The Division of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics (DDBP) is looking for individuals to join the Family Advisory Council (FAC). The goal of the group is to discuss ways families and professionals can improve the patient experience within DDBP.

More information

Contact the DDBP Family Support Team for more information about the FAC, to get an application, and to return your application by March 30th.

Learn more about what Family-to-Family Health Information Centers do, as well as some highlights from 2017. View the data brief here.

We are excited to share with you that our first transition booster session of 2018 will take place on:

Tuesday, March 13, 2018 from 6:00pm to 8:00pm at the Medical Office Building (MOB, 3430 Burnet Ave) at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC)

Our expert speakers, Patrick Wong and Sharon Rieke from State Support Team 13, Hamilton County Educational Service Center will, talk about how to best prepare for transition IEPs in schools. This session is geared toward parents/caregivers of youth and young adults with developmental disabilities, complex medical and/or behavioral needs and/or chronic health conditions.

Learn more here
Register here

This article is written by Lauren Agoratus, M.A. whose daughter Stephanie has five life-threatening illnesses, plus autism. Lauren serves as the Coordinator for Family Voices – NJ and as the central/southern coordinator in her state’s Family-to-Family Health Information Center.

View the article here

Family Voices is a family-led, nonprofit organization, working to keep families at the center of children’s health care. Since forming Family Voices in 1992, families of children and youth with special health care needs have built a highly respected diverse national grassroots network of family and youth leaders focused on improving healthcare services and policies. The network of Family Voices State Affiliate Organizations (SAOs) and Family-to-Family Health Information Centers (F2Fs) in every state and DC provide information, assistance, and support to other families of children and youth with a range of special health care needs and/or disabilities and work closely with professionals to improve care. Their work and accomplishments are varied and extensive and can be found here.

This survey asks questions related to special education from parents’ point of view. The purpose of this research project is to help to better serve families who have children with special needs in school. The end goal is to inform schools about the needs/wants of students and families in the areas of communication, access to information about special education, thoughts on inclusion, and implementation of parent support groups/educational seminars if wanted/needed.

Should you choose to participate, you may opt to be entered into a raffle for a $50 Amazon gift card (two gift cards will be sent out in May, when the study is complete). When you click the link below you will be taken to an introduction that explains the study in more depth and requests your consent to participate. Thank you for your help with this important project.

Take the survey here.

Monday, January 29
10:00am – 12:00pm
Independence Public Library, 6361 Selig Drive, Independence, OH 44131
RSVP to erin.hinkel@yahoo.com
More Information

The Ohio Family to Family Heath Information Center (Ohio F2F: www.ohiof2f.org) needs your help!

If you are a professional who serves or if you are a family member of someone between 0-26 years of age who has a special healthcare need, a (complex) medical condition or (developmental) disability, then we would like to hear from you!  

As the Ohio F2F team is planning for the next four years of our work in Ohio to support families in navigating the healthcare and health insurance systems to achieve optimal care for children with healthcare needs, we would like to get your input on what you think is missing in supporting families of children and youth with special healthcare needs, complex medical conditions and developmental disabilities to receive optimal care and live healthy, safe, happy and productive lives in the community.

The survey should not take more than 10-15 minutes. You will answer all questions anonymously, which means that no one will know that you completed the survey and that no one will know what your specific answers were. All questions should be answered in relationship to the child/youth with special health care needs/ complex medical needs/developmental disabilities.

Take the survey here

The survey will close on Friday, December 29, 2017.

Thank you so much! We greatly appreciate your input!

More than 1 in 3 adults under age 65 enrolled in Medicaid have a disability. Medicaid provides essential medical care and supportive services that help many of these individuals remain in their homes and communities.

Radically changing Medicaid’s structure to a block grant or per capita cap, as in recent Republican proposals to repeal the Affordable Care Act, would threaten the essential services that people with disabilities rely on to maintain their health and independence.

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Senator has Led Efforts to Extend Funding for Program that Insures 209,000 Ohio Children

Tuesday, September 5, 2017

CLEVELAND, OH —Today, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) joined a northeast Ohio parent and Dr. Edward Barksdale, Chief of Pediatric Surgery at University Hospitals Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital, to call on Congress to reinvest in the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), known as Healthy Start in Ohio, as funding is set to expire at the end of this month. Brown is a member of the Senate Finance Committee, which has jurisdiction over CHIP.

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