Category: Medical

Care Notebook

Get your child’s medical information organized

When a child or young adult lives with complex medical needs, chances are they have many doctors appointments, medications, Insurance bills, nutrition, and other important lists and paperwork to keep track of. A Care Notebook is a way to organize all your medical information in one place, to have available for yourself or to share with others if need be.

The care notebook will help you:

  • Track information about your child’s health history
  • It will hold all the information about your child’s: primary care provider, school, daycare staff, school nurse
  • Tracking any changes in your child’s medical treatments.
  • Local resources available for your family

Another resource on Care Notebooks can be found at the Medical Home Portal

Care Notebook Templates

CARE Notebook was created by Seattle Children’s and the Department of Health and contains forms, checklists, and instructions for creating a Care Notebook.

Swindells Care Notebook and organizer is an all-in-one notebook that is also available in Spanish

Portable Medical Summary is for vital information that you can carry around with you at all times.

Getting to Know Me is a short form that children can carry with them that also available in Spanish

Emergency Care Templates

What’s the Plan? In Case of Emergency, and Getting to Know Me A few vital documents to go into your care notebook

Emergency Preparedness
What to prepare for you child in case of a natural disaster or emergency

Medical Home

What is a Medical Home?

According to the Washington State Medical Home Partnership Project:

A Medical Home is a model of primary health care that focuses on team-based care with the patient and family at the center. It can be especially helpful for individuals with disabilities and chronic health conditions.

A medical home is not just a place. A medical home is a partnership between your family and your child’s doctor* or primary health care provider that emphasizes “home” as:

  • Headquarters for care
  • A place children and youth with special health care needs and their families feel recognized and supported
  • Part of community services

Links to Medical home Resources:

WA State Medical Home Partnership Project
Learn more about how to be an effective partner with your child’s doctor and other members of the Medical Home care team. Find tips, strategies and resources to support high quality, compassionate care for your child and family.

Medical Home Information
Tools, resources, and links to information that will assist families in successfully partnering with their child’s medical home.

What is a Medical Home
“A medical home is a partnership between you and your child’s doctor that makes sure your child is getting the best possible care.” Continue reading the article on the PAVE website.

Videos on Medical Home:

The American Academy of Pediatrics Medical Home Initiative
Coordinated Care is Important
Building a Strong Pediatric Medical Home: Family Advisory Groups

Talking to Your Doctor

Planning For Your Visit

Finding the Right Child Care Provider for Your Child
“Selecting a child care provider is one of a parent’s most important decisions. Your child may spend many hours with the provider you choose, and you want that playing and learning time to be well-spent.”

When Your Loved One has to be Admitted to the Hospital
“When your loved one has to be admitted to the hospital, it can be scary, stressful, and at certain points very overwhelming not only for you, but also for the person needing the health care. What I have learned after caring for my son who was born at 26 weeks and experiences hydrocephalus (cerebral spinal fluid does not drain properly and requires a shunt to drain the fluid to his peritoneum) is that when he is in the hospital, I never leave him alone.”

Resources to Aid Communication

Concerned about Development? How to Get Help for Your Child (Spanish version available here)

How to Advocate for Your Child With Special Health Care Needs

Milestone Checklists to Share with your Doctor (Spanish version available here)

Tips for Working with Doctors

Native and Indigenous Populations

Websites

Washington Health Plan Finder for Tribal Members

The Affordable Care Act offers many new opportunities for tribal health programs and American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) individuals. If you’re an AI/AN living in Washington State, you may be eligible for free or low-cost health insurance options available through Washington Healthplanfinder.

The American Indian Health Commission (AIHC)
A Tribally-driven non-profit organization with a mission of improving health outcomes for American Indians and Alaska Natives through a health policy focus at the Washington State level.

SPIPA
South Puget Intertribal Planning Agency

Tahoma Indian Center
Seattle Indian Health Board is a community health center that provides health and human services to its patients, while specializing in the care of Native people. We are recognized as a leader in the promotion of health improvement for urban American Indians and Alaska Natives, locally and nationally.

Seattle Indian Health Board
Cultural healthcare and human services for our people today. Advocacy and data research for our people of the future

Indian Health Service
A federal health program within the Department of Health and Human Services responsible for providing health services to American Indians and Alaska Natives.

Minority Health Services
The Office of Minority Health is dedicated to improving the health of racial and ethnic minority populations through the development of health policies and programs that will help eliminate health disparities

Yakima Service Unit
The Yakama Service Unit is located on the Yakama Indian Reservation on the edge of the Toppenish Town. Providing services such as; A full range of ambulatory primary care, public health, dental services, mental health, optometry, and audiology, Internal medicine, women’s health care, elder care clinic & pediatrics

Health coverage for American Indians & Alaska Natives
If you’re an American Indian or an Alaska Native, you may have new health coverage benefits and protections in the Health Insurance Marketplace.

Related Articles

Addressing Disparities in the Health of American Indian and Alaska Native People: The Importance of Improved Public Health Data

Native Americans Feel Invisible In U.S. Health Care System

Washington Tribes and Tribal ClinicsDownload