Family Voices Indiana

Register for Regional meetings - Join the discussion Indiana Association of United Ways  and  Indiana Coalition for Human Services are planning regional meetings with human services providers. In these sessions, we will  provide updates and Q&A about the Statehouse, including how the budget and certain policies affect human services;  discuss important issues on the horizon for human services, including philosophical debates about welfare reform, drug testing, best practice responses on the HIV crisis; and  provide information about and opportunities to get involved. Our schedule includes: May 19  -  New Albany  at YMCA of Southern Indiana, 8-10amET - NOTE POSTPONED, with rescheduled date to be announced May 27  -  Evansville  at United Way, 8-10amCT  May 27  -  Terre Haute  at YMCA, 1-3pmET  May 28  -  Ft. Wayne  at Brightpoint (formerly known as CANI),  11:30am -1:30pmET June 3  -   Merrillville  (Lake County) at Centier Bank, 8-10amCT June 3  -  V

Family Voices Indiana is pleased to announce that we have been awarded a grant to continue as the Family to Family Health Information Center for Indiana. The grant is administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Division of Services for Children with Special Health Needs.  Family-to-Family Health Information Centers (F2F HICs) are family-staffed organizations that assist families of children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN) and the professionals who serve them. F2F HICs provide support, information, resources, and training around health issues. F2F HICs are uniquely able to help families because  they are staffed by family members who have first-hand experience navigating the maze of health care services and programs for CYSHCN .  This intimate understanding of the issues that families face make F2F staff exceptionally qualified to help families navigate health

by Lauren Agoratus The term “health disparities” means that there are differences in health outcomes for various populations, such as by race, ethnicity, gender, or socio-economic status.  Children and adults with disabilities, especially those from underserved communities, may have worse health results than others.  Some of these unfavorable outcomes could be prevented.  This piece examines how to improve outcomes for diverse individuals with disabilities and how the ACA (Affordable Care Act) can facilitate this. People with Disabilities and Health Disparities A recent article in the American Journal of Public Health titled “Persons with Disabilities as an Unrecognized Health Disparity Population [i] ” reported on “population-level differences in health outcomes that are related to a history of wide-ranging disadvantages, which are avoidable and not primarily caused by the underlying disability.”  Key recommendations included: Improving access to health care Collecting mo