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Evaluation ViewAttendees 27

Advocacy

Children with Chronic Conditions

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Health Equity/Social Determinants of Health

Public Health

Quality Improvement/Patient Safety

School and Community Health
Session Type: APA SIG

APA SIG: Complex Care & Disability | Access to Home & Community Based Services: Challenges and Advocacy Opportunities

Sunday, April 27, 2025
10:45am – 12:15pm HST
Location: Convention Center: 321
CE: 1.5

    SIG Chair(s)

  • Emily Goodwin, MD (she/her/hers)

    Associate Professor or Pediatrics
    General Academic Pediatrics
    Children's Mercy Kansas City
    Kansas City, Missouri, United States

  • Meg Comeau, MHA (she/her/hers)

    Senior Project Director/Principal Investigator
    Boston University School of Social Work
    Milton, Delaware, United States

  • Kathleen Huth, MD MMSc

    Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
    Pediatrics
    Boston Children's Hospital / Harvard Medical School
    Boston, Massachusetts, United States

Disclosure(s):
Emily J. Goodwin, MD: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.
Meg Comeau, MHA: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.
Kathleen Huth, MD MMSc: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.

This session is for the APA Complex Care and Disability Special Interest Group. This session will highlight the implications of current deficits in home healthcare for children with medical complexity and disabilities as well as opportunities for advocacy.

Children with medical complexity and disabilities require a substantial amount of medical care and support to life at home. However, there is a national shortage of pediatric home health care providers. Additionally, states vary widely in eligibility requirements, hour allocation approaches, quality, and oversight. Access to these services is essential for ensuring medically safe care in the community as afforded under the law.

We will discuss recommendations including from this Issue Brief: “Coleman C, Grusin S, Foster C. Providing Equitable Medical Care for Children at Home: Federal Law and State Policy. 05/14/2024. https://lpfch.org/resource/providing-equitable-medical-care-for-children-at-home-federal-law-and-state-policy/

Participants will have the opportunity to identify actionable opportunities for advocacy within our health systems and states.

We will also hold a small business meeting.

Learning Objectives:

  • List the American laws from the 20th Century which guarantee access to healthcare to children with disabilities or medical complexity outside of institutions, like hospitals.
  • Describe the current deficits in home healthcare provision for children, including its inequitable and negative impacts on children and families.
  • Identify opportunities to advocate for access to high quality pediatric home health care in meaningful partnership with families

Presentations:

  • 10:45am – 11:30am HST
    Overview of Pediatric Homehealth Federal Law and State Policies and Impact on Families

    SIG Speaker: Cara L. Coleman, JD, MPH (she/her/hers) – UVA School of Medicine INOVA Campus

  • 11:30am – 12:15pm HST
    Recommendations for Advancing Pediatric Home Health Care Policy and Home Health Safety Interventions

    SIG Speaker: Carolyn C. Foster, MD, MS (she/her/hers) – Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago