Project Description:
Title: UPDATE the following CA LEND
Description/Overview:
NEED: States face challenges in improving health status and health services access for children with neurodevelopmental disabilities. The program responds to the need for professionals in multiple disciplines trained to assume positions of leadership in their family-centered, culturally-competent care.
GOAL 1: LEADERSHIP TRAINING: To meet the existing and projected needs, especially in California and the West, for training of professional leaders who specialize in the health care of, and systems of health care delivery for, children with, or at risk for, neurodevelopmental and related disabilities and their families.
Objectives:
1. To recruit and train annually 12-15 or more (a minimum of 50 total) long-term trainees, and 45-50 (a minimum of 225) intermediate and short-term trainees, in a minimum of 10 disciplines, 40% of whom will represent culturally, racially and linguistically diverse communities, to meet the identified LEND competencies in the interdisciplinary, family-centered, culturally competent care of children with, or at risk for, neurodevelopmental and related disabilities.
2. To enhance university-based pre-service professional training programs by providing 20 or more courses focusing on emerging issues, research findings, health care and/or health care systems for children with, or at risk for, neurodevelopmental and related disabilities at affiliating and other universities per year.
3. To provide training opportunities in exemplary service clinics for infants, children and adolescents with, or at risk for, neurodevelopmental and related disabilities and their families in 3 LEND core clinics, and at least 15 other hospital clinics and community-based programs meeting the needs of people from diverse cultures and underserved population groups, including reaching rural communities through the use of distance technology (telemedicine).
GOAL 2: CONTINUING EDUCATION/TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE/DISSEMINATION. To expand and strengthen partnerships with local, state and national Title V and related programs, and to improve access to care and enhance the quality of life for children with special health care needs and their families, by meeting their existing and projected training needs through provision of continuing education, technical assistance and dissemination of educational resources.
Objectives:
1. Continuing Education - To develop and implement at least 20 educational events per year (100 total), at least half will utilize distance-learning technology.
2. Technical assistance ? To strengthen community-based services, and enhance trainee exposure to understanding service systems, by responding to at least 10 statewide and national technical assistance/ consultation requests, and by serving on at least 85 committees, task forces and advisory boards per year.
3. Disseminate information ? To enhance the knowledge of MCH professionals in response to research findings and developments in the field, through the development and national dissemination of at least 25 products and publications per year (125 total) delivered via the USC UCEDD Web Page, presentations at state/ national conferences, professional journals and/or other marketing strategies.
UNUSUAL FEATURES: The USC LEND program is a collaboration between pediatric faculty at the Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, faculty in other departments at USC, and several other universities in the Los Angeles area (UCLA, Calif State University Northridge, Calif State University Los Angeles). Trainees come from all of these programs. The LEND training program is also integrated into the accredited psychology internship, accredited dietetic internship, as well as the psychology post-doctoral fellowship programs at the UCEDD. LEND trainees meet together on Wednesday mornings to share interdisciplinary didactic and practicum experiences.
EXPECTED BENEFITS: Since 1966, the USC UCEDD has educated 1,949 short and intermediate-term trainees and graduated 831 long-term trainees. Graduates serve in State Title V and related programs; others have become clinical specialists in hospital-based and community -based programs serving children and families with special needs; others are on university faculties, many associated with University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDDs). A total of 895,173 children with, or at-risk for, neurodevelopmental and related disabilities and their families have been served. The USC UCEDD has provided continuing education to nearly 74,000 professionals or teams of professionals representing 46 states and Canada. Ongoing research includes 38 interdisciplinary projects; and publications to date total 289.
Core function areas: service, research, training, community ed/dissemination.
Tagret population: students, professionals, parents/caregivers, legislators.
Geographic area served: CA, multi-state, national
Funding source: MCHB
Years of funding: continuing
Area of Emphasis
Quality Assurance, Education & Early Intervention, Child Care-Related Activities, Health-Related Activities, Quality of Life, Other - Cultural Diversity, Other - Leadership, Other
Unserved or Under-served Populations:
Racial or Ethnic Minorities, Disadvantaged Circumstances, Limited English, Geographic Areas, Empowerment Zone, Renewal Community, Rural/Remote, Urban
Primary Target Audience Geographic Descriptor:
Single-County, Mulit-County, State, Regional, National
