Access to Health Care

The Early Periodic Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment (EPSDT) Program (http://www.hrsa.gov/epsdt/default.htm)
This website provides information about how Medicaid's EPSDT program works with public health, families, managed care organizations, pediatricians, and other health professionals to finance appropriate and necessary pediatric services. Information about the role of MCH programs in fulfilling the potential of EPSDT, family support strategies, data monitoring, and policy and legislative issues is also included.

Reaching Children: Building Systems of Care (www.aap.org/commpeds/schip/index.html)
This AAP program, supported by the Maternal and Children Health Bureau, funded 14 partnership initiatives in 2001 and 2002. These initiatives provided distinct examples of ways pediatricians can successfully reach uninsured families. Projects focused on improving enrollment of uninsured children within their communities and educating health care professionals regarding State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) eligibility, outreach, and enrollment. Projects aimed to improve access to medical homes for SCHIP-eligible children through increased provider knowledge and participation.

Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (www.cbpp.org)
One of the leading organizations in the country working on fiscal policy issues and issues affecting families and individuals with low and moderate incomes. The center specializes in research and analysis oriented toward policy decisions that policy makers face at federal and state levels.

The Children's Defense Fund (www.childrensdefense.org)
The mission of the Children's Defense Fund is to Leave No Child Behind® and to ensure every child a healthy start, a head start, a fair start, a safe start, and a moral start in life and successful passage to adulthood with the help of caring families and communities.

Children's Health Insurance Program (www.cms.hhs.gov/home/schip.asp)
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) created this informational website on the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). This site is intended to provide materials of interest to various audiences regarding the passage of SCHIP, also known as Title XXI, as part of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997.

Child Welfare League of America (www.cwla.org)
The Child Welfare League of America is the nation's oldest and largest membership-based child welfare organization. They are committed to engaging people everywhere in promoting the well-being of children, youth, and their families, and protecting every child from harm.

Covering Kids: (www.coveringkids.org)
Covering Kids & Families works to reduce the number of uninsured children and adults who are eligible for public health care coverage programs but are not enrolled. CKF operates through statewide projects in 45 states and the District of Columbia and more than 140 local community projects.

Commonwealth Fund's Assuring Better Child Health and Development (ABCD) (www.nashp.org/_catdisp_page.cfm?LID=2A78988D-5310-11D6-BCF000A0CC558925)
The ABCD Program is funded by the Commonwealth Fund, administered by National Academy for State Health Policy, and designed to assist states in improving the delivery of early child development services for low-income children and their families. The second phase of the ABCD initiative, which began in January 2004, focuses on young children's healthy mental development. Under ABCD II, five states-California, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, and Utah-will develop models of service delivery and financing that promote healthy mental development of young children under age 5. This Web site offers tools and resources, as well as lessons learned from phrase one of the ABCD initiative.

Communities Joined in Action: 100% Access; 0 Disparities (www.cjaonline.net/main.html)
Communities Joined in Action is one of the first efforts launched by Community Health Leadership Network to revolutionize health care from the ground up. This network recruits communities who are working to achieve better health for more people at less cost. Communities Joined In Action across America promotes using proven strategies to achieve better health for more people at less cost. Technical resources are available on their Web site.

Families USA (www.familiesusa.org)
Families USA is a national nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to the achievement of high-quality, affordable health and long-term care for all Americans.

Family Voices (www.familyvoices.org/SCHIP/home.htm)
The Family Voices in SCHIP Implementation Project has developed annual state SCHIP Profiles of information for all the states, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, and Washington D.C.

Access to Care, Medicaid, and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) (www.aap.org/advocacy/staccess.htm)
This page provides AAP chapters with the tools to strengthen access for kids in state capitals. The Academy's Medicaid Policy Statement and information concerning Medicaid and SCHIP are provided.

The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation (www.kff.org)
This foundation provides funding for and information on programs and health policy related to child health, including SCHIP.

Insure Kids Now! (www.insurekidsnow.gov)
This government site containing links to individual state programs, is for use primarily by parents.

National Association of Children's Hospitals and Related Institutions (NACHRI) (www.childrenshospitals.net)
The National Association of Children's Hospitals and Related Institutions is an organization of children's hospitals with 169 members in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico. NACHRI promotes the health and well-being of all children and their families through support of children's hospitals and health systems that are committed to excellence in providing health care to children. NACHRI works to ensure all children's access to health care and children's hospitals' continuing ability to provide services needed by children. Children's hospitals work to ensure the health of all children through clinical care, research, training and advocacy.

National Alliance for Hispanic Health (www.hispanichealth.org)
The National Alliance for Hispanic Health (the Alliance) is the Nation's oldest and largest network of Hispanic health and human services providers. Alliance members deliver quality services to over 12 million persons annually.

National Center for Farmworker Health (www.ncfh.org/00_nde_schip.php)
The National Center for Farmworker Health, Inc. is a private, not-for-profit corporation located in Buda, Texas whose mission is "to improve the health status of farmworker families through appropriate application of human, technical, and information resources."

National Health Law Program (NHeLP) (www.healthlaw.org)
The NHeLP is a national public interest law firm that seeks to improve health care for America's working and unemployed populations that are poor, minorities, the elderly and people with disabilities. NHeLP serves legal services programs, community-based organizations, the private bar, providers, and individuals who work to preserve a health care safety net for the millions of uninsured or underinsured low-income people.

National Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies (www.hmhb.org)
The mission of the National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition is to improve the health and safety of mothers, babies, and families through education and collaborative partnerships of public and private organizations.

National Mental Health Association (www.nmha.org/state/schip/index.cfm)
The National Mental Health Association has organized and educated Mental Health Associations so that they can take the lead in advocating for mental health as SCHIP is currently being implemented in the states.

Public Education Network (PEN) (www.publiceducation.org/lefs.asp)
PEN is a national association of local education funds (LEFs) and individuals working to advance public school reform in low-income communities across our country. PEN works through community partners to create and sustain changes in comprehensive support systems for children and families.

State Coverage Initiatives, State Reports (www.statecoverage.net/reportsearch/index.cfm)
Searchable Web site for obtaining reports written by states about their coverage programs and expansion strategies.

State Health Facts Online (www.statehealthfacts.kff.org)
This new resource contains the latest state-level data on demographics, health, and health policy, including health coverage, access, financing, and state legislation. This program is funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB).

Volunteers in Health Care: (www.volunteersinhealthcare.org/home.htm)
Volunteers in Health Care is a nationwide, non-profit program established in 1997 as a resource for health care providers looking to organize or expand volunteer-led medical and dental services for the uninsured in their communities.