MDHHS Dec 4 Presser: $2.25 million federal grant to streamline transition to adult care for youth with epilepsy

Wouldn't you love to know how much of this gets to the actual epilepsy patients, and how much just builds bureaucratic "coordination," "systems," "roadmaps," and other "framework"?

50/50? 60/40? Honestly, 70/30 would not surprise me.

By the way, this is a great time to become more knowledgeable about state bureaucracy. If anyone knows a good glossary of bureaucratic terms, please do us all a favor and add it in the comments.

https://www.michigan.gov/mdhhs/inside-mdhhs/newsroom/2024/12/04/epilepsy-grant

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Dec. 4, 2024

CONTACT: Laina Stebbins, 517-241-2112, StebbinsL@michigan.gov

MDHHS awarded $2.25 million federal grant to streamline transition to adult care for youth with epilepsy

LANSING, Mich. – The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) has been awarded a $2.25 million grant for the Michigan Youth with Epilepsy Transition demonstration project, which seeks to provide support to youth with epilepsy as they transition into adult health care.

This five-year grant comes from the federal Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) Maternal Child and Health Bureau. The goal of the project is to improve quality of life and other outcomes for youth with epilepsy and their families, with a focus on those who have complex health and social needs and/or require a higher level of family support and coordination.

“The transition from youth to adulthood can be particularly challenging for young people and their families, especially for those with conditions like epilepsy. This project aims to enhance coordination across various systems to ensure a successful transition for these youth, while also offering vital support to their families,” said Elizabeth Hertel, MDHHS director. “By collaborating with four major epilepsy centers in Michigan, we will provide comprehensive assistance to help young people with epilepsy and their families navigate the shift from pediatric to adult care.”

The grant award will allow MDHHS’s Children’s Special Health Services (CSHCS) program to enhance its transition-to-adulthood efforts by improving coordination between health care and other transition service areas. It will also support the development of resources to help youth and families navigate various other systems beyond health care that provide services to children and adults.

There are an estimated 13,600 Michigan children ages 17 and younger with epilepsy. Nationwide, only 23% of the adolescent population receives the services needed to make transitions to adult health care.

During the next five years, CSHCS will partner with two pediatric and two adult neurology clinics to implement strategies to improve transition to adult-serving systems for children and youth with epilepsy. Activities will include strengthening collaborations across child- and adult-serving systems to support youths and their families, developing and implementing a Michigan health care transition framework and creating a Roadmap to Transition resource guide for youth and families. Engagement with youths with epilepsy and their families will be a major focus of the project.

In addition to the four neurology clinics, other key partners in the project include the Epilepsy Foundation of Michigan, the Michigan Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Michigan Public Health Institute, the Susan B. Meister Child Health Evaluation and Research Center at Michigan Medicine and Patient and Family Partnerships, Inc.

CSHCS is a program within MDHHS and is a part of Title V of the Federal Social Security Act. The CSHCS program is for children and some adults with chronic health conditions. Its mission is to enable individuals with special health care needs to have improved health outcomes and an enhanced quality of life. For more information about CSHCS, visit the MDHHS website.

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Note: This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number H9EMC53190, Transition for Youth with Autism and/or Epilepsy Demonstration Projects, in the amount of $450,000. The contents are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government. Information on the Transition Project and a list of grantees can be found on the Transition for Youth With Autism and/or Epilepsy (HRSA MCHB) webpage.