Medical Home
About Our Medical Home Initiative
Health happens everywhere. A medical home is not a place or a building. It’s a model for care that is family-centered, coordinated, comprehensive, accessible, compassionate, culturally-effective and meets the needs of all children and families.
The Wisconsin Medical Home Initiative was established in 2010 by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. It has been administered by Children’s Health Alliance of Wisconsin since 2015. The Wisconsin Medical Home Initiative is funded by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services’ Title V Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs Program and the Maternal Child Health Program located in the Division of Public Health.
Nearly 1 in 5 Wisconsin children have a special health care need.
In Wisconsin, only 44% of children and youth with special health care needs receive care within a medical home.
Nationally, only 30% of children who have disabilities are identified before they start school.
What We Do
We work to ensure more Wisconsin children and youth with special health care needs are served within a medical home. We do this by providing training and technical assistance for clinicians, health care teams and local public health departments. The Wisconsin Medical Home Initiative empowers youth and families to become partners and leaders within their health care teams.
Wisconsin Medical Home Initiative
The Wisconsin Medical Home Initiative works statewide. We help build trusting partnerships between families, health care teams, public health departments and community organizations to promote children’s health and development.
Developmental Screening
Studies have shown that children who receive early intervention for developmental delays are more likely to have positive outcomes. Learn about our developmental screening training and support for professionals working with children and families.
Mental Health Screening
Primary care providers and early childhood professionals have unique opportunities for timely identification and referral of social-emotional concerns. Learn about our pediatric mental health screening tools, training and resources.
Care Coordination
We support pediatric health care teams’ efforts to advance family-centered care coordination. These team‐based activities are designed to meet the needs of children and youth while enhancing the family’s caregiving capabilities. Care coordination addresses medical, social, developmental, behavioral, educational and financial needs in order to achieve optimal health and wellness outcomes.
Family Engagement
We empower families and youth to share their perspectives to improve support and services. Learn how to get involved and make systems more effective and responsive for children, families and the community.
Learning Communities
We support teams through a collaborative approach that encourages participants to share their work, discuss ways to improve and learn from one another.
Contact Our Staff
Geeta Wadhwani, MPH, RN, BSN
Program Leader
(414) 337-2231
gwadhwani@childrenswi.org
Morgan Conti
Program Manager
(414) 337-4566
mconti@childrenswi.org
Colleen Lane
Program Manager
(608) 442-4177
clane@childrenswi.org
Medical Home News
Incorporating Emotional and Behavioral Health into Preventive Care
The pandemic has underscored the urgent need to incorporate emotional and behavioral health as a practice of preventative well care. The stress experienced by children and adolescents can vary [...]
Medical Home: Food Insecurity and Health Pilot
Approximately 7.6% of children were food insecure at some point in 2020. By July 2022, about 12% of people in Milwaukee County did not know where their next meal [...]
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Medical Home Minute
Monthly news, events and resources from the Wisconsin Medical Home Initiative.
