This newsletter was sent March 28, 2017. If you’d like to receive our next bi-weekly digest full of a curated collection of resources, workshops, policy highlights, and action items that affect children and youth with special health care needs, please sign up here.

Family Voices of California would like to extend a big ‘thank you’ to all the family advocates who took the time to contact their Congressional representatives to voice concerns about the American Health Care Act, a bill which would have fundamentally restructured California’s Medi-Cal program. It was pulled from the House floor on March 24 before it could be voted on. For more information, click here.

At the end of February, Family Voices of California hosted its 15th Annual Health Summit & Legislative Day in Sacramento. Families and professionals from Humboldt to San Diego came together to discuss issues that affect children and youth with special health care needs.

For a full recap, check out our highlights report. To view photos, click here. If you’d like to browse PowerPoint presentations from panelists and watch videos of presenters, click here.

“I felt part of a larger network of people who care about my child and children like her. It felt so good to talk to people who ‘get it.’ I learned strategies to interact with my legislators, and I felt empowered!” — Health Summit attendee.

RESOURCES

Exceptional Parent 2017 Resource Guide Now Available: 100+ Pages Of Information

This compendium of resources for the special needs community is published annually by Exceptional Parent and includes a national directory for disability-specific conditions, adaptive recreation organizations, mental health resources, and more. To access the guide, click here.

Report: Over Half Of America’s Doctors Agree Climate Change Harming Kids’ Health

A new report from The Medical Society Consortium On Climate & Health outlines how climate change is negatively impacting our health and taking a greater toll on children and those living with chronic illnesses. Key concerns for kids include higher rates of asthma and allergy attacks due to air pollution, and a strain on mental health. The Consortium, a newly-formed coalition of organizations representing over half of America’s physicians (including the American Academy Of Pediatrics), plans to deliver the report to Congress, the Trump administration, and CEOs of Fortune 500 companies to push for a transition to renewable energy. To read the report, click here.

Affordable Care Act Toolkit For Self-Advocates From Autistic Self Advocacy Network

This toolkit from the Autistic Self Advocacy Network aims to explain what the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is, and why it matters to people with disabilities. The three-part guide covers how different parts of the ACA have improved health care, what concerns self-advocates have, and a glossary of common terms in plain language. Every section is screenreader-accessible. To access the toolkit, click here.

OPPORTUNITY FOR INPUT

Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Inst. Seeking Nominations For Rare Disease Panel

PCORI is looking for a new member to join its advisory panel on rare disease, which aims to bring voices from across the health care community into rare disease research. For more information on how to apply or nominate someone, click here. Deadline: March 31.

Department Of Education In Need Of User Feedback To Inform Updated IDEA Website

The Office Of Special Education And Rehabilitative Services is looking for input from users of the IDEA.ed.gov website as part of their effort to provide updated, easy-to-navigate IDEA resources to children with disabilities and their families, teachers, administrators, advocates, and other stakeholders. To leave website feedback or suggestions, click here.

WEBINARS

The National Center For Family/Professional Partnerships in collaboration with the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network, Kids As Self-Advocates, and Youth MOVE is offering a webinar series for youth and young adults focused on leadership development. The next two webinars are set to take place on April 11 (Telling Your Story For A Public Policy) and May 16 (Working With Adult Allies). For more information and to register, click here.