This newsletter was sent January 17, 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.

Reminder: Our 15th Annual Health Summit & Legislative Day will take place Feb. 27-28, 2017. More information and registration here. Free for families.

Marin Mom Collaborates With Local Hospital To Spearhead “Ouchless” ER Project

During an intense bout of croup, 3-year-old Aiden Taylor passed out at home and was rushed by ambulance to Marin General Hospital with his mother, Cathy — his father, Michael, followed by car. Although Aiden recovered from the infection, the calloused emotional treatment the Taylors experienced in the emergency room in early 2015 spurred Cathy’s commitment to transform Marin General’s pediatric emergency department to “Ouchless” — a holistic philosophy of care that not only addresses children’s physical needs, but also their (and their parents’) emotional needs.

Read Cathy’s story here.

NEWS

Whole Child Model Implementation Date Delayed: Transition To Begin July 1, 2018

The Whole Child Model, or the state’s plan to streamline care by transitioning thousands of medically complex children currently enrolled in California Children’s Services to Medi-Cal managed care plans, has been pushed back one year. Previously, the Department Of Health Care Services had planned to start transitioning children in certain counties beginning July 1, 2017. On Jan. 10, Governor Brown introduced the 2017-18 budget, which detailed select initiatives that would be delayed—the Whole Child Model being one of them (refer to page six of the Budget Highlights here). The Governor also signed SB 586 into law on Sept. 25, a bill which ensures children with special needs will be protected during the Whole Child Model transition. The extended implementation timeline may come as a relief for many SB 586 advocates.

RESOURCES

Program Sessions From Autism Society San Francisco’s Conference Now Available

At the end of last year, the Autism Society Of San Francisco held a conference titled “Into The Future: An Adult Autism/Developmental Disabilities Planning Workshop.” They’ve now made recordings and slides from all program sessions available online. Topics include accessing health care, writing transition plans, planning for care after a caregiver is gone, and more. To browse conference sessions, click here.

Study Evaluates Transition Experience Of Youth And Young Adults With Diabetes

Researchers surveyed 602 type 1 diabetes patients, ages 18 to 30, and discovered that 21% experienced a gap in care of at least six months while transitioning from pediatric to adult care. The study, published in Diabetes Care, emphasized the need for more intense efforts to integrate transition preparation counseling and care coordination within pediatric type 1 diabetes education. Although researchers found that over 90% of youth with type 1 diabetes (still in pediatric care) received some counseling on diabetes management and screening tests, most patients expressed that they wanted to stay with their pediatric provider because they felt attached. To read the executive summary, click here (full article requires payment).

50-State Survey Reflecting Key Medicaid And CHIP Information As Of January 2017

The Kaiser Family Foundation has compiled a statewide survey on eligibility, enrollment, renewal, and cost sharing polices in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). This annual survey identifies changes in these polices that took place in the past year. Among other findings, the survey discovered that Medicaid and CHIP are the central sources of health coverage for low-income children and pregnant women, with 49 states covering children and 34 states covering pregnant woman with incomes at or above 200% federal poverty level. To view the report, click here.

OPPORTUNITY FOR INPUT

Survey: Help Identify Barriers To Medi-Cal Enrollment For Former Foster Youth

Young adults who were in foster care at 18 or older qualify for Medi-Cal coverage until the age of 26—regardless of income or immigration or status. Children Now is looking to learn about the community’s experience working to ensure these eligible former foster youth have Medi-Cal. Specifically, they would like help identifying barriers to enrollment or retention, supporting efforts to ensure coverage, and providing resources. To take the survey, click here.