Rockford Resources
My Heart Visit is a program from Mended Hearts that allows heart patients and their families to connect with trained volunteers who are patients themselves, a parent of a child with a heart condition or a caregiver of a loved one with heart disease.
You can connect with someone by phone, text, email or video. It includes the Heartline Hotline at (844) 432-7887 (1-844-HEART87).
Conquering CHD provides awareness, knowledge, community and research to conquer the most common birth defect, congenital heart disease/defects (CHDs).
The Conquering CHD website includes resources to help patients and caregivers understand CHDs from childhood through the teen years and adulthood.
The Mended Hearts program is a national peer-support program for patients who have cardiovascular disease, their caregivers and their families. Mended Hearts provides support and education, bringing awareness to issues that those living with heart disease face, and advocating to improve quality of life across the lifespan.
It includes Mended Little Hearts, which provides support to families of children with congenital heart defects (CHDs) or other heart conditions, and Young Mended Hearts, which supports young adults ages 18 to 55 who have heart disease, including CHDs.
Illinois Guardianship and Advocacy Commission
The Illinois Guardianship and Advocacy Commission protects the rights and promotes the welfare of persons with disabilities.
Contact (866) 274-8023 or (866) 333-3362 (TTY).
Supported Decision-Making Act in Illinois
Illinois’ Supported Decision-Making Act ensures people with disabilities can get the help they need to make decisions for their own lives. The Illinois Guardianship and Advocacy Commission has many resources to explain the Supported Decision-Making Act. These include:
- Supported Decision-Making Brochure in English
- Supported Decision-Making Brochure in Spanish
- Supported Decision-Making Frequently Asked Questions
- Supported Decision-Making Training for Persons With Disabilities
DSCC’s “What Does Illinois Medicaid Cover?” Tip Sheet
Illinois Medicaid covers many services including comprehensive medical, dental, vision and pharmacy benefits. Our Division of Specialized Care for Children (DSCC) tip sheet “What Does Illinois Medicaid Cover?” offers examples of what may be covered in a variety of areas such as vision, transportation and mental health services.
What Does Illinois Medicaid Cover? tip sheet in English
What Does Illinois Medicaid Cover? tip sheet in Spanish
Illinois Medicaid is not a DSCC program. DSCC does not decide coverage or eligibility for Medicaid. This is a helpful guide. To learn more, visit the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services website.
Parents Helping Parents (PHP) is a nonprofit organization providing training, individual assistance, information and resources about raising a child of any age with any disability or special needs diagnosis.
Protecting Youth Mental Health – U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory
The U.S. Surgeon General has released a report that highlights the critical state of youth mental health and the impact of COVID-19. It includes suggested actions and resources for family members and caregivers as well as young people, educators, community organizations and government agencies.
The Child Neurology Foundation provides a telehealth tip sheet to help families and children prepare for video or phone appointments and make them as comfortable and successful as possible.
Affordable Connectivity Program
The Affordable Connectivity Program(ACP) is an FCC benefit program that helps ensure that households can afford the broadband they need for work, school, healthcare and more. Eligible households can receive:
- Up to $30 per month discount for internet service, including associated equipment rentals such as a modem
- Up to $75 per month discount for households on qualifying tribal lands
- A one-time discount of up to $100 for a laptop, tablet or desktop computer (with a co-payment of more than $10 but less than $50)
ACP is limited to one monthly service discount and one device discount per household. The FCC provides a list of frequently asked questions and enrollment information for families.