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Special Projects

• Children’s Mental Health Initiative
  CHSC is co-leading, along with the Iowa Department of Human Services, a new project in northeast Iowa to improve services for children with and at-risk for behavioral and mental health problems.  Strong family advocacy characterizes the multidisciplinary team approach to services.  The project evaluation will study improvements for children and families, as well as for the wider service system.  The six-year project, supported by both federal and state funds, will develop a family-driven, culturally competent, integrated system of care.  The system aspires to be a replicable community-based service model for all Iowa children with mental health problems, chronic illnesses, or developmental disabilities.
  
• Health and Disease Managment
  CHSC’s Health and Disease Management (HDM) team of nurses and parent consultants specializes in supporting families and organizing services.  Care coordination enables children with special health care needs to remain at home and participate in family and community activities.  The HDM team helps families access Medicaid waiver services, as well as other needed health, education, and human services.  The core philosophical approach of HDM is always family-centered, community-based, coordinated, and collaborative.
  
• Iowa Child and Family Household Health Survey
  The Iowa Child and Family Household Health Survey is a population-based survey that was given to approximately 3,600 Iowa families, including families of children with special health care needs, in 2000 and again in 2005.  Information from the survey helps CHSC and the Bureau of Family Health rationally plan services to meet the needs of Iowa families.
  
• Iowa Medical Home Initiative
  The Iowa Medical Home Initiative is an effort to improve care for children with special health care needs.  A medical home should be where a child with special health care needs receives primary and preventive care services.  Other needed specialty and health-related services should be coordinated by the medical home.  Medical homes are usually based in communities in the offices of pediatricians or family physicians.  Medical homes emphasize strong partnerships between physicians and families.
  
• Service Coordination for Early ACCESS
  CHSC provides service coordination for selected children 0-3 years old with special health care needs enrolled in Early ACCESS, Iowa’s early intervention program.  CHSC parent consultants must successfully complete a training program to become approved Early ACCESS service coordinators.  CHSC service coordinators assure that young children with health conditions causing or likely to cause developmental delay receive a range of needed community-based services.  The overall goal is to improve a child’s functioning to a level comparable with his or her same-aged peers.