MUSC Children's Hospital - Center for Child Advocacy

We're all about children!

Center for Child Advocacy

Established in 2001, the Center for Child Advocacy provides a variety of government relations, advocacy, Medicaid service development, and outreach services in support of MUSC Children's Hospital and the South Carolina Children's Hospital Collaborative. The Collaborative is a non-profit organization comprised of the four children's hospitals in South Carolina.

Children's hospitals have advocacy as one of their core missions. Often, advocacy takes the form of government relations, a reflection of the dependent relationship between Medicaid and children's hospitals. In fact, the National Association of Children's Hospitals. cites that "Medicaid accounts for nearly half of all inpatient discharges and costs" nationwide, and, as a result, "...the ability of children's hospitals to exist and benefit all children is intertwined with the long-term future of Medicaid." South Carolina is no exception, with nearly 50% of both inpatient and outpatient services being provided to Medicaid-eligible children.

In addition to government relations, the center manages various advocacy initiatives and outreach services. The Center's primary initiative is MUSC Children's Care, a network of medical homes (primary care physicians) for Medicaid-eligible and uninsured children in the tri-county area. Formed in 1998, MUSC Children's Care now provides bilingual care to over 6,200 children from the tri-county area.

From 2003 - 2005, the Center for Child Advocacy, held a contract with the state Medicaid agency, SC Department of Health and Human Services, that allowed the Center to survey pediatric and family practices in the tri-county (Berkeley, Charleston & Dorchester) to determine which practices currently accepted (new and current) Medicaid patients. A provider directory was created, updated, and listed here. That provider directory has not been updated since the funding ended in October of 2005. A more current state-wide listing is maintained through The Palmetto Project at www.schealthcare.org.

Contact information for center personnel is noted below:

Charles P. Darby, Jr., M.D. Executive Director of CCA Professor Emeritus of MUSC Pediatrics Founder of MUSC Children's Hospital Phone: (843) 534-0033 darbyc@musc.edu	Maggie Michael Director of CCA Phone: (843) 534-0035 michaelm@musc.edu	Dena Hughes Program Manager Phone: (843) 534-0033 hughesd@musc.edu
MAIL TO: Center for Child Advocacy 310 Broad St., Suite 10 Charleston, SC 29401 Phone: (843) 534-0033 Fax: (843) 534-0039