CKSN UPDATE for July 15, 2004 ABC for Health, Inc.


IN THIS ISSUE:

1. Case Tip: Mandated Benefits for Newborns
2. Grandparents Raising Grandchildren
3. Fire Safety and Children with Special Needs
4. Open House Celebration for Family Resource Center in Milwaukee
5. Articles of Interest in Wisconsin Family Ties Newsletter
6. Health Watch Contacts
7. Contact Us!
8. Where Will You Be on October 14?

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1. CASE TIP: MANDATED BENEFITS FOR NEWBORNS

Wisconsin state law mandates that a health insurance policy cover
newborn infants of an insured mother. This coverage is effective as
of the newborn’s date of birth. Coverage is subject to the
policy requirements on premiums and there usually is a notification
requirement that can be time-sensitive. Most importantly, the law
mandates that congenital defects and birth abnormalities be
considered an injury or sickness under the policy and that it cover
the “functional repair or restoration of any body part when
necessary to achieve normal body functioning” for newborns. It
is important to note that not all insurance policies are subject to
this Wisconsin law. A self-funded plan subject to federal law under
the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) does not follow
state law. If your child was born with a congenital defect or birth
abnormality and your insurance company refuses to pay for treatment
and services for your child to achieve normal functioning, contact
the Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance (OCI) at 1-800-
236-8517, or on the web at http://www.oci.wi.gov

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2. GRANDPARENTS RAISING GRANDCHILREN

According to the Census 2000, there are over 2.4 million grandparents
that are responsible for raising one or more of their grandchildren.
Grandparent-headed households can be found in every socioeconomic and
ethnic group in the U.S. FirstGov.gov has developed a new page that
provides resources for grandparents who are the primary caregivers
for their grandchildren. The "Grandparents Raising Grandchildren"
page features helpful topics such as:
-- Benefits and Assistance
-- Health & Safety Resources
-- State Resources
For more information, visit:
http://www.firstgov.gov/Topics/Grandparents.shtml

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3. FIRE SAFETY AND CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

All parents worry about fire safety around the house, but when your
child has special needs extra precautions may be needed.

For example, did you know that the impulsive nature of some children
with AD/HD may make them more likely to suffer injury due to certain
kinds of burns. An Indiana University analysis of 278 children who
were admitted to a pediatric burn center over the course of seven
years revealed that 13% of the burn victims had AD/HD.

The study, appearing in the March issue of the medical journal Burns,
showed that burn victims with AD/HD had more extensive burns and
stayed longer in the burn center than burn victims without AD/HD. The
AD/HD victims were also much more likely to have thermal rather than
flame burns, which suggests that they waited longer to get out of a
dangerous situation involving high heat.

Here are some resources to make sure your family is never caught
unprepared:

1. A fire safety factsheet/checklist for people with special needs
http://www.usfa.fema.gov/public/factsheets/fswy23.shtm

2. Fire Safety for the Deaf or Hard of Hearing
http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=20758

3. Special Needs Safety Tips
http://www.safekids.org/tier2_rl.cfm?folder_id=2020

4. PDF Download - Fire Safety in the Home
http://www.ideallives.com/downloads.php?a=cat&cid=4
(Source: Ideal Lives Inclusion and Advocacy Center)

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4. OPEN HOUSE CELEBRATION FOR FAMILY RESOURCE CENTER IN MILWAUKEE

You are invited to attend the open house celebration for the Family
Resource Center, home of the Special Needs Family Center at
Children’s Hospital of Milwaukee from 5 until 8 pm on
Wednesday, July 21. The new center is located just off the Reiman
Foundation Foyer (the hospital lobby). For more information, contact
www.specialneedsfamilycenter.org

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5. ARTICLES OF INTEREST IN WISCONSIN FAMILY TIES NEWSLETTER

The summer edition of the Wisconsin Family Ties newsletter has two
articles that we would like to bring to the attention of parents,
providers and advocates. They are 1) How My Medicaid Eligible Child
Can Receive Mental Health Services Through HealthCheck and 2) A
Picture of Children’s Mental Health. The newsletter can be
accessed at:
http://www.wifamilyties.org/wifamilyties.org-nwsltr.html

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6. HEALTHWATCH UPDATES AND CONTACTS

If you are interested in joining your regional HealthWatch committee,
or want more information about their work, please contact the
following people:

Southern Region: Barbara Katz, ABC for Health, Inc., 608.261.6939
ext 207, barbk@safetyweb.org

Southeastern Region: Brad Holman, Children’s Hospital of
Wisconsin,414.266.3189,bholman@chw.org or Brad Montgomery,
414.449.4777,opwindows@aol.com

Northern Region: Deb Blackstone, Family Resource Connection,
715.365.8030,dblacks@shsmh.org

Northeastern Region: Steve Gerczak, St. Vincent Hospital,
920.433.8154,sgerczak@stvgb.org

Western Region: Rose Marsh, Chippewa County Dept of Public Health, 1-
800-400-3678, rmarsh@co.chippewa.wi.us

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7. SUGGESTIONS OR TIPS FOR THE UPDATE? CONTACT US!

We need your help to develop content and tips for our CKSN Update.
Please let us know about your ideas or success stories. Email your
suggestions to barbk@safetyweb.org

The CKSN Update is a bi-weekly electronic newsletter of the Covering
Kids with Special Needs project that ABC for Health, Inc. is
implementing with its partners, the Title V Children with Special
Needs Regional Centers and Family Voices …quot; Wisconsin. If you
would like to submit news and information in future CKSN Updates,
please send it to the attention of Barbara Katz. All submissions
should be limited to 150 words.

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8. WHERE WILL YOU BE ON OCTOBER 14?

Save the date! ABC for Health will celebrate 10 years of advocacy
and legal services on Thursday evening October 14, at the Great Hall
of the Memorial Union in Madison Please join us to celebrate our
10th anniversary as Wisconsin’s premier public interest law
firm dedicated to helping families secure adequate health care
coverage and services! Watch for more information on this event in
the near future.

ABC for Health is a Wisconsin-based, nonprofit public interest law
firm dedicated to linking children and families, particularly those
with special health care needs, to health care benefits and
services. ABC for Health’s mission is to provide information,
advocacy tools, legal services and expert support needed to obtain,
maintain and finance health care coverage and services.


Barbara Katz, moderator
Parent Consultant
ABC for Health, Inc.
608.261.6939 ext. 207
barbk@safetyweb.org