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CARE COORDINATORS LINK IOWA KIDS TO HEALTH CARE
Kay Leeper RNC, MSN, Community Health Consultant,
Iowa University
Affiliated Program. The University of Iowa
Summer 1997
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Spanish speaking parents may find it difficult to contact
a doctor or service agency... Our interpreters help them make the call
and access medical care. Muscatine County Care Coordinator
We refer families to many community resources in addition
to medical providers ...sources of clothing, financial assistance, child
care, and transportation. Polk County Care Coordinator
Making an appointment is a long distance call for our
families. I make the necessary calls for them. Cerro Gordo County Care
Coordinator
I think simply having someone " in their corner" helps
a lot. Carroll County Care Coordinator
...a mother told me they were moving, and I reminded
her to get their immunization records before leaving. She was grateful...
it wasn't something she'd thought about. Plymouth County Care Coordinator
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Many families live from crisis to crisis, finding it difficult to deal
with everyday issues. The role of an EPSDT Care for Kids Care Coordinator
is to provide the support these families need in order to deal with the
important issue of health care for their children. A care coordinator
works with families to see that their children get good preventive health
services -- screening, diagnosis, and treatment.
- Care coordinators do this by:
- Linking families to appropriate community resources
- Assisting families to overcome barriers as they negotiate the health
care system
- Monitoring each child's progress through the system
- Enabling families to become more effective health care consumers
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EPSDT Care for Kids CARE
COORDINATORS |
COORDINATE SERVICES
FOR: |
| MediPass physicians, under special contract with DHS |
Their MediPass patients |
| Health maintenance organizations (HMOs) |
Their HMO enrollees |
| Local Department of Human Services staff |
Children in foster care Medically needy children with spend-down requirements
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| Department of Public Health (DPH) designated agencies |
All other EPSDT Care for Kids participants. A variety of public agencies
provide care coordination throughout Iowa; for the agency in your area,
see Insert Page 2, or call 1-800-383-3826.
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Who are Iowa's EPSDT Care for Kids care coordinators?
You can find the name and address of your EPSDT Care for Kids care coordinator
on Insert Page 1. In Iowa, care coordinators include:
A care coordinator will help a family to establish a medical "home" that they
can rely on for health care. To do this, the care coordinator helps a family
locate:
- Care providers for primary and supplemental EPSDT screenings, including
dental services
- Child care for the appointment day
- Sources of transportation
- Sources of translation services
- Other community services
Transportation
Transportation -- simply getting to an appointment -- is a real concern for
many families. For this reason, the EPSDT Care for Kids program helps families
find transportation services. Each community has developed solutions that tap
their local resources. Some work with local taxi companies, others use bus passes
or volunteer drivers. Whatever the method, local transportation can be arranged
through the designated agencies listed on Insert Page 1.
Out of town medical transportation is funded through the local Department of
Human Services office.
Care coordinators remind families when it is time for regular screenings.
They help families make and keep appointments. If a family misses an appointment,
the care coordinator follows-up with the family. Care coordinators also work
with other community agencies and organizations to coordinate the planning and
delivery of services to individual and families.
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