Shriners Parade 06/21/03

The CHOICES Program

The CHOICES program is a model of how public and private agencies, working together, can improve services and reduce costs at the same time. When CHOICES was first initiated in late 1990, little thought had been given to national health care reform. The emphasis for health care at that time was on competition rather than cooperation.

The CHOICES program is intended to help children with special health care needs, many of whom had long term, disabling health problems. Often, Shriners Hospitals served some of their health care needs, while they were enrolled in state-operated programs, called Title V agencies, to meet other medical needs. Although they treated the same children, the organizations did not always work well together.

Recognizing that there was a problem, Shriners Hospitals entered into a discussion with the Title V agencies, resulting in a grant request which was approved and funded to begin in October 1990, with Shriners Hospitals providing resources to support the program, which had as its goal to find ways in which Shriners Hospitals and state Title V agencies would work together to provide comprehensive services to children with special needs.

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