Eligibility
Children under 21 who are HPSM members and have been diagnosed with certain physical or mental health conditions may be able to join the CCS/Whole Child Care Program. To learn more, call 650-616-2500.
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Learn more about CCS
Whole Child Model and California Children’s Services (CCS)
Since 2013, HPSM has partnered with San Mateo County CCS to provide comprehensive health care for more than 1,880 children with complex and chronic medical issues. These conditions vary from the comparatively moderate (such as diabetes) to the potentially debilitating (developmental disability, blindness, cancer and many others). Each special needs child requires frequent, ongoing medical care above and beyond what other children typically need. CCS helps children and their families access this care, which makes a world of difference.
A unique approach
Launched in 2013, the CCS Pilot grew out of the statewide CCS Program, which has been offered in all 58 California counties since 1927. But the Pilot represented the first time that a public health plan (HPSM) has partnered with a county health system (San Mateo County) to jointly administer CCS services.
The CCS Pilot has pioneered a “Whole Child Model” treatment approach that coordinates all services and support through a single access point while providing dedicated case management for each member. This makes it easier for families and caregivers to get their loved ones the specialized care they need. It also facilitates enhanced care coordination that integrates primary and specialty care. This enables doctors to communicate with one another and successfully collaborate on each child’s case.
Outcomes have been so successful that state lawmakers passed legislation based on the CCS Pilot in 2016. As a result, 20 other California counties adopted the Whole Child Model starting in 2018.
How CCS helps
- Every child who is a part of the CCS program is cared for by a CCS Public Health Nurse
- We speak over 100 languages between our bilingual staff and interpreter service
- CCS staff can help families by:
- Showing them how to access and pay for medical treatment and services through the Whole Child Model
- Explaining their child’s medical condition and recommending specialists who can treat it
- Help families apply for social services (such as SSI, food stamps and housing services) as well as other medical programs
- Help families resolve concerns or complaints about their child’s medical care or access to services and file appeals for denial of care
Services & treatments CCS provides
HPSM’s Whole Child Model can help pay for these and other services and treatments (if they are deemed medically necessary):
- Doctor/specialist visits
- Surgeries
- Hospital stays
- Lab tests and x-rays
- Medicine
- Formula
- Diapers
- Mental health services
- Medical supplies
- Orthopedic appliances
- Medical equipment (e.g., wheelchairs, hearing aids, etc.)
- Physical, occupational and speech therapy
- In-Home Nursing Services (IHSS)
Praise for CCS/Whole Child Model
"The partnership between HPSM and the County's CCS Program has made it easier for our families to access community-based services. Bilingual HPSM-CCS staff have been particularly helpful to families we see with limited English proficiency."
Lee M. Sanders, MD, MPH
"The Whole Child Model addresses not just the member’s CCS condition, but all the needs of the child and family. Its success is based on the whole family’s active involvement."
Glenn Ibarrientos
"With Whole Child Model staff co-located at HPSM, families call one person when they need services, referrals or advice. This makes it easier for them to get the best quality care for their children."