Building community-based service systems for children with special needs: the Michigan Locally Based Services program

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Children with special health care needs (CSHCN) have a right to self-support and self-fulfillment.
• Existing programs historically supported CSHCN families with medical care and treatment payments.
• Families of CSHCN face diverse needs beyond medical care, requiring expanded support mechanisms.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the implementation and development of the Locally Based Services (LBS) program.
• To outline the LBS program's response to the unmet needs of CSHCN families.
• To present perspectives on the LBS program from state and local health departments.

Main Methods:

• Programmatic response to identified needs of CSHCN families.
• Focus on enhancing client identification and family assessment capabilities.
• Implementation of case management services at the local community level.

Main Results:

• The LBS program was developed to address a broader spectrum of CSHCN family needs.
• Increased capacity for client location and comprehensive family assessments.
• Provision of case management services to support families in their communities.

Conclusions:

• The LBS program represents a significant expansion of services for CSHCN families.
• The program aims to increase family self-support and self-fulfillment through holistic support.
• Collaboration between state and local health departments is crucial for program success.