Project Grant H8445664

FAMILY PROFESSIONAL PARTNERSHIP/CSHCN - ABSTRACT ECAC FOR HRSA 22-069 - FAMILY TO FAMILY HEALTH INFORMATION CENTER PROBLEM - THE CHALLENGES THAT NC FACES IN DEVELOPING AND IMPLEMENTING EFFECTIVE, FAMILY-CENTERED SYSTEMS OF CARE FOR CYSHCN, WHILE SIGNIFICANT, ARE NOT UNIQUE TO NC. THE MOST CITED CHALLENGES ARE FAILURE TO EXPAND MEDICAID, THE LONG WAIT LIST FOR MEDICAID WAIVERS, SOMETIMES UP TO 10 YEARS, ACCESS TO CARE, AND HEALTH CARE LITERACY. THESE CHALLENGES ARE NOT SHARED EQUALLY BY ALL POPULATIONS. SYSTEMIC RACISM PLAGUES NC FAMILIES OF COLOR. FOR EXAMPLE, CARE FOR CYSHCN IS OFTEN UNAVAILABLE OR INADEQUATE DUE TO RACIAL BIAS, SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS, OR GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION. GOALS/ OBJECTIVES- THE GOALS LISTED IN THE PROPOSAL ADDRESS THE 7 STATUTORY REQUIREMENTS FOR A F2F AND ARE INFUSED WITH THE VALUES OF 1) FAMILY-CENTERED, 2) CULTURALLY AND LINGUISTICALLY APPROPRIATE AND, 3) PROMOTE SHARED DECISION-MAKING BETWEEN FAMILIES OF CYSHCN, HEALTH PROFESSIONALS AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS. ALL OBJECTIVES ARE WRITTEN IN THE SMART METHOD - SPECIFIC, MEASURABLE, ATTAINABLE, TIMEBOUND. ALL BASELINE DATA WILL BE DETERMINED AFTER YEAR 1 WITH A 10% INCREASE BY 2027. GOAL 1 OF THE GRANT IS PROVIDE FAMILIES OF CYSHCN AND PROFESSIONALS INFORMATION, EDUCATION, SUPPORT, AND TRAINING TO IMPROVE HEALTH OUTCOMES; GOAL 2 WILL TRAIN FAMILIES OF CYSHCN FROM UNDERREPRESENTED AND DIVERSE COMMUNITIES TO PARTNER AT ALL LEVELS OF SHARED DECISION MAKING; AND, GOAL 3 PROVIDES INFORMATION AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS AND STATE AGENCIES REGARDING FAMILY ENGAGEMENT, FAMILY-CENTERED CARE, AND PARTNERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES, WITH A FOCUS ON INCREASING PROVIDER KNOWLEDGE IN PARTNERING WITH FAMILIES. THE RELATED OBJECTIVES OPERATIONALIZE THE GOALS TO ENSURE THAT THEY ARE EASILY TRACKED AND MEASURED. METHODOLOGY - THE WORKPLAN AND STAFFING PLAN ARE APPROPRIATE TO MEET THE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES. THE TEAM WORKING ON THE F2F IS DIVERSE AND THE F2F PROGRAM LEAD IS A FORMER FAMILY LIAISON FOR NC TITLE V. SHE COMES TO THIS WORK WITH A SOLID BACKGROUND IN SUPPORTING FAMILIES WITH CYSHCN AND COLLABORATING WITH PRACTITIONERS TO DEVELOP PARTNERSHIPS WITH FAMILIES FOR IMPROVED HEALTH OUTCOMES. THE STAFF INCLUDE THOSE FUNDED SOLELY BY THE F2F, WHILE OTHER STAFF ARE SHARED AMONG OTHER ECAC PROJECTS WITH NO STAFF EXCEEDING 100 % TIME. THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR SUPERVISES ALL WORK OF THE NC F2F. COORDINATION - ECAC'S 35-YEAR HISTORY AS NC'S PARENT TRAINING AND INFORMATION CENTER HAS RESULTED IN DECADES LONG PARTNERSHIPS WITH TITLE V, EARLY INTERVENTION, AND THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN DIVISION. OUR PARTNERSHIPS ON THE LOCAL LEVEL ARE EQUALLY BROAD AND DEEP. FOR THIS PROPOSAL, WE ARE PARTNERING WITH COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS THAT SERVE FAMILIES WITH CYSHCN. THIS ALLOWS FOR A STATEWIDE APPROACH WITH A 'LOCAL TOUCH.' THE CHALLENGES FACING FAMILIES WITH CYSHCN REQUIRES PARTNERSHIPS AMONG AND BETWEEN ALL LEVELS, PATIENT, PRACTITIONER, AND SYSTEM LEVELS. EVALUATION - STRONG EVALUATION PLANS AND PROCESS ALLOW FOR CONTINUOUS QUALITY IMPROVEMENT. ECAC USES SALESFORCE AS OUR DATA COLLECTION SYSTEM WHICH SUPPORTED BY A DATA MANAGER. QUARTERLY, THE INTERNAL EVALUATION TEAM ANALYZES THE DATA AGAINST THE GRANT TARGETS. QUARTERLY AND ANNUAL DATA REPORTS ARE SHARED INTERNALLY WITH THE STAFF AND BOARD, AND EXTERNALLY WITH PARTNERS AND POLICYMAKERS.