Advocacy and Benefits Counseling (ABC) for Health is a Wisconsin-based nonprofit public interest law firm dedicated to ensuring health care access for children and families, particularly those wth special needs or who are at risk. ABC for Health's mission is to provide health care consumers with the information, advocacy tools, legal service, and expert support they need to navigate through the complex and often confusing health care financing system.
Referrals from the Regional Center for CYSHCN may help you get connected to ABC for Health if you are having any health care coverage issues.
Family Voices of Wisconsin is a statewide non-profit organization focused on supporting the voice of families in decision-making, leadership and systems change roles. Family Voices provides information, training, and support around health care and community services to families and supports essential partnerships between families and professionals. Family Voices training series "Did You Know? Now You Know!" is offered statewide. Visit Family Voices of Wisconsin.
Parent to Parent of Wisconsin provides one-to-one connections for parents new to having a child with special needs, experiencing a time of stress or simply seeking support, resources and information with another parent who has been there. If you wish to learn more about this service for yourself or others contact us at the Northern Regional Center or check out the Parent to Parent website.
Wisconsin First Step is a statewide Information and Referral (I&R) hotline that serves families with children who have special health care needs and the professionals that work with them. Wisconsin First Step has two components. It serves as the Central Directory for Wisconsin's Birth to 3 Program which provides supports and services to the parents and caregivers of infants and toddlers with developmental disabilities. Another component is the I&R hotline where parent specialists provide supportive listening and referrals to disability related resource as close to the child's home community as possible. Call the toll free hotline number at 1-800-642-7837 OR visit the database of disability-related resources.
The Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Council's Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs Project is a program that assists in providing information, resources, professional support, advocacy, parent training/education, social service coordination and assistance in resolving specific concerns or needs regarding a child's disability to Native American families in Tribal communities in Wisconsin. The goal of the project is for each Native American child with a special health care need to obtain culturally appropriate heatlh care service coordination. Coordination of services includes early identification, complete developmental and medical assessment and access to primary health care services.