LEONARDTOWN, MD (February 19, 2013) – The St. Mary’s County Health Department has announced a new online resource database launched by the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DHMH) for children and youth with special health care needs. In Maryland, over one third of families of these children report that they cannot easily access needed community based services, and half of the same families report that they need help finding services for their youngsters. For families in rural areas of the state, it can be even more difficult to find specialty services.
In order to improve access to information about needed services and resources, Maryland’s Office for Genetics and People with Special Health Care Needs created the Maryland Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs Resource Locator which includes information about more than 800 resources for Maryland families and is accessible in over 50 languages. The database was developed to assist parents, caregivers, families, providers, and youth in locating needed resources, providing a convenient, easy-to-use way to find needed services in their communities. The database is available at http://specialneeds.dhmh.maryland.gov.
For more information about the Maryland Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs Resource Locator, please visit the Office for Genetics and People with Special Health Care Needs website at http://fha.dhmh.maryland.gov/genetics/SitePages/Home.aspx or contact Angela Sittler, Parent Resource Coordinator, at 1-800-638-8864 or by email at angela.sittler@maryland.gov.
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Media Contact
Meena Brewster, MD, MPH
301-475-4330
smchd.healthdept@maryland.gov