FND Family Star Program refunded to support families of children with special health care needs

Family Star is here to stay.

Family Network on Disabilities is proud to announce our Family Star program has been refunded for another 4 years to continue to serve families who have kids with special needs focused on the health care issues.

FND is the Family Voices chapter here in Florida, if you would like to see other chapters please visit Family Voices website.

FND Family Star has been serving families state wide for the past 3 years and is excited to keep the movement going. If you have any questions about the health care system for your child with special needs please contact our Family Star program at Phone (727) 523-1130 / (800) 825-5736.

Please see the press release below. 

Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act funds support Family-to-Family Health Information Centers in all 50 states and District of Columbia

“Family-to-Family Health Information Centers served nearly one million families of children with special health care needs last year alone,” said HRSA Acting Administrator Jim Macrae. “Ninety-six percent of the families the centers served reported they were key in helping families find and navigate additional community resources and care for their children.”

The state-wide centers are staffed by trained family leaders who themselves have children with special health care needs, such as cerebral palsy, cystic fibrosis, autism, developmental delay, and other health chronic conditions, and are linked to health professionals providing care. Centers provide education, training, peer support, and expertise in navigating federal, state and local public and private health care systems for families of children and youth with special health care needs.

“In addition to providing needed support for families, last year approximately 400,000 physicians, nurses, and other health professionals tapped centers’ resources, making information regarding the needs of these children more widely available than ever before,” said HRSA Associate Administrator for the Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Michael Lu, MD, MPH.

Since the program’s inception in 2005, Family-to-Family Health Information Centers have served millions of families and health professionals nationwide. This latest round of funding supports 51 centers in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, with approximately $95,700 awarded to each center.