Office of Special Healthcare Needs

The Office of Special Healthcare Needs (the Office), ensures family-centered, community based, systems of services for children and youth with special healthcare needs through infrastructure building, training and technical assistance, and collaboration with families, other state agencies, heath plans, and community agencies.

The Office assures access to care through systems improvement as reflected in both the Healthy People 2010 Objectives, and the President’s New Freedom Initiative. Through these national initiatives, we are specifically charged with developing and implementing a plan to achieve appropriate community-based systems of services for children and youth with special healthcare needs and their families.

Components of the plan include:

• Family/professional partnership at all levels of decision-making.
• Access to comprehensive health and related services through the medical home.
• Early and continuous screening, evaluation and diagnosis.
• Adequate public and/or private financing of needed services.
• Organization of community services so that families can use them easily.
• Successful transition to all aspects of adult healthcare, work, and independence

HEALTH Information Line
1-800-942-7434