Child Health Specialty Clinics (CHSC) is a community-based public health agency serving Iowa children and youth with special health care needs. Approximately 145,000 Iowa children and youth (20%) have a special health care need often requiring services and supports from many different providers and specialists. These include:
- Chronic conditions like asthma and diabetes
- Behavioral or developmental disorders like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or autism
- Complex medical diagnoses like genetic disorders or intellectual disabilities
CHSC partners with families, service providers, communities, and policy makers along with the Iowa Departments of Human Services, Public Health, and Education. CHSC has a network of regional centers and satellite locations across Iowa employing over 100 public health professionals, clinical providers, and family navigators.
CHSC operates under a System of Care approach to services for children and youth with special health care needs that recognizes the importance of family, school, and community, and seeks to promote the full potential of all children and youth. CHSC administers Iowa's Maternal and Child Health Title V Program for children and youth with special health care needs in partnership with the Iowa Department of Public Health.
CHSC is overseen by the University of Iowa Division of Child and Community Health and part of the Carver College of Medicine and the Stead Family Department of Pediatrics.