Medical/Health and Wellness Resources
Children and Youth with Special Healthcare Needs in Emergencies
All children have unique needs in emergencies, but care for children with special healthcare needs is often more complex because of their various health conditions and extra care requirements. They may have a hard time moving from one place to another, urgent or constant medical needs, difficulty communicating or have trouble with transitioning to different situations. A disaster can present all these difficulties at once.
The CDC’s Children and Youth With Special Healthcare Needs in Emergencies page provides tips for creating an emergency kit and practicing an emergency care plan to help children stay safe and feel calm during an emergency. It also includes tips on involving your child’s healthcare provider and local emergency services in your planning.
Children’s Flight of Hope (CFOH) provides flights to essential, life-changing and life-saving medical care for children in need. CFOH eases the emotional and financial burden on families by providing commercial airline tickets for children and caregivers for the duration of their child’s treatment.
CFOH provides commercial airline tickets for children traveling in the United States to specialized medical care with board-certified doctors at accredited medical facilities. To learn more or to start the application process, visit Frequently Asked Questions and Resources on CFOH’s website.
For questions, please contact CFOH at connect@cfoh.org or (919) 466-8593.
Chive Charities is a non-profit providing grants to support underserved veterans, military families, first responders and people with rare medical diagnoses. Chive Charities shares grant recipients’ stories to educate, advocate and inspire others to help provide a weekly grant to individuals with life-altering or life-threatening needs.
Chive Charities grant items must either improve quality of life or be medically-related and not fully covered by insurance. Past grants have included:
- Therapy equipment, such as adaptive tricycles and robotic walkers
- Service dogs
- Wheelchair-accessible vans
- Mobility items
The Chronic Disease Coalition advocates on behalf of people with chronic diseases and helps them advocate for themselves. It offers advocate training and resources, educates the public about chronic and rare conditions and raises awareness to increase research funding. The coalition also collaborates with individuals and organizations nationwide to ensure that patients with all types of chronic conditions have access to affordable, high-quality care and that the patient voice and perspective remain at the forefront.
Chronic Disease Coalition resources and programs include:
- The Chronic Disease Advocacy Toolkit to learn about the different types of advocacy, being an advocate, taking action and more
- The Ambassador Program
- Information on partners, allies and patient-founded/patient-driven groups
- State and national policy information
For questions, please visit Chronic Disease Coalition’s About Us page and fill out the “Contact Us” form.
City of Chicago Emergency Assistance Registry for People with Disabilities or Special Needs
The City of Chicago has created a voluntary registry for individuals who may need assistance in the event of an emergency.
Individuals with disabilities or special needs or their caregivers can sign up at www.cityofchicago.org/voluntaryregistry/ or contact the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD) at (312) 744-7050 for additional information.
Claire’s Place Foundation for Cystic Fibrosis Support
Claire’s Place Foundation is a non-profit organization providing support to children and families affected by cystic fibrosis (CF).
Its programs are focused on creating a better quality of life for people and their caregivers as well as emergency funding assistance during long hospital stays. Its programs include an Extended Hospital Stay Grant Program and the Support Families and Resources Program.
Cleft and Craniofacial Condition Resources
Children with a cleft lip, cleft palate or craniofacial disorder often have complex needs and may undergo a variety of procedures and therapies. Often, these children need multiple pediatric specialists and surgeons to provide comprehensive care
HealthyChildren.org, the parenting website of the American Academy of Pediatrics, provides cleft and craniofacial resources and articles for parents and caregivers to help answer their questions.
ClinicalTrials.gov on the National Library of Medicine website is a resource for learning about clinical studies from around the world. Please note that the U.S. government does not review or approve the safety and science of all studies found on the website.
Community Alternatives Unlimited
Community Alternatives Unlimited (CAU) provides a wide range of services for people of all ages with intellectual and developmental disabilities, as well as programs to help economically challenged families with health and wellness during pregnancy and birth.
CAU provides residents of the city of Chicago (north side), several northern suburbs and Lake County with services and programs that include:
- Interview for Prioritization of Urgency of Need for Services (PUNS)
- Pre-Admission Screening (PAS) and determinations for eligibility for services
- Individual services and supports
- Connecting new mothers to appropriate medical care, eligible public benefits, support services and community resources
- Information and referral regarding prenatal care, checkups and immunizations, breastfeeding, infant development, family planning and parenting
For questions, visit Contact CAU or call (773) 867-4000.
Community and Residential Services Authority (CRSA)
The Community and Residential Services Authority (CRSA) is an interagency group that identifies and addresses barriers facing parents, families, professionals and providers trying to get needed services and programs for individuals with a behavior disorder or a severe emotional disturbance. CRSA’s free and confidential services include:
- Helping agencies, schools and parents form working partnerships using a team approach
- Addressing/resolving multiple agency disagreements about residential placement or funding of placement and services
- Assisting local communities in developing and strengthening collaborative interagency networking on request
You can also call CRSA to connect with a program coordinator who will listen and help you develop a plan of care at (877) 541-2772 or (217) 782-2438.