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Hurricane Response – Resources for Children with Special Health Care Needs


In the wake of the 2017 Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria, ensuring children and their families remain connected to the services and support they rely on is important to recovering communities. This is especially true for children with special health care needs (CSHCN).

CSHCN are a population that may need additional attention and support during an emergency. CSHCN have or are at increased risk for having chronic physical, developmental, behavioral, or emotional conditions. They require health and related services of a type or amount beyond that typically required by children.

This collection of resources provides response and recovery information for use by families, organizations, and clinicians providing care to CSHCN in the affected areas.  These resources complement guidance provided by state and/or local authorities, which may have more information about location specific activities and services. For more information, contact state maternal and child health or CSHCN programs.



  • Explore the Title V Federal-State Partnership: A webpage from Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) that provides information about Title V Federal-State partnerships that help states address the health services needs of mothers, infants, and children, including children with special health care needs and their families.
  • Emergency Information Form ​for Children with Special Health Needs: An important document from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) that can help ensure that children with special health needs receive prompt and appropriate care when neither their parent nor regular healthcare provider is available.


HHS/ASPR’s Division of At-Risk Individuals, Behavioral Health, and Community Resilience (ABC) coordinated with the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Maternal and Child Health Bureau through a subgroup of the Children’s HHS Interagency Leadership on Disasters (CHILD) workgroup to develop this list of resources. The subgroup assessed gaps and identified opportunities to leverage HHS programs to address the health care needs and offer resources for CSHCN.