THE SCDHEC CARE LINE South Carolina's Information Resource For - PDF document

THE SCDHEC CARE LINE South Carolina's Information Resource For Women, Children & Families The Care Line was established in 1989 and celebrates 22 years of service this year. The Care Line is a statewide, toll-free help line that provides education, information, referrals, assistance and support to women for their children and families. The program has partnerships with other community agencies and programs such as the Women, Infants and Children Supplemental Food Program (WIC), BabyNet, the Best Chance Network, Children’s Rehabilitative Services (CRS), Arthritis Foundation, and Home Health. The Care Line’s goals are to improve access to and utilization of health care and health-related services by identifying and addressing barriers for clients in need. Assistance and support is provided to callers in gaining access to the following services: Family Planning services and birth control, Medicaid providers, Care during pregnancy, Care for children with special health care needs (CRS), Immunizations, WIC Nutrition Program, Medicaid, Rides to the doctor, Infant and child health care assessment (BabyNet), Caring for Tomorrow’s Children, Home Health, resources that assist with rent, utilities, food, shelter, prescriptions, and other services. The C ARE L INE Access Information System maintains data about the types of calls received, and services provided by the C ARE L INE staff. Calls are reported by county and by program area. The C ARE L INE documents calls in the following 4 (four) program areas administered within the Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Bureau, at the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control: ⊂ Prenatal/Postpartum – 34.2% ⊂ Infant/Child Health – 97.8% ⊂ Family Planning – 6.2% ⊂ BabyNet/ Children's Rehabilitative Services – 13% **Most callers access more than one program area ∅ DEMOGRAPHICS On average, the Care Line receives over 20,000 callers per year. Our Callers are 96.5% English speaking, 3.2% Spanish speaking, and 0.3% of the callers speak other languages. The average age of the caller is 20-29 years old and make up 52% of the calls. Most of the calls originate from Richland (14.7%), Greenville (10.8%), Charleston (9.7%), Lexington (8.9%), and Spartanburg (8.0%) counties respectively. 1

SERVICES ∅ The Care Line records the number of calls received within the program areas it serves. The majority of the calls for this year were a result of information needed by clients who received Prenatal/Postpartum Services and people calling to find a medical doctor or dentist for their child. ∅ As a prenatal hotline, our job is to give information relating to Maternal and Child Health. The following chart represents the support services we give to our callers. ** Also note that many callers accessed more than one program area Info Educ Referral (D1) =7.7% Advocacy (D2)=2% CFTC Book (D3)= 10% WIC (D4)= 22.4% MEDICAID (D5)=80.6% TRANSPORTATION (D6)= 2.6% IMMUNIZATION (D7)=2.1% OTHER SERVICES (D8)= .18% ∅ EDUCATIONAL INFORMATION AND OUT REACH The Care Line mails Educational Information on a daily basis to clients and health care providers who request it. This information may include pregnancy materials (such as the Caring for Tomorrow’s Children: Having a Healthy Baby Book, pamphlets on usual complaints and problems during pregnancy, weight gain during pregnancy, prenatal care exams, Medicaid, Healthy Connection Kids and WIC) and delivery materials (such as pamphlets on breast feeding, child safety, facts about SIDS and Immunization). Information request comprise 7.7% or of Care Line calls. Staff members of the Care Line participate in numerous health fairs, conferences, seminars and community events to increase public awareness of our services. ∅ MEDICAID The Care Line receives 80.6% of its calls from Medicaid clients requesting information about existing services, a doctor, a dentist, vision care provider, other specialists or eligibility requirements. Callers are referred to South Carolina Healthy Connections (Medicaid) to assist in providing health care coverage for the uninsured who are eligible. Those who are not Medicaid eligible and have children are referred 2

to South Carolina Healthy Connections Kids. Calls were also referred to the OCWI Medicaid program to eliminate health care barriers for early prenatal care. Some callers also received information about the Family Planning Waiver card; however most of our Medicaid clients needed to find a Medicaid provider (51.7%) . **Also note that many callers accessed more than one program area. ∅ WIC The Care Line assists clients with locating their local WIC office or transfers them for additional information to WIC central office. During the year 2010, the Care Line received 22.4% of its calls from either participants in the WIC program or persons wanting to apply for WIC services. All expectant moms calling the Care Line are encouraged to breastfeed. Educational materials were mailed to moms expressing an interest in breastfeeding (packets). ∅ DIVISION OF CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL HEALTH CARE NEEDS (CSHCN) Calls DIVISION OF CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL HEALTH Health Region # % CARE NEEDS (CSHCN) calls make up about 13% of the Region I 147 5.5 calls received in the Care Line. These calls are broken down Region II 241 9.0 into health regions to adequately represent the CSHCN Region III 841 31.4 population. Region IV 171 6.4 Region V 233 8.7 Region VI 139 5.2 The C ARE L INE attempts to assist each client that calls. Region VII 755 28.2 However, some of the cases are not resolved because of Region VIII 110 4.1 limited resources available in the client’s area. Other States 40 1.5 TOTAL 2677 100.0 This chart reflects the types of conditions the ADD Mental Health Problems caller stated the child had. DSS and Physicians Allergy Galactosemia also refer cases. Some children had more than Apnea Premature Birth one health concern or physical disability. Arthrogryposis Q Deletion Syndrome Asthma Reflux Cerebral Palsy Scoliosis Child Abuse and neglect Speech Delay CMV-Virus Spina Bifida Colostomy Spinal Cord Injury Dermoid Tumor Still in NICU Developmental Delay Down Syndrome Ear Infection Group B Strep Heart Problems Kidney Problems 3

∅ BEST CHANCE NETWORK CASE MANAGEMENT REFERRALS The Best Chance Network is South Carolina’s Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program. The Best Chance Network (BCN), helps women who need to be screened for breast and cervical cancer, but do not have insurance or have insurance that only covers hospital care, are between the ages of 40 and 64, and meet certain income guidelines. The Care Line receives, clarifies, and processes Best Chance Network Case Management Referrals from providers. Referrals are forwarded to the appropriate case manager. The Care Line has a tracking system in place for the referrals it handles. The table below represents the 703 referrals handled by the Care Line in 2010. ∅ SOUTH CAROLINA DIRECTORY OF SERVICES The Care Line is also responsible for developing, updating and maintaining the “South Carolina Directory of Services for Women, Children & Families”. This directory is produced in accordance with Proviso 129.46 of the Fiscal Year 1994-95 Appropriation Act, or the “Women’s Right to Know Act”. The directory lists toll- free numbers and local referral services by county throughout South Carolina. It can also be accessed via the following website: http://www.scdhec.gov/administration/library/ML-017048.pdf. Care Line staff use the directory daily to connect callers to the services they need in their area. Other agencies across the state use the directory to better serve their clients as well. ∅ CARING FOR TOMORROW’S CHILDREN: HAVING A HEALTHY BABY BOOK The Care Line receives calls for the Caring for Tomorrow’s Children: Having a Healthy Baby Book. The book encourages pregnant women to seek early and continuous prenatal care. It has information to educate families about the importance of immunization, prenatal care, well baby care and much more. Families are also provided a wealth of knowledge to assist them from conception through the baby’s first two years of life. The book is free to pregnant women or women with children under the age of one and can be requested by calling the Care Line. It is available in English and Spanish. The book can also be sent free in bulk quantities to providers like doctor’s offices, health departments, and community centers. For any additional questions, please call the Care Line at 800-868-0404. Bureau of Maternal Child Health, Division of Women and Children Services Mills/Jarrett Complex, P. O. Box 101106, Columbia, SC 29211 A collaborative effort of health agencies, voluntary and professional organizations, health care providers, volunteers in your community and the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control. 4