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Medical Foster Care

Contact: Florida Health

Mailing Address
Florida Health
4052 Bald Cypress Way
Tallahassee, FL 32399

The Medical Foster Care (MFC) Program offers home-based care that allows a foster child with a chronic medical condition to receive care within a family setting.

The Medical Foster Care (MFC) Program provides training and support for foster care parents who provide in-home, family-based, and individualized care for children ages birth to 21 years who have medically complex needs. The goal for children in Medical Foster Care is to grow and thrive in a nurturing home environment until their permanency goals are achieved. If you believe you might be interested in supporting the needs of medically complex foster children, please click here.

The program offers many services to the children, their birth families and to the medical foster parents. These services include the following:

Specialized Medical Support
Training
Enhanced Reimbursement Rates
Assistance with Reunification and Adoption
Support for Children After Foster Care

The MFC Program offers medical support both during the initial placement and throughout the child's stay with their foster parent(s).

A team of healthcare providers, including a pediatrician, nurse and social worker, coordinates care for the children with medical specialists, hospitals, equipment providers, therapists, health facilities, schools, foster care staff, and families.
A 24-hour on-call medical support line is available no matter the time of day or day of the week.
Home and community visits for assessment and support.
Referrals for needed resources.

Medical Foster Parents receive pre-service and in-service, training to remain eligible to provide these services. They also receive child-specific medical care training for each child that they care for.

All foster parents receive room and board reimbursement funding for their foster children from the State. Medical foster parents receive this funding and receive an enhanced reimbursement for providing MFC services.

Assistance and training is provided to both biological families and to adoptive families, depending on the child's permanency plan following foster care.

Once a child leaves medical foster care, MFC Program staff provide follow-up services to make certain that the child continues to receive the services they need.

Eligibility

Who is Eligible to be a Foster Care Parent?
Who is Eligible to Receive Medical Foster Care Services?

Medical foster parents must be adults with a high school diploma or equivalency. The following are also required:

Completion of the foster care pre-service training and background screening;
Completion of the medical foster parenting pre-service training;
Completion of CPR and First Aid Training; and
Enrollment as a provider of MFC services.

Assistance will be provided to applicants throughout the eligibility process.

Individuals age birth to 21 years who are Medicaid-eligible.
Individuals who are in voluntary or involuntary foster care.
Individuals with a special health care need that can be cared for in a home setting.