DC Accepted Papers Paper:
The Impact of Social Capital on Coordinating Care for Children with Special Health Care Needs
*Names in bold indicate Presenter
Children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN) receive services from a variety of systems. These systems include the health system, the educational system, and others. The medical neighborhood consists of a network of organizations and agencies that provide services and supports for CYSHCN in the health, educational, and social systems. Care coordination is necessary for CYSHCN to receive the appropriate services and supports through these various systems. Coordinating care for CYSHCN has been linked to improved care with the primary care physician of the CYSHCN, an enhanced experience of care, and better population health. Since CYSHCN often lack adequate formal care coordination, informal caregivers coordinate the care for their CYSHCN. Because of this, it is important to investigate both the opportunities and resources that informal caregivers may have. Using a national dataset, this study examines the relationship between social capital and care coordination carried out by informal caregivers for their CYSHCN. The consideration of the social capital of an informal caregiver may aid in coordinating care for CYSHCN, which could promote the health and well-being of the CYSHCN.
