
The Southern Arizona Children’s Health Project (SACHP) provides an enhanced medical and dental home to the underserved children and families of the rural US/Mexico borderlands of Cochise County, Arizona (an area equivalent to the size of Connecticut and Rhode Island together). Many children with special health care needs are served in the project, whose diagnoses include cerebral palsy, mental retardation, autism spectrum disorder, genetic syndromes, seizure disorders, traumatic injuries and speech/developmental disorders. The region experiences myriad challenges, including poverty, lack of specialty care, absence of public transportation, early school failure, teen pregnancy, a high percentage of fractured families, and severely strained educational and other public resources. A shortage of mental health services complicates the provision of comprehensive health care.
Services are provided through the infrastructure of Chiricahua Community Health Centers, Inc.’s (CCHCI) community health center model, which includes fixed clinical sites, mobile medical/dental services, community outreach and innovative prevention programs.