Do you have a passion for helping other families in Northwest Oklahoma?

The Oklahoma Family Network (OFN)is currently recruiting parents who have a child with special needs to join their staff. Interested parents can consider applying for the following position right here in Northwest Oklahoma!:

NW Regional Coordinator
Required Characteristics: Applicants should have a child of any age with special health care needs or a disability and possess a good working knowledge of services available to children with special health care needs (CSHCN) in their community. Preference will be shown to family members who are identified in their community as one who is already supporting families of CSHCN.

Role: The role of the NW Regional Coordinator will be to provide outreach to families of children with special health care needs (CSHCN) in the northwest quadrant of the state including the following counties: Cimarron, Texas, Beaver, Harper, Woods, Alfalfa, Grant, Kay, Nobel, Payne, Garfield, Blaine, Major, Woodward, Ellis, Roger Mills, Dewey and Custer. (OFN director Joni Bruce has indicated that the coordinator will focus initial efforts in their home community and then expand from there).

Duties will include identifying and training potential supporting families in their region, match referred families with trained supporting parents and assist families in finding resources they need with follow-up. Lastly, they will provide public relations work in their region and research for existing parent groups of CSHCN and resources in their area and share them with families.

Hire date: As soon as possible
Hours per week: 12
Pay Range: $8-$9.50 per hour depending on level of experience

Oklahoma Caring Van Program

The Oklahoma Caring Vans provide free immunizations to children so they can stay healthy. These mobile units are staffed by registered nurses. Since 1999, the Oklahoma Caring Vans have provided more than 100,000 immunizations to Oklahoma children.

Parents or guardians must bring a copy of their child's immunization records and be present to complete paperwork.

Contact the Caring Van Program Coordinator at (405) 316-7250 in Oklahoma City or (918) 551-3414 in Tulsa .

Learn more about the program online at:
http://www.bcbsok.com/caringvan_schedule.html

The Caring Van is coming to Enid!

When: July 30
Where: McDonald's, 1010 W Maine
Time: 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Become a part of Sooner SUCCESS

Sooner SUCCESS is a coalition of local parents and providers who care about children with special needs and their families. Join us as we work to:

a) identify unmet needs in Garfield County
b) bring new resources and information to families and those who support them.

If you have an interest in special needs, you're invited to join us at our next coalition meeting ----Thursday, July 10th from noon to 1 p.m. at the Bass Pavilion. We meet in the 1st floor conference room and have a brown bag format, so you are welcome to bring your lunch and join us over your lunch hour.

This month we will be discussing:
1. Our summer youth activity - Play Matters

2. How to start a Special Olympics team for elementary students in rural areas.
3. Mobile dental services for those without insurance or access to dental care.

Hope to see you on Thursday!
Lisa

Lisa Simmons
Garfield County Coordinator
Sooner SUCCESS

Have questions? Call me at 603-1580!

Presidential Candidate speaks out on autism

In this You Tube video, Barack Obama discusses his policies concerning people with autism and other disabilities.

Click here to view the video

What autism does to a Mother

Redbook magazine recently published the 2nd in a series of articles that are doing on the personal side of autism and how it impacts families. In part one, you can meet the Kalkowski family and walk with them through the diagnosis process at:

Click here to read part 1

In part 2......
Nicole Kalkowski knows that beyond the stress, fear, and family turmoil that come with learning that your child has this devastating disorder, there is also a devastating aloneness. In the second installment of Living With Autism, we follow this mother of three as she struggles to save her son and finds help — for her children and for herself — in unexpected places.

Click here to read part 2

Care Notebooks Help Families Maintain Records

Sooner SUCCESS believes that parents are the experts on their children and need to be empowered with practical tools to help them manage their child's care.

The Care Notebook, created by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), helps parents and caregivers maintain an ongoing record of their child's unique care, services, providers, and notes. It is also a way to help keep the lines of communication open between the many providers and services that can make up a family’s medical home.

Health professionals recommend that parents/caregivers bring this notebook everywhere: to all medical appointments, therapies, care conferences, school meetings, even on vacations where new service providers may be necessary.

The AAP Care Notebook can even be customized online to fit the personal needs of each child.

For assistance in building a care notebook or to request links to other online examples of Care Notebooks, contact Lisa Simmons at 603-1580.

Low birth weight increases risk of autism, particularly in girls

Low birth weight and preterm birth increase the risk of autism in infants by about twofold, but more than threefold for girls, according to a new study. The research bolsters the suspected link between autism, low birth weight, and prematurity.

To read more details about this study, click here to visit Web MD