Family-to-Family Health Information Center

“Strengthening collaboration between families and physicians greatly enhances the care of all patients, especially children with special health care needs. This center is a catalyst for this collaboration and hence improved care of children.”

- Jeff Schiff, M.D. MBA, Medical Director, Minnesota Health Care Programs. Emergency Physician, Children’s Hospitals and Clinics

It’s not too late to vaccinate for this year’s flu season.

Go to the Minnesota Department of Health web site to search by your ZIP code to find a flu shot clinic near you.

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text “Health” to 51555 to get started.

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PACER Center’s Dental & Medical Advisory Board Members

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Conozca las preguntas (Know the questions), a new Spanish-language website of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), offers Spanish-speaking patients tips to improve their communication with their medical providers.

You can text: Preguntas to 80676 for their mobile information.

Translated Overview Information with Audio files

Hmong

Nov yog qhov piav ua lus Hmoob me ntsis hais txog qhov chaw qhia cov xov hais txog kev noj qab haus huv rau tsev neeg. Koj muaj cuab kav nyem ntawm no thiab mloog cov lus.

Somali

Xaruntan Akhbaarada iyo amuuraha la xiriira Caafimaadka oo ay Qoysku wadaagaan, ee gobolka Minnesota, (Familily-to-Family Health Information Center). Waa barnaamij ka mid ah barnaamijyada Hey’adda PACER, oo ka caawinaya qoyska habka loola shaqeeya amuuraha la xiriira caafimaadka, ceymiska iyo dhaqaatiirta. Waana waxqabad lacag la’aan ah.Fadlan halkan riix si aad fahfaahin siyaado ah u dhageysato

Spanish

El Centro de Información de Salud de Familia a Familia (Family-to-Family Health Information Center) es un Programa dentro de PACER Center que ayuda a las familias a navegar a través de sistemas de salud, seguros y trabajando con los doctores. Es un servicio gratuito para todas las familias. Por favor haga un click para obtener información en audio.

Overview

PACER’s Family-to-Family Health Information Center (F2F HIC) provides a central source for families of children and young adults with special health care needs and disabilities to obtain support, advocacy, and information about the health care system. Children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN) are those who have or are at risk for chronic physical, developmental, behavioral, or emotional conditions that require health and related services of a type or amount beyond that required by children generally. PACER promotes family-centered care and family and professional collaboration at all levels of health care. The F2F HIC also has a strong commitment to promote and support the needs of families from racially, culturally, and linguistically diverse communities.

The Center provides information to help families about:

Working effectively with doctors and other health care professionals and providers
Developing a family-centered care plan
Acquiring advocacy skills to use within the health care system
Developing health care summaries and plans for emergencies, home, and school
Health insurance—both public and private
Medical Assistance, TEFRA, parental fees, Waivers, Consumer Directed Community Supports (CDCS), and grants
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) through Social Security
Appeals process for insurance and government assistance programs

Project Services:

Individual help by telephone and face-to-face meetings
Family workshop training for health care advocacy, negotiation, strengthening relationships, and navigating managed care
Collaboration with community health care professionals to provide training and information about family-centered care
Collaboration with state and local agencies to provide family-centered systems of care for children and youth with special health care needs
Newsletter about health care issues, recent legislation, and health resources
Links with parent-to-parent support programs
Online resources

Why is family involvement in the health system important?

Teamwork and collaboration among families and professionals are essential to provide quality care for an individual child or a young adult for the health system in general to run more efficiently as a whole.
Parents, doctors, personal care attendants, and other professionals act as part of a team by contributing their own unique expertise and knowledge.
Team members work together as colleagues. Recommendations from each team member are equally valued.
While professionals can provide support and expertise, families have the ultimate responsibility of coordinating all the roles of a team, acting as caregivers, advocates, and decision makers. The expertise that families bring to systems of care is as vital as that of other team members.
Each family has its own values, and family members are best able to understand the needs of their child. Contributions from other team members help a family make informed decisions that are in the best interest of their child.

For more information about the Family-to-Family Health Information Center, please contact Wendy Ringer: (952)838-9000 Voice; (952)838-0190 TTY.

MyCare - an initiative to educate Americans about programs, benefits, and rights under the new Federal health care law.

Tracy's story: http://www.healthcare.gov/blog/2012/04/mycare_tracy.html

This Family-to-Family Health Information Center project is funded in part through grant H84MC00005-09-00, administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Division of Services for Children with Special Health Needs. This grant program was established by the Family Opportunity Act of 2005, amended by the Patient Protection and Affordable Act of 2010.

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