Hi All,

With the Public Health funds in Maine funded an enhanced care coordinator at a developmental pediatric clinic.  We found a HUGE systemic gap.  When a young child is identified with a Developmental Disability the family is handed a long list of recommendations.  You know how critical early intervention systems.  Then the parent is on their own to contact, connect, and navigate the Medicaid enrollment system so they can get targeted case management, many various health systems, and the IDEA system.  They are alone for quite some time and, frankly, many kids and families fall into that void until very bad stuff happens until the child reaches public school and needs a much higher level of services because of time lost.  This enhanced care coordinator has prevented that for hundreds of children.  I am working with MaineCare to open up codes for transition care coordination.  It doesn’t exist in Maine yet and this takes a long time to systemically get there.

In the meantime, the public health funds are ending.   I don’t want to lose this professional. As a result of these funds the State is looking to fill this gap across the State.  I emailed Sara Newell-Perez and she suggested that I reach out to you folks to see if you have extra funds.  We need bridge funding and I am looking everywhere for it.  I need 50-100K.  100K is what we need for another year.  But I am pushing the State to pony some money – but that will take 6 months.  So 50K would buy some time.

Anything extra PH money that I could spend?

Nancy

Nancy Cronin

Executive Director

Maine Developmental Disabilities Council