Louisiana Department of Health & Hospitals | Bruce Greenstein, Secretary

Children's Special Health Services (CSHS)

The CSHS program is the principle public agency ensuring that children and youth who have special health care needs in Louisiana have access to health care services designed to minimize their disabilities and maximize their probabilities of enjoying independent and self-sufficient lives.

Children and youth who have special health care needs are those who have or are at increased risk for a chronic physical, developmental, behavioral or emotional condition and who also require health and related services of a type or amount beyond that most children or youth require.

Currently in Louisiana, there are more than 207,000 children and youth who have special health care needs.  This is about 19 percent of all Louisiana children and youth.

CSHS Programs and Services

To meet state and national goals, the CSHS program focuses intervention activities in many ways.  Following federal guidelines, CSHS organizes these activities into four tiers: direct healthcare and family services, enabling services, population-based services, and infrastructure building services.

• Direct Health Care Services: The CSHS Program provides direct sub-specialty medical care and family support services to more than 10,000 children and youth who have special health care needs every year.
• Enabling and Population-Based Services: These services enable families to make informed decisions on which resources they would like for their children/youth by disseminating community-based resources available in their area.
• Infrastructure Building: These programs train and support pediatric practices across the state on the Medical Home model of care for children and youth who have special health needs, specifically focusing on care coordination and transition as well as their medical, emotional, social and mental health needs; conduct analytical research on the myriad of needs among the children and youth who have special needs population and present or publish this work to enhance knowledge among providers, policymakers, researchers and stakeholders.

For Families

• National, State, and Local children and youth with special health needs resource links
• Eligibility for CSHS sub-specialty medical clinics
• CSHS sub-specialty medical clinics offered and locations in the state
• Family Resource Center at Children's Hospital in New Orleans
• Transition information for youth with special health care needs and their families
• Health Transition Fact Sheet especially made for Louisiana's Youth with Special Health Care Needs
• Helpful information for families attending CSHS sub-specialty medical clinics
• Parent Support Program
• CSHS Events

For Healthcare Providers

• Healthcare Provider Resources
• Transition information for healthcare providers caring for youth with special health care needs
• CSHS Publications
• National, State, and Local children and youth with special health needs resource links

For Administrators

• Central Office

Quick links to CSHS publications

• CSHS sub-specialty medical clinic program brochure
• CSHS Physician Guide for sub-specialty medical clinic program
• Louisiana Family Resource Guide
• Medical Home Care Coordination Regional Resource Guides
• Regional Transition Guides for Youth with Special Health Care Needs
• Regional Transition Guides for Healthcare Providers

Related Programs:

Louisiana Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Program

Louisiana Birth Defects Monitoring Network