The Robeson County Health Department and Lumberton Children’s Clinic recently coordinated an effort to share information and resources to benefit children in the area with specialhealth care needs.
At the “Lunch and Learn” event, Kathryn McDaniel, school nurse supervisor for Robeson County schools; April Oxendine, coordinator of the Innovative Approaches program; and Billena Richards, Carolina Access project manager and Innovative Approaches co-chair; joined Lumberton Children’s Clinic providers for a discussion about the role of school nurses and the need for coordination between each child’s medical home and the school system.
The Innovative Approaches Steering Committee is made up of health care providers, Health Department employees, parents, school nurses, educators and advocates whose goal is to make services more effective in Robeson County for the 10,000 children with special health care needs living in the area.
Special health care needs range from allergies to autism, cerebral palsy to Down syndrome and more. Through the Innovative Approaches Initiative, change is being affected at a systems level, whether by providing support and education for parents, or linking medical providers and the school system to better coordinate care for a child.
The initiative is using a grant from the Maternal and Child Health Bureau to increase access to community-based services; help families join in decision-making for the child’s optimal health; increase comprehensive care within a medical home; increase early screening for special health care needs; and to increase the percentage of youths with special health care needs who receive the services necessary to make appropriate transitions to adult health care, work and independence.
