Think of this scenario - You are told that your child needs specialized care, be it mental or physical. So you set out to get this care for your child, only to discover that your insurance doesn't cover it, you cannot afford this care, and/or that there is no such care available in your area of coverage. What do you do? How do you find the resources that exist to help you? You probably look online - only you find tons of links that are of no help to your specific situation. Who do you turn to, where do you go? You don't know so you become frustrated, feel helpless to help your own child, and you watch your child suffer - one of the greatest pains a parent can face.
What I am discovering is that there are resources available. But what I want to know is, why are they so hard to find? And if you think that the above scenario isn't something you need to worry about, ask yourself these two questions - What are the resources available to you to find the help for your child, if you needed them? Where would you find those resources on your own, as you most likely would have to do?
Each situation is different, but there is one commonality - parents feeling helpless to help their own child. And this isn't limited to low-income families, there are families with good insurance who have had to fight to get recommended care for their children. NO parent should ever feel helpless in providing the care that is recommended for their child. When a parent is struggling with an issue their child is suffering from that requires specialized care, the last thing he or she should be having to deal with is a mountain of red-tape, hidden resources, and feeling like they have the least amount of say in the matter. It just isn't right that a parent should be made to feel so helpless.
So, what do we do? We get the word out. We save links to all available resources. We stay proactive. We fight for ourselves, so that we can fight for our children! If you know anyone who has fought and struggled, but obtained those precious nuggets of information - get those resource links! Share them.
It took me writing to the White House to get a reaction. I intend to save every bit of information that I get. But I only will be having California resources given to me. Send me info on other states - I will share those with others. Believe me, I have online friends all over this country (and a couple in Canada as well), and they have friends, and so on - we can get the word out. But we have to start, we have to at least try.
I will compile a list of resources and put them all in one location. My ultimate goal is to have an easy to navigate online resource link for parents. Ideally, we could do this for each state, but that will take help and dedication from other parents, or those who are willing to strive to help all parents.
***Coming up - What the State of California says we can do, A resource list for California and federal links, What you should do now, before you need it, and more***
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