Health Promotion & Preparedness
Children with Medical/Healthcare Needs
Children with Medical Handicaps (CMH) is a healthcare program in the Ohio Department of Health. CMH links families of children with significant healthcare needs to a network of quality providers and helps families obtain payment for the services their child needs.
CMH supports the medical home for children with significant healthcare needs. A medical home is a way to provide high-quality health care that is:
- Family centered
- Accessible
- Continuous
- Comprehensive
- Coordinated
- Compassionate
- Culturally competent
Most importantly, a medical home is a partnership between the healthcare provider and the child’s family. CMH works with doctors and other health-care providers to ensure that every child with a special health need will have a medical home.
Significant healthcare needs may be caused by a condition a child is born with or develops later.
Those who are:
- Age 0-21
- Permanent residents of Ohio
- Under the care of a CMH-approved doctor (M.D. or D.O.) and who have or may have a chronic medical condition
Some of the eligible conditions include:
- AIDS
- Cancer
- Cerebral palsy
- Chronic lung disease
- Cleft lip/palate
- Congenital heart disease
- Cystic fibrosis
- Diabetes
- Hearing loss
- Hemophilia
- Juvenile arthritis
- Metabolic disorders
- Scoliosis
- Severe vision disorders
- Sickle cell disease
- Spina bifida
The child’s CMH-approved doctor (M.D. or D.O.) sends a Medical Application Form to CMH. Public health nurses can start the application process by referring families to CMH-approved doctors. The parent or legal guardian (or client, if 18 years of age or older) must sign the release of information and consent on the application form before CMH can act on the application.
Call Wood County Health Department at 419-352-8402.
Community Health Center
The Wood County Community Health Center provides quality health services to improve the well-being of individuals and families. We serve all of our community with courteous and friendly high-quality primary and preventative health services and welcome all new patients, regardless of income level or insurance coverage.