A major goal of the MCHB Division of Services for Children with Special Health Needs (DSCSHCN) is to assure that all youth with special health care needs receive the services necessary to transition to all aspects of adulthood, including adult health care, employment and independence.

With the emergence of the Healthy and Ready to Work Initiative of the Maternal and Child Health Bureau in 1996, the concept of health and transition became a prominent movement. The move to make health a part of transition planning for youth with special health needs and disabilities became a national concept.

HRTW Projects Phases I and II - From 1996-2001, nine demonstration grant projects were funded under the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Special Programs of Regional and National Significance (SPRANS) HRTW Projects Phase I. Since 2001, five HRTW Phase II Projects (5) have been funded as model state demonstration programs. HRTW Projects Phase II

Making A Difference: HRTW Projects Phase I Learned………..

• Many youth with special health care needs (YSHCN) have no experience managing their own health care, making medical appointments or even discussing the specifics of their medical conditions;


• Many YSHCN want education and employment opportunities, but feel the adults around them either have extremely low expectations of their abilities and future prospects, or present barriers to attaining a degree of independence that would be considered normal for a young adult without special health care needs;


• In some cases families are unaware of the existence of programs and resources that could help;


• Pediatric and adult health care professionals often do not communicate, much less collaborate, to achieve a successful transition of care from one to the other as the children mature;


• Typically, the health care system does not interact with the education, rehabilitation or insurance systems in planning or facilitating transition.