Children's Medical Services for Families
“Transition is a process, not an event in time.”
Transition
We can help you to:
- Be your own health care advocate
- Take charge of your health care information
- Plan for transfer to an adult doctor
- Know your rights
- Start thinking about whether you want or need more schooling after high school
- Put paperwork together that will help you reach your goals
- Prepare for a job and speak up for yourself
- Meet people and make friends
- Know where to get information about recreational experiences
- Enjoy recreation and fun at home and in your community
Some of the things we may discuss in your Transition Plan:
- Primary and specialty care (such as nutrition, fitness, and sexuality)
- Mental health care (if you need to learn more about family counseling or need to talk about concerns related to feeling depressed, or help with smoking, alcohol, or other behaviors)
- Vocational goals (if you want to discuss college, learning other kinds of job skills, and if you need accommodations or assistive technology at work or school)
- Questions about insurance, income, work-related benefits, and financial assistance programs
- Legal information (guardianships, trust funds, your rights and responsibilities, draft registration, and making a will)
- Living arrangements (including what support you may need to live independently)
- Life skills (help with budgeting, cooking, cleaning, transportation, self-care, self-advocacy skills, communication skills, problem-solving skills, information-gathering skills, personal hygiene, social skills, personal safety)
- Social life (making friends, family, life partners/children, church, community, and fun activities)
- Questions about culture and identity
Essential Information
- CMS Youth Transition Plan
- CMS Making the Most of Your Transition — A Simple Booklet for Teens in Transition
- CMS Transition Checklist for Teens — Education Transition to Adulthood
- CMS Making the Most of Your Visit with the Doctor
- CMS Transition New Mexico Colleges and Universities
What is a Medical Home?
A medical home is not a building or a place. It is, ideally, a community where you and your child/family work together with your care team (including doctors, nurses, your Children’s Medical Services social worker, and other medical providers that your family sees). In your medical home, you are partners with your care team so that the care you receive is compassionate and easy to use. Through care coordination, we can help you navigate your medical home so that you get the care that you need for your family.
Learn More
Please visit the following websites to learn more.