Meriwether County Family Connection Spreads the Word About Caregiving Resource for Medically Fragile Children in Georgia 

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Meriwether County Family Connection invited an ambassador from IntegriCare to their Collaborative table during a recent monthly meeting to educate community leaders about the services they offer in Meriwether and statewide.

Medicaid coverage through the Georgia Pediatric Program (GAPP) provides home care services to medically fragile children under 21. The state determines weekly caregiving hours based on the child’s medical needs. GAPP is managed by the Georgia Department of Community Health, which also oversees the agency.

“Thanks to a recent bill passed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, legally responsible individuals are allowed to provide medically necessary personal care services to kids under 21 years of age enrolled in GAPP,” said IntegriCare Ambassador Robin Brainard.

Rhonda Denton, Meriwether County Family Connection executive director, met the IntegriCare team at the 50th Anniversary Celebration of Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies earlier this year and shared details about Georgia Family Connection Partnership’s Promoting Women’s Health and Healthy Births Cohort.

The Collaborative has been part of the cohort for several years, aiming to work with partners to build activities to improve women’s health and birth outcomes.

“I told them we have several counties in our region that work in this area, and it would be great to learn more about their services,” explained Denton. “I mentioned two specific families I thought could benefit from their services in Meriwether. I invited them to attend our Collaborative meeting and extended the invitation to other Collaboratives in the region.”

During the meeting, Brainard shared information about the in-home services IntegriCare provides for families, along with how they approach the family and assist with getting them approved for their services and other vital resources.

“They provide respite care for families who need a break, which is so important,” said Denton. “They work with local school systems to ensure the client is getting everything they need as far as education supports.”

Children in Georgia who have Medicaid with chronic illnesses, disabilities, or complex medical conditions are eligible for GAPP services.

“Some of our families we reach out to with our programs and services have children with special needs and require medical care,” said Denton. “Being able to connect them with an extra resource is great—and being able to refer future clients to them is great.”