Health Resources and Services Administration
http://newsroom.hrsa.gov
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced $4.9 million in grants to continue support for 51 Family-to-Family Health Information Centers in each state and the District of Columbia.
Created in 2005, the centers are state-wide, family-run organizations that provide information, education, training, outreach, and peer support to families of children and youth with special health care needs and the professionals who serve them. Funding for the centers was extended through 2012 by the Affordable Care Act.
“These centers help families make more informed health care choices for their children leading to better treatment decisions and improved outcomes, “ said Secretary Sebelius.
The Family-to-Family Health Information Centers are staffed by family leaders with children having special health care needs, and who have expertise in federal and state public and private health care systems, as well as by health professionals.
“With these new funds, this program will become a model for effective collaboration between families and health care professionals,” said HRSA Administrator Mary Wakefield, Ph.D., R.N. “By joining forces, we can ensure that children with special health care needs get the best care and treatment available.”
Since its inception, Family-to-Family Health Information Centers have served hundreds of thousands of families and health care providers.
For more information on the program, and other HRSA maternal and child health programs, visit http://www.mchb.hrsa.gov/. See a List of awards.
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), part of the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, is the primary Federal agency for improving access to health care services for people who are uninsured, isolated, or medically vulnerable. For more information about HRSA and its programs, visit www.hrsa.gov.
Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other press materials are available at www.hhs.gov/news.
