Medical/Health Resources
The Cerebral Palsy Foundation’s Cerebral Palsy Resource website provides expert insights, fact sheets, stories, blogs, videos, podcasts and more to help individuals with cerebral palsy and their families across the lifespan.
The American Heart Association’s Support Network, in partnership with The Children’s Heart Foundation, provides a Congenital Heart Defect (CHD) Support Network for parents of young children diagnosed with CHDs or adults living with a CHD.
Provides care coordination for Cook County residents who have Medicaid insurance and have asthma, diabetes, sickle cell disease, or prematurity. Access learning modules on each specific medical issue.
Chicago and Illinois Mental Health Agencies and Organizations
The National Center on Domestic Violence, Trauma and Mental Health provides this list of mental health agencies and organizations in Chicago and statewide.
The list includes Asian Human Services, the Chicago LGBT Youth Resource Guide, counseling services, health centers and more.
Chicago Autism Network and Therapy Assistance Grants
The Chicago Autism Network is a nonprofit dedicated to helping locals find and afford effective autism therapy and supports.
The network offers therapy assistance grants for anyone living in Illinois with a current autism diagnosis. It also holds free monthly Autism Parent Workshops.
The Chicago Autism Network also provides a statewide Autism Services Directory to help families connect with services that meet their needs closer to home.
This site is a directory for locating dentists in the Chicago area.
Child & Family Connections of McHenry County
Child & Family Connections (CFC) is the starting point for the referral of children under 36 months of age to the Part C Early Intervention Service System in McHenry County. Early Intervention services are designed to meet an infant’s or toddler’s needs if they are experiencing issues related to five specific areas of development: physical, cognitive, communication, social-emotional and adaptive.
For more information, click on the brochure in English or Spanish.
Child and Adolescent Mental Health Information and Resources
Mental health is an important part of overall health for children as well as adults. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIH) provides a list of behavioral signs and symptoms to watch for in children and adolescents. This NIH site also includes information on:
- Addressing and finding treatment
- Health hotlines
- Mental health research news
- Educational information
The Child Neurology Foundation (CNF) is a patient advocacy organization offering tools, education resources, and a network of more than 48 organizations to help children and their families living with neurologic conditions find social services and emotional support.
CNF’s Family Support Program helps families navigate the journey of being a caregiver of a child with a neurologic condition. Families can connect with trained staff who will listen and help with:
- Learning about a child neurology disorder and clinical trials
- Connecting to disease-specific organizations
- Talking to another parent
- Navigating insurance and more
See the CNF Family Support Program flyer to learn more. You can request help online or by calling (859) 551-4977.
Children and Youth with Special Healthcare Needs in Emergencies
All children have unique needs in emergencies, but care for children with special healthcare needs is often more complex because of their various health conditions and extra care requirements. They may have a hard time moving from one place to another, urgent or constant medical needs, difficulty communicating or have trouble with transitioning to different situations. A disaster can present all these difficulties at once.
The CDC provides information on how to prepare and respond so you can help maintain calm and keep your family safe.