Communities Coordinating for Healthy Development General Introduction

CCHD was developed as part of Minnesota’s Assuring Better Child Health and Development III (ABCD III) project, directed by the National Academy for State Health Policy, supported by the Commonwealth Fund. Partners include Minnesota’s Department of Human Services, Department of Health, Department of Education, and the Minnesota Child Health Improvement Partnership (MNCHIP).

Coordinating Communities for Healthy Development The goal of the CCHD project is to create and institutionalize a feedback communication loop between clinical providers and early intervention and preschool special education providers to benefit children with developmental delays or socio/emotional or behavioral health concerns.

Why do a CCHD project in your community? Increased communication adds to the quality of care that a child and their family receive when they interact with either the health care system or the school district (the providers of the early intervention or preschool special education services). Bringing together community partners who work in this field can help create better outcomes for the children served.

Who are the key partners to engage? Health Clinics who serve children Early intervention or preschool special education programs (usually at the school district) Local public health or agencies doing childhood screening Parents and Family Organizations Other providers of early childhood services such as Head Start, Early Childhood Family Education Clinicians providing medical services to your patients – OT, PT, Mental Health

What will the CCHD team do? CCHD teams meet together to create an effective referral feedback loop that connects clinics and school districts and often other key partners. As they meet, they develop relationships they learn about each others programs and help families better access and understand how the community comes together to serve children. Here is a sample of the type of feedback loop they may develop…

Sample CCHD Protocol Clinical Staff Clinical Staff Care Coordinator State Help Me Grow System Early Intervention or Preschool Special Education Program Referral prompted by elevated screening score or concern Interagency referral and communication and consent forms sent to early intervention or preschool special education program Results sent back to clinic via referral feedback communication form If district is unknown, or if the online system is preferred, make a referral to the State Help Me Grow through website or phone, to be forwarded to the appropriate local early intervention or preschool special education program

“The relationships we’ve made between our clinic and the school district have helped us support the families we serve.” Participating Physician “It’s really shown us how the clinic keeps my child at the center of their work.” Parent Team Member

If you are interested in starting a CCHD project in your community, technical support is available. The CCHD website has sample referral communication forms, examples of work flow diagrams, and links to many resources to support the project. You can also

Resources Developmental Screening Overview: Developmental Screening Tools: Online Developmental Screening Training Module: Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s Model for Improvement: Information for Parents and overview of MN’s online referral system: Follow the button in the top right hand corner to Help Me Grown, the online referral page. Online trainings for practitioners, with CME Credits: go to training page and look for “Coordinating Care Between Early Intervention and the Primary Care Practices” Helpful Toolboxes for Clinicians

Communities Coordinating for Healthy Development Funded by a grant from The Commonwealth Fund and supported by the National Academy for State Health Policy Created in cooperation with the Minnesota Department of Education and the Minnesota Department of Health.