In This Issue

Fall/Winter 2005
Volume 1 • Issue 2

Professors Receive
Allan Meyers Award

Director’s Corner

UM Students Receive
National Award

Center Updates Acronym

Prevention Center
of Excellence

$2.9M Reading Program Grant

Director Named
AUCD President

New Leadership for CAC

Search Tool Facilitates
Access to MEC Training

Grant to Increase Access
to Volunteer Opportunities

Intervention Methods
Subject of Conference

Screening Instrument
Under Development

Co-Instructional Model
Developed by CCIDS

Center Staff Star in
New Video

Guest Column:
CAC Member Tours
South Africa

Brain Research Informs
Best Practice

Partnership for EC
Health Formed

Presentations & Publications

CenterPoint Home

The University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies (CCIDS) recently received funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to form a Partnership for Early Childhood Health and Service. The core of the partnership builds on ongoing collaborations with the Maine Health and Human Services Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Children with Special Health Needs program. The goal is to streamline and expedite the process through which children with special needs are identified, referred to service, and ultimately receive care.

The partnership focuses on developing and expanding information systems so families can move from one program to another in as seamless a manner as possible, while protecting confidentiality and privacy. This will help prevent loss-to-follow-up, which happens when families may initially be referred to services, but are either unable to connect with a provider or become “lost” in the healthcare system. In addition to directly helping families, the information learned through this partnership will help policy makers plan for future services, by providing a more accurate picture of what specific needs are or are not being met for which families in Maine.

— Shihfen Tu