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County staff brief supervisors on early intervention services for infants and toddlers
Summary
Health Department staff gave a detailed overview of the county’s Early Intervention Program for children under 3, covering eligibility, referrals, service types, workforce and fiscal structure; staff reported about 600 active children, roughly 60 referrals a month, nine service coordinators and county cost share near 51%.
Health Department staff delivered a briefing on the county’s Early Intervention Program during the Sept. 2 Health and Human Services Committee meeting, describing program scope, referrals, service delivery and fiscal arrangements.
The presenter explained the Early Intervention Program provides therapeutic and support services to children under age 3 who have a disability or developmental delay in one or more areas of development (physical, cognitive, communication, social‑emotional or adaptive). The presenter said eligibility is not means‑tested: "there is no means testing, income, health insurance, anything like that." Referrals may come from anyone, though the presenter said about 60% originate with health‑care providers and roughly 30% from parents or guardians; parental consent is required before evaluation and services.
Services are delivered by licensed providers and the main service types noted were physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy, with additional services available. After evaluation, an Individual Family Service Plan (IFSP) is developed and staff coordinate services between families and providers.
Staff reported there are about 600 active children in the program, about nine direct early‑intervention service coordinators and one state‑contracted coordinator. The program receives approximately 60 referrals per month. On the fiscal side, the presenter said the county bears about 51% of program costs (primarily payments to providers) while the state covers about 49%; the Early Intervention Program is not eligible for Article 6 public health state aid. The presenter also noted covered‑lives assessments on certain payers provide a small amount of support, covering roughly 10% of service‑coordinator salary and fringe.
Staff identified operational challenges: provider shortages, increased complexity of children’s needs, language and translation requirements that legally require certified translators, and a recent state change to the central database that has lengthened provider and staff data‑entry time. The presenter said those database changes have made routine tasks take longer than before, affecting timely evaluations and service delivery.
Why it matters: Early intervention aims to identify and address developmental needs early, which staff said is both clinically effective and cost‑effective. Local program capacity, provider availability and administrative systems affect timeliness of evaluations and service delivery for young children.
No committee action was taken on the briefing; it was presented for information and discussion.
