Family Voices of Alabama has been awarded a grant from the Maternal and Child Health Bureau to increase our services to the families in Alabama by establishing a Family-to-Family Health Information Center (F2F HIC).

F2F HICs were established in all States and the District of Columbia by the Family Opportunity Act / Deficit Reduction Act of 2005. The Affordable Care Act of 2010 extended the F2F HIC Program through fiscal year 2012 and beyond. The Kaiser Family Foundation, http://healthreform.kff.org, offers explanations of this law, analysis of policy issues in implementation, and quick and easy access to data, and a short movie, “Health Reform Hits Main Street,” is an animated short movie that clearly explains the health reform law. 

F2F HICs are family-led organizations that help families of Children/Youth with Special Health Care Needs (CYSHCN) and the professionals who serve them. Because the health care needs of CYSHCN are chronic and complex, parents and caregivers are often challenged with finding the resources to provide and finance health care for their children.

How is the F2F HIC staffed?

Our F2F HIC is staffed by three parents who each have children/youth with special health needs. As parents, they have traveled through the maze of services and programs designed to help CYSHCN, so they understand the issues that families face. They will provide advice, offer a multitude of resources, and tap into a network of other families and professionals for support and information. Family Voices, through the National Center for Family / Professional Partnerships, provides technical assistance, training, and connections to other F2F HICs and partnering organizations.

What does the F2F HIC actually do?

Through this grant, Family Voices of Alabama will:

• Present information, training, technical assistance and peer support to families of CYSHCN as well as those who serve them.
• Mentor families via one-to-one contact via toll free phone (877-771-FVOA (877-771-3862)).
• Provide information and resources to families via our website (www.familyvoicesal.org).
• Nurture collaboration between families and professionals in the state.
• Assist families to make more informed decisions about their children’s health care and be better able to participate in systems building activities in their communities and states.
• Offer training for families on advocacy and family/professional partnerships.
• Distribute tip sheets highlighting strategies for collaboration between families and professional in the state.
• Integrate the philosophy of Family Centered Care, Family Professional Partnership, and Cultural Competence throughout all activities.

How can you get more information?

Contact us:

• By Phone: 877-771-FVOA (877-771-3862)
• By Internet: Visit our website at www.familyvoicesal.org (you are here)
• By Mail: 1050 Government Street, Mobile, AL 36604-2404
  

Print the
Family-to-Family Health Information
Center Data Sheet (PDF file)

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