

 NEW!!! LANTERMAN ACT: Changes in the Law with Katy Lusson, Client's Rights Advocate, Disability Rights California

 How do the recent cuts to Regional Center, In Home Support Services, SSI, and Medi-Cal impact services? What new information is available? 

 To see a copy of Katy's PowerPoint presentation, click here
To see a video of the presentation, click here (wmv)

 How Do I Get Information on the California Budget?

• Get an email account and use it regularly. Even if you don’t have a computer at home, make a habit of going to the library once a week, or borrowing your friend’s computer. 
   
• Sign up for a few listservs for organizations that provide updates and action alerts. A group email list, when there’s a new update, you’ll get an email directly to your inbox. Also search Yahoo groups for listservs of other families in your area.
   
• Attend free webinars or trainings through your local Family Resource Center, or other state or nationwide organizations
   
• Get practice: 1) send letters to your legislators when there’s an action alert (remember to include a personal story before you send the template); 2)  attend local committee or board meetings; 3) make a public comment or give testimony; 4) organize a letter writing campaign; 5) find another way to take action. There are so many options that everyone can find something that suits their personality. Practicing will build your confidence, your power, your skills—all of which make a good leader.

Here is a list of organizations with informative listservs that provide opportunities to get involved:

• Family Voices of California (www.familyvoicesofca.org)
• California Budget Project (www.cbp.org) 
• California Disability Action Network (www.cdcan.us) 
• Latino Coalition for a Healthy California (www.lchc.org)
• Families USA (www.familiesusa.org)
• League of Women Voters of California (http://ca.lwv.org)

Tara Robinson is the Manager for Family Voices of CA, a statewide collaborative of locally-based parent run centers working to ensure quality health care for children and youth with special health care needs. To sign up for our statewide listserv or free monthly webinar trainings, please visit our website at www.familyvoicesofca.org.  

NEW!!! H1N1: Preparing for the Flu Season with Elisabeth Whitney, SF Card (January 6, 2010)

Are you overwhelmed or confused by information about H1N1? Would you like understand how the spread of H1N1 may impact your family....your workplace....your community? Would you like to know what you can do about it? 

To see a copy of Elisabeth's PowerPoint presentation click here 

To see a video of the presentation click here (wmv)

 ***FREE WEBINAR*** 

H1N1 IN CALIFORNIA:   HOW TO PREPARE YOUR FAMILY...AND YOUR OFFICE TOO 

Are you overwhelmed or confused by information about H1N1? Would you like understand how the spread of H1N1 may impact your family....your workplace....your community? Would you like to know what you can do about it? Get more information and come ask questions on this interactive webinar. 

REGISTER NOW

 NEW!!! ARCHIVED TRAINING

ADDRESSING THE MULTIPLE ISSUES IN COLLECTING RACE, ETHNICITY AND LANGUAGE DATA: Rationale, and Promising Practices with Vivian Jackson, National Center for Cultural Competence (December 2, 2009) 

Does it make you uncomfortable to ask someone about their racial, ethnic or cultural background? Do you need to collect this kind of information to meet your grant requirements? Would you like to know more about the ins and outs of collecting culturally competent data?  

To see a copy of Vivian's PowerPoint presentation click here

To see a video of the presentation click here (wmv)

 ***FREE WEBINAR*** Please join Family Voices of California and Vivian Jackson from the National Center for Cultural Competence for an interactive Webinar for Family, Youth, Family-to-Family Support staff, Professionals and Providers too. 

***JUST RELEASED***

Volume 3, Issue 4, of the California Children with Special Health Care Needs Newsletter features: a list of education programs provided by the Epilepsy Foundation along with the current news on issue facing CSHCN and several article reviews. The newsletter can also be found on www.cshcn-ca.org along with other resources regarding CSHCN.