BCMH
Bureau of Children with Medical Handicaps

Coordinator : Kathy Spanfellner, BSN, RN

Families who have children with special health needs such as muscular dystrophy, AIDS, diabetes, cerebral palsy, etc, are eligible for BCMH-funded services.

Through the diagnostic and treatment programs, families are linked with quality care providers and receive assistance in paying for medical care of eligible children. Locally, the Health Department serves as the family's community contact to access BCMH services.

The Health Department can help service coordination and home visits from a public health nurse. The nurse helps families find the right doctors, plus helps the family learn as much information as possible about their child's condition.

The BCMH program also enables any child who may have a medically handicapping condition to be examined by a BCMH-approved doctor at no cost. If the child is found to have a medically handicapping condition, and if the child is financially eligible, the BCMH program will pay for visits to a doctor who participates in the BCMH program. If the child is eligible, BCMH will also pay for certain treatments and surgeries.

Who is eligible?
Children under the age of 21, who are residents of Ohio, are under the care of a BCMH approved physician and have a chronic, physically handicapping condition, are eligible.

Eligible Medical Conditions
Eligible conditions are those that are chronic, physically handicapping and can be treated. Some of the conditions for treatment are:

• Diabetes
• Cerebral palsy
• Hearing loss
• Cystic fibrosis
• Scoliosis
• Epilepsy
• AIDS
• Cancer
• Sickle cell disease
• Hemophilia
• Heart defects
• Cleft Lip and palate
• Spinal injuries
• Juvenile arthritis
• Vision problems
• Respiratory distress syndrome
• Chronic pulmonary disease