Bob Moore, MA, Department of Community Pediatrics, Division of Community-Based Initiatives, 141 Northwest Point Blvd, Elk Grove Village, IL 60007, 847/434-4080, bmoore@aap.org

A 2002 national survey concluded that 13% of children have special health care need(s). With the current pediatric system being designed for the 80% of children without a special health care need, as well as to be a single-service encounter for prevention service or management of acute illness, the current care chasm for children with special health care needs is evident. Medical home is a quality approach to providing comprehensive, coordinated, family-centered care, and identifies the community as an essential partner in providing quality care. As public health professionals assume contributing positions in enabling systems to support medical homes in communities, their knowledge and efforts towards the medical home concept are crucial for its provision. Increasing public health professionals’ awareness as a natural partner in providing comprehensive pediatric care is critical to the success of the medical home initiative. For this reason, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)/ National Center for Medical Home Initiatives proposes to offer “Developing medical homes in your community: The public health professional's role” at the 2004 American Public Health Association Conference. The goal of the presentation is three-fold: to educate public health professionals about the medical home concept, suggest collaborative strategies for them to foster medical and community partnerships, and identify CATCH program as a readily available resource to lend financial assistance for such community partnerships' development.

HRSA/MCHB, CDC, NHCS. The National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs. 2002. The Medical Home. Policy statement of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Pediatrics. 2002: 110:1. Cooley WC. Developing Primary Care Models for CSHCN. Presented at: Institute for State Leaders in Title V CSHCN Programs; May 19, 2003; Baltimore, MD.

Learning Objectives:

• - Define the concept of medical home
• - Understand public health professional's role in creating and sustaining medical homes
• - Identify collaboration strategies to enable creation of medical homes in a specific community
• - Understand how the CATCH program can be a vehicle to facilitate community partnerships

Keywords: Community Collaboration, Community-Based Health Care

Related Web page: www.medicalhomeinfo.org

Presenting author's disclosure statement: