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      Family Support Projects     

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To reach a Family Support Coordinator in your area, click here.

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Consumers for Affordable Health Care is a non-profit, non-partisan
organization that's been helping the people of Maine get quality
affordable health care for more than twenty years, check us out at: www.mainecahc.org

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“Together we can build a bridge", is a universal, strength-based message from families. Appearing one at a time on local bridges—to symbolize their initial feelings of isolation—three families  ask providers to be trauma-informed, and they encourage families who can relate to “Advocate for what you believe!” After finding each other and a collective voice, the message concludes with all on a  neutral bridge spanning “the abyss of differences and emotions between families and providers.” The message was produced by the former Thrive Family Committee whose members now belong to the Family Advisory Council for Empowerment Statewide. F.A.C.E.S. is a program of the G.E.A.R. Parent Network. Members are trained by G.E.A.R.’s Empowerment Institute to be quality assurance advocates for family-driven principles in Maine’s child-serving systems of care. For more information, click here.

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The primary goal of PROJECT REACH (REsponsive Advocacy for Children's Health) is to provide state level leadership and community focus in the establishment of Health Care Information and Education Centers for families of children with special health care needs. PROJECT REACH is a collaborative effort between the Maine Parent Federation and the state's Maternal and Child Health Title V administering agency (the Division of Family Health within the Bureau of Health, Maine Department of Human Services). Maine Parent Federation's program focus is the establishment and support of regionally based cadres of trained volunteers who are themselves parents of children with special health care needs.

Maine Family Voices, the Maine chapter of the national organization has an emphasis on access to health/health related services for children with special health care needs. The major program goal of Maine Family Voices is the creation of a statewide Parent to Parent program.

Parent–to-Parent of Maine is a program offered through our Family-to-Family Health Information Centers funded by a Maternal and Child Health grant. We are families connecting families in similar situations so we may share experiences, information and support.  Through a matching process we pair up parents of a newly diagnosed child with a trained, support parent who has a child with a similar disability or health care issue.  This program is designed to help parents, who are just becoming aware of their child’s diagnosis or are going through a transition, “learn the ropes” by providing them with information and support. 

Support Parent Training. We will help prepare the experienced parent by providing information about the Parent-to-Parent program; the role of a support parent; some useful communication skills; and how to access resources.  Mileage and a stipend are available for attending the training

Primary Audience:  Parents or other family members

Recommended length: 4- 6 hours

Consumers for Affordable Health Care is a non-profit, non-partisan
organization that's been helping the people of Maine get quality
affordable health care for more than twenty years. We do that in three
main ways.