About Us

Who We Serve
Our Mission
Families
Coordinate Care
Promote Public Health
Direct Services
Cost
Service Record

Who We Serve

• children & youth who have special health care needs
• birth through age 21
• live in Iowa
• have a chronic condition (physical, developmental,
  behavioral, or emotional) or have increased risk for a chronic condition
• have a need for special services.

Our Mission
The Child Health Specialty Clinics (CHSC) mission is to improve the health, development, and well-being of children and youth with special health care needs in partnership with families, service providers, communities, and policymakers.

We Support Families
The family is the most constant and important part of the child's environment. We believe in helping families care for their children with special health care needs. To do this, a team of experienced parents is available to help other parents with problem-solving and emotional support.

We Coordinate Care
Children and youth with complicated health problems often need many different agencies. Our staff are experts in helping families arrange for the services they need.

We Promote Public Health
Some of our care is provided directly to the child and family, but we also work to improve the health care system. We advocate for family-friendly policies; monitor the quality of statewide services; and survey families about their needs.

We Provide Direct Services
We hold clinics for children and youth who have chronic physical or behavioral problems. These clinics are held in areas where medical specialists are not available. Physicians, nurse practitioners, and other professionals examine each child, either in-person or via telehealth, and make recommendations to the family, including referral to community resources.

Services:
Birth to Five Program
Care Coordination
Family to Family Support
Integrated Evaluation and Planning Clinics
Regional Autism Services Program
Telehealth

What We Cost
When a child is seen at one of our clinics, fees may be adjusted by using a sliding scale that takes into account the family size and income. We don't charge for helping the family organize the services that a child needs or for providing family support.

How Many We Serve
On average, CHSC annually provides direct clinical or care coordination services for 3,000-4,000 individual Iowa children. Because most of these children have complex conditions, on average they collectively receive over 10,000 visits from our CHSC service providers.