Special Children, Special Care — Medical Home

Columbia, SC, 2002

Sherry Fields daughter, Amanda, born twelve years ago with spina bifida, has endured 62 hospitalizations and 34 surgical procedures. Sherry has been a literal "super mom" to Amanda, serving as a powerful advocate successful in navigating an incredibly complex health care system.

Amanda is one of 360,000+ South Carolina children with special health care needs ranging from chronic illnesses like diabetes to birth defects like spina bifida and mental retardation. Sadly, Sherry's experience in finding comprehensive care isn't shared by many of these vulnerable families, often overwhelmed by complex 24/7 care and spiraling medical costs.

South Carolina Educational Television is producing a multi-tiered project focused on educating and increasing community engagement to improve access, care and health outcomes for children with special health care needs. Project components include statewide distribution of one-hour documentary highlighting problems and solutions with comments from the Governor and state legislative leadership This program has been broadcast twice and rebroadcast on SCETV's digital satellite network. It is a component of a satellite training class offering continuing education credits to health professional statewide and featuring the President of the SC Academy of Pediatrics. This video will be also used in a special University of South Carolina School of Medicine Pediatric Grand Rounds, broadcast statewide on SCETV digital satellite network. Our partner, Family Connections, and our other partners listed below will be using the video as they speak to parent groups and medical conferences. A viewer's guide has been developed to accompany the documentary providing additional information and resources available to special needs children. The copy of the documentary and viewer guide is being be distributed to all SC public library branch extending the reach of the project.

SCETV's four regional stations have produced 30-minute programs that were broadcast at 5:30 pm prior to the 8 pm statewide documentary. These programs told local stories of children and health resources in those communities. The streamed documentary, along with an array of additional print materials are available at the project website.

Mailings have included all SC school nurses, pediatricians, family practice physicians and thousands of families with special needs children. Other partners include representatives of the state's health and Medicaid agencies, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and Family Connection of S. C. These representatives and others comprise an active State Medical Home Team working to promote comprehensive, coordinated health care for CSHCN. As incoming president of the state's AAP chapter, team member Dr. Rob Walker vows to "reach virtually every health care provider and thousands of community decision makers and families of children with special health care needs with powerful information crafted to improve life for the state's most vulnerable children."

Contact Information

South Carolina ETV
Carolyn Holderman, Director of Higher/Medical Education
Tel: 803-737-3447

State Medical Home Team
Betsy Wolff, Coordinator
Tel: 803-782-0238

Family Connection of South Carolina
Connie Ginsberg, Executive Director
Tel: 803-252-0914

Awards:

South Carolina ETV Round Three
$36,238 to improve access, care and health outcomes for the children with special health care needs and encourage the medical home concept
— South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services