Division of Children with Special Needs

The mission of the Division of Children with Special Needs (DOCSN) is to improve the system of care for Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs (CYSHCN) by connecting them to a medical home. Staff of the DOCSN work with federal agencies, state governments, professional organizations, and local communities to develop strategies and policies that lead to improvements in the care of CYSHCN. The division is also home to the Council on Children with Disabilities (COCWD).

The DOCSN manages several grants that help to fulfill this mission.

• The National Center of Medical Home Initiatives for Children with Special Needs is a cooperative agreement between the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and the Academy.
  (www.medicalhomeinfo.org/index.html)
  
  The National Center works to ensure that CYSHCN have access to a medical home by:
  • Developing educational and advocacy materials that address barriers to medical homes for CYSHCN and improve the ability of pediatric health care professionals to overcome these barriers
  • Convening national workgroups to respond to policies and issue recommendations that benefit CYSHCN
  • Creating and disseminating evaluation tools that assess outcomes
  • Establishing and supporting a national contact network
    
    
• The Medical Home Screening and Surveillance Program is a cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
  (www.medicalhomeinfo.org/screening/index.html)
  
  The program is designed to improve care for children with birth defects and developmental disabilities in medical homes, and to better integrate screening programs and activities in medical homes.
  
  
• The Every Child Deserves a Medical Home training program is funded through a grant from Shriners Hospitals for Children.
  (www.medicalhomeinfo.org/training/index.html)
  
  The program is designed for primary care physicians, pediatric office staff, child health advocates, allied health care professionals, and parents of CYSHCN. Practical strategies are set forth in the medical home training program with the expectation that participants will use them to provide medical homes for CYSHCN.