Navigating the Health Care System
Helping families and professionals connect with information and services for children with special health needs. Explore this new resource here.
Partnering with Your Child's Providers
Preparing for a Clinic Visit 3-17.pdf
Adobe Acrobat document [319.3 KB]
Try Out the Well Visit Planner!
Take 10 minutes to get a personalized visit guide for your child's next well-care visit (learn more).
- EXPLORE key issues and needs important to the health of your child and family
- LEARN about important topics to discuss with your healthcare provider
- PICK your top priorities and get educational information before the visit
- PARTNER with your child's provider by sharing your personalized visit guide
The Well-Visit Planner is based on national recommendations for parents/guardians of children 4 months to 6 years old.
BRIGHT FUTURES FAMILY POCKET GUIDE: RAISING HEALTHY INFANTS, CHILDREN, AND ADOLESCENTS—2ND EDITION - Limited copies available
Developed for families by families, in partnership with the AAP and other professionals, this convenient, attractive resource is based on the AAP’s Bright Futures: Guidelines for the Health Supervision of Infants, Children, and Adolescents (3rd ed.). The 168-page guide will provide families with:
- Information and encouragement for the roles families play every day in the health and well-being of their children
- Information about the importance of well child visits for all children, including children and youth with special health care needs
- Encouragement to speak up and to take active roles in their children’s care
- Encouragement to form partnerships with other families and with professionals to improve policies, care, services, and support for all children and families
- An overall framework for children’s good health and insight into all those who contribute to it
- Current, comprehensive, succinct information about child development
- Links to resources and further sources of information for children’s good health
Family Voices of Minnesota works with health care clinics to help them determine their level of implementing patient-and-family-centered care and provides technical assistance to make improvements.
Family Voices of Minnesota staff has a combined 60 years of experience in patient-and-family-centered care.
Family Voices staff conducts training and presentations for health professionals and consumers/families about patient-and-family-centered care.
What is patient/family-centered health care?
Patient-and-family-centered care assures the health and well-being of children and their families through a respectful family-professional partnership.
It honors the strengths, cultures, traditions and expertise that everyone brings to this relationship. Family-Centered Care is the standard of practice which results in high quality services.
The foundation of family-centered care is the partnership between families and professionals. Key to this partnership are the following principles:
- Families and professionals work together in the best interest of the child and the family. As the child grows, s/he assumes a partnership role.
- Everyone respects the skills and expertise brought to the relationship.
- Trust is acknowledged as fundamental.
- Communication and information sharing are open and objective.
- Participants make decisions together.
- There is a willingness to negotiate.
How can you use your expertise?
Participate in a patient/family advisory committee at the clinic or hospital that you use frequently. If they don't have patient/family advisory committees - help them start one.
Family-Centered Care Tools
The Institute for Family-Centered Care offers many resources, tools and information about patient/family-centered care: www.familycenteredcare.org.
Support the important work of Family Voices of Minnesota by donating now!
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