Bridges to Health

Bridges to Health

Bridges to Health—most commonly known as B2H— is a New York State program started in 2008 ( CV began in 2009)for children in foster care who have serious emotional problems, developmental disabilities or are medically fragile. The program addresses the complex needs of these children and their families by providing a wide range of services in their homes, reducing the need for hospitalizations and other out-of-home care.

Bridges to Health is significantly lowering the state’s healthcare costs while providing enhanced and expanded services to families.  Medical institutionalization of disabled children annually costs $185,000 to $300,000 per child compared to the cost of B2H, which is capped at  $51,600 per child. The program is approved by the federal Department of Health and Human Services to use Medicaid funding to provide services not otherwise available through Medicaid.

Bridges to Health provides the following services as needed:

• Health Care Integration
• Family/Caregiver Supports and Services
• Skill Building
• Day Habilitation
• Special Needs Community Advocacy and Support
• Prevocational Services
• Supported Employment
• Planned Respite
• Crisis Avoidance, Management and Training
• Immediate Crisis Response Services
• Intensive In-home Supports
• Crisis Respite
• Adaptive and Assistive Equipment
• Accessibility Modifications

To be eligible for Bridges to Health services, children must be in the custody of the Department of Social Service or OCFS Division of Juvenile Justice and Opportunities for Youth.  They must also be eligible for Medicaid, live in a setting of 12 beds or less, and have a qualifying diagnosis of: seriously emotional disturbances (SED); developmental disabilities (DD) or medically fragile (MedF).