Special Medical Services (SMS) helps New Hampshire families obtain specialty health care services for their eligible children and health information and support services for themselves. 

Eligibility for services is based on a family annual gross income of up to 185% of the Federal Poverty Level Guidelines and the need of the child.  An application package is available by contacting 1-800-852-3345 ext. 4488.

Information and referral about a variety of chronic illness or disabilities affecting children, as well as national, state and community resources is provided to families and the professional community.

Referral to medical specialists experienced with children who have special health care needs (CSHCN) is available for children who already have a diagnosis and for children who may not yet have a diagnosis or are considered "at risk" of developing a chronic disease or disabling condition.  This service is provided by contacting professional staff directly, and/or using the email feature on the Contact Info page.

Children's specialty team clinic services organize and simplify access to a variety of health professionals at one time.  Team clinics include a medical director, care coordinator, physical therapists, nutritionist, psychologists, developmental pediatricians, pediatric orthopedists, and others.  Some of these services are provided under contract to SMS.

Child Development; a statewide network of five programs to provide a community-based approach to state-of-the-art diagnostic evaluation services, for children ages 0-6 suspected of or at risk for altered developmental progress.

Neuromotor Disabilities; a statewide network of five specialty clinics which are family-centered, community based and interdisciplinary; coordinator and consultant staff address issues of physical therapy, orthopedics, and developmental pediatrics; nutrition and psychology consultation available.

Nutrition, Feeding and Swallowing consultation network is available for assessment, planning, and intervention with children who have a variety of nutritional and feeding difficulties (i.e.; failure to thrive, cystic fibrosis, cleft lip and palate, diabetes, food allergies).  Services are available in the home, at school, and in community settings (i.e.; early intervention programs).  In addition to providing direct services, the network professionals also provide training and consultation to physicians and other community professionals.

Care Coordination services are provided to any family with a child who has special health care needs regardless of family income or where families go to receive services.  Families and care coordinators work together to make a plan of care for the child.  Coordinators help families to find, apply for and get a broad range of medical, social and financial resources from a variety of agencies or providers.  Examples include helping to apply for Medicaid or other financial assistance, finding a nutritionist to come to the home, problem-solving family concerns, going with the family to medical visits or school meetings and/or linking a family with a parent resource person or support group.

Financial Assistance for health care and related services is provided to eligible families.  Payment is provided for a variety of expenses that are identified within the child's health care plan (lab work, diagnostic tests, doctor's visits, durable medical equipment, hospitalizations, medications, family support, and others.)

Psychology consultation services are available to any family regardless of financial eligibility.  The psychologist provides family and school consultations, individual child assessments, and selected short-term treatment.  Issues addressed include behavior management, learning problems and diagnosis, self-care concerns, and problems of therapeutic adherence and self-esteem.  A major focus is triage to community services and problem-solving regarding gaps in mental health services.

Family support services are provided directly by SMS staff as described above and through two contracts with community-based agencies.  New Hampshire Family Voices is part of a national network of similar parent-administered organizations.  NHFV is staffed by three parents of CSHCN who can personally relate to the issues and concerns raised by families seeking assistance.  In addition to support and information offered via the 1-800-852-3345 ext. 4525 provided by SMS, NH Family Voices maintains a comprehensive lending library specializing in children's books for families, publishes a quarterly newsletter titled, "Pass It On" and annual listing of support groups/organizations, and operates a comprehensive website.  Staff is also active in providing education to the professional community and in policy advisory functions.

Upper Valley Support Group is the second community-based agency that provides family support services through an SMS contract.  This agency, through its Parent-to-Parent of New Hampshire network, provides one on one peer matches, emotional support (a listening ear), information and referral, and distributes written materials to families who have children with special health care needs.  They provide consultation and technical assistance to coordinators who have been hired by other systems for parent matching and to representatives of other states who are using Parent to Parent of New Hampshire as a model for creating their statewide parent-to-parent networks.  The Parent to Parent website is available for requesting matches, communicating with others via a message board and using a Just 4 Kids site.  The phone number is 1-800-698- LINK (5465).