What do you see when you think of a child with serious, chronic, complicated illness or disability? A hospital room? Needles? IV's? Not if Dr. Anne Kelly and the U Special Kids team have anything to say about it. They help families keep their children where they belong. At home. In school. Going to church. In the community. It takes a lot of planning and a lot of coordination, but eating popcorn and watching TV at home on Friday night beats staying in the hospital room.
U Special Kids is based on the belief that by providing high quality, coordinated services children can achieve optimal health, that they
- can live with their families;
- will be sick less often;
- can avoid many hospitalizations.
U Special Kids staff respond quickly to problems identified by families. They also coordinate care with University specialists, community health care providers, families and others who care for the child. More frequently, they help families with common day-to-day problems that relate to prescription refills, minor illnesses, mental health issues, or questions from home care nurses, school nurses, or insurance companies.
In addition, U Special Kids staff provide communication that:
- Links families to community resources;
- Identifies and supports primary physicians in the family's home community;
- Serves as a resource for technology-dependent children;
- Provides a central information source on services and resources for children with special needs.
Who are our children:
- Four or more medical problems;
- Multiple specialists;
- Technology Dependent;
- Require complex medical therapies/treatments;
- Have had many hospitalizations
U special Kids has served over 100 children, and the number of emergency room visits and the number of days these children spend in hospitals has been significantly reduced. The quality of care and health of the children have improved significantly and family stress has been greatly reduced.
Research
By collaborating on grants and research projects, program staff are able to inform policy makers and professionals about how to develop more effective models of care for children who have complex chronic illnesses. There is significant interest in the impact of cost saving strategies on the health care of children with chronic conditions. Our research is focused on care management models for children with complex chronic conditions and their impact on costs and quality; information organization; reducing clinical provider burnout; and family-centered care.
Staff
Contact Us
U Special Kids Program
Department of Pediatrics
University of Minnesota
717 Delaware Street SE, 3rd Floor
Minneapolis, MN 55414-2959
Phone: (612) 626-3081
Toll-Free: (800) 276-8642
TTY: (612) 624-3939
Fax: (612) 624-0997
E-mail: uspclkid@umn.edu
Links
The Sibling Support Project
Minnesota Children with Special Health Needs
ARCH Respite Locator Service
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