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Hawaii's Foster Care Resource

Research Examines Health Needs of Children in Foster Care

Dr. Marilyn McCubbin, Director of the Center for Health Disparities Research, National Institute of Nursing Research at UH Manoa Nursing Department, has informed us funding will be provided to examine health care of children who go through the foster care system. The study title is “Identifying the gaps in supporting the health of children in foster care.”In July 2004, Caroline Ellermann, Assistant Professor in Nursing, along with Sarah Casken, HFPA Executive Director, will begin discussion groups with young adults formerly in foster care (age 18-19), with foster parents, and with professionals involved with the foster care system. The discussion topic will be about what the health care needs are of Hawaii’s children in foster care, and what is creating barriers for getting the health care needs met.

In order to create a focus on health issues, and understanding the support needed to receive care, a group of professionals, parents, and young adults who have experienced foster care, have formed the Foster Health Care Partnership. The group’s purpose is to identify specific information about the health issues that create a health disadvantage for children in foster care. The partnership’s long-range goal is to address some of the problems that create the health disparities for the state’s children in foster care. The group looks forward to collaborating with others who are examining this issue.

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