Medical Home Initiative

Shortages in the numbers of health care providers, and the lower
population density in rural areas, mean that families must travel longer distances to access health care. However, one in five children living in families at or below the poverty level is unable to access routine medical care because of a lack of transportation resources, and 75% of families in rural areas do not have public transportation available to travel to medical facilities. This Initiative ensures that a
“medical home” – comprehensive, culturally appropriate, coordinated primary care – is provided to some of the most isolated U.S. populations.

In 2005, the National Network provided over 21,000 medical encounters to children and parents in sparsely settled rural areas of Arkansas, Mississippi, West Virginia, and Idaho. The Arkansas Children’s Health Project serves children living in extreme rural isolation in a three-county region in eastern Arkansas. The Mississippi Children’s Health Project is located in the state’s Delta region, where the population consists largely of African American families. The West Virginia Children’s Health Project serves Appalachian families living in the extremely isolated southwestern region of the state. The Idaho Children’s Health Project provides services to families in south central Idaho, including migrant/seasonal agricultural workers, many of whom are Hispanic. All of the projects are within Federally-designated Health Professional Shortage Areas.

The Children’s Health Fund (CHF) believes every child should receive health care in a medical home setting and supports and develops programs that provide health care to isolated, poor, and vulnerable populations that do not traditionally have access to quality health care. The Medical Home Initiative ensures delivery of comprehensive primary care, including age-appropriate immunizations, early identification and management of chronic illness, including asthma, childhood overweight, and health education. It also assists these participating Children’s Health Projects in case management, and enhances their Electronic Health Records capacity.

In addition to supporting direct patient services, the Initiative helps CHF continue critical public policy efforts addressing barriers to a medical home for poor children living in remote areas.

The Medical Home Initiative is a Partnership between sanofi-aventis and The Children’s Health Fund.