Family Voices

Family Voices of Tennessee, the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, and Project BRAIN are partnering to host a family conference providing information on an array of topics impacting children with special health care needs and/or disabilities.

Topics Include: 504 health plans, challenging behaviors, HIPAA and health care rights, TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury), transitioning to adult health services, and autism.

• Conference Sessions are Free
• Vendors will be on site throughout the day to share their resources with families.
• Family organizations will be present to offer supports and additional information.
• Confirmed speakers: SCARAB Behavioral Health Services and STEP (Support Training for Exceptional Parents).
• Scholarships may be available for lunch, travel or childcare.
• Box lunches will be $10.00.
• Registration requested by March 12, 2010
  

Download a registration form (PDF)

Download a registration form (MS Word)

Want to set up a vendor or organizational booth? Just give us a call at 1 (888) 643-7811 or drop a line to julie_s@tndisability.org for a vendor registration form.

For more information: contact Family Voices of Tennessee at 1 (888) 643-7811 or by email at julie_s@tndisability.org

Tennessee is home to the very first statewide Family Voices chapter, a fact that fills the Coalition with great pride; however, Family Voices future is dimming.  The US Congress has failed in repeated attempts to extend funding to save Family Voice’s Family-to-Family Health Information Centers (F2F HICs).

What are Health Information Centers?

Family-to-Family Health Information Centers provide families with information about sources of care for their children/youth and sources of financing that care.  This information is provided by individuals with first-hand experience in navigating the complex system of health care and health care financing for their own children with special health care needs.

Moving Forward

Having failed to extend funding through traditional legislative processes, families and advocates around the country are taking a new approach to funding.  They are lobbying Congress to include funding in one of the health care reform bills that are now being debated across the country.

Just this past week we received word that funding was added to the Senate Finance Committee’s health care reform bill; however, details change day to day so there is no guarantee the funding will remain.

What can you do?

1. Send an email or call your Congressional Representative and Senator asking them to support health care reform.
2. Ask them to ensure that reform includes funding for the Family-to-Family Health Information Centers.  Let them know that without funding in the health care reform legislation the program could disappear next year.
3. Talk to friends and relatives about Family Voices and the Family-to-Family Health Information Centers.  Then ask them to contact their Congressmen.

For more about the effort visit: http://familyvoices.org/TakeActionHCR.php

For more information about the national effort

Brooke Lehmann – (202) 333-2770 or blehmann@familyvoices.org
Janis Guerney – (202) 546-0558 or jguerney@familyvoices.org

For more information about how you can help in Tennessee

Julie Sullivan – (931) 212-5557 or fvtn@tndisability.org
Courtney Atnip-Jenkins – Courtney_j@tndisability.org

Tennessee Senators

Lamar Alexander - (202) 224-4944 and his contact form

Bob Corker - (202) 224-3344 and his contact form

Tennessee Representatives

Phil Roe, 1st District - (202) 225-6356 and his contact form

John Duncan Jr., 2nd District - (202) 225-5435 and his contact form

Zach Wamp, 3rd District - (202) 225-3271 and his contact form

Lincoln Davis, 4th District - (202) 225-6831 and his contact form (must jump through some hoops)

Jim Cooper, 5th District - (202) 225-4311 and his contact form

Bart Gordon, 6th District - (202) 225-4231 and his contact form

Marsha Blackburn, 7th District - (202) 225-2811 and her contact form (must jump through some hoops)

John Tanner, 8th District -  (202) 225-4714 and his contact form (must jump through some hoops)

Steve Cohen, 9th District - (202) 225-3265 and his contact form

 

 

Have you thought about planning for medical transitions?  Youth with special health care needs and their families need to plan their medical transition just as they do their educational transition. Early and intentional planning helps transitioning to adult medical services as successful as possible.

To learn more, join us for an educational session.

Date:  August 20th

Time: 10am – 12pm

Location: Tennessee Disability Coalition, 955 Woodland Street, Nashville TN 37206

Reserve a Seat:  Call 1-888-643-7811

For more information or to schedule a training, contact:

Tonya Bowman - (615) 5158626 or fvmiddle@tndisability.org

Julie Sullivan - (931) 686-3353 or fvtn@tndisability.org

 

Are you the parent of a child with disabilities who is seeking leadership training  and knowledge?  There is a parent trainee position available at Vanderbilt University through The Mid-Tennessee Interdisciplinary Instruction in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (MIND) Program. The MIND Program prepares graduate level health professionals in 14 disciplines to assume leadership roles to serve children with neurodevelopmental and related disabilities.  

This leadership training requires a commitment for a minimum of 300 hours, which includes weekly core seminars, monthly leadership meetings, group projects, an individual project, and community and clinical visits.  All clinical and community visits and other activities take place in Davidson County.   The parent trainee is not required to be a graduate student.   A Stipend to cover time and travel is available.  

The purpose of the MIND (Mid-Tennessee Interdisciplinary Instruction in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities) Training Program is to reduce and prevent NDRD (neurodevelopmental disabilities and related disabilities) in children and to increase access to family-centered, community-based, culturally competent, interdisciplinary services. 

If you are interested in applying for this training opportunity, please contact Julie Sullivan, Family Voices of Tennessee 931-212-5557 or julie_s@tndisability.org before June 5, 2009.

Families with children/youth with special health care needs: Have you thought about planning for medical transitions?

The Goal of Transition

Improve the health-related quality of life of all young people with chronic illness or disability and enable them to reach their true potential.

Which means ...

To grow up healthy and able to fully participate and enjoy life!

Families must start early
Youth with special health care needs or disabilities and their families need to plan their medical transition just as they do their educational transition. Early and intentional planning helps transitioning to adult medical services as successful as possible.


Join us to learn more

May 14, 2009 from 11 am – 1pm
At the Down Syndrome Association of Middle TN office
111 North Wilson Boulevard, Nashville TN 37205

For more information or to schedule a training contact
Julie Sullivan: (931) 686-3353 or fvtn@tndisability.org

Tonya Bowman: (615) 515-8626 or fvmiddle@tndisability.org

Download a Training Flyer in MS Word