UIC Division of Specialized Care for Children - About the Peoria Regional Office

Peoria Regional Office staff are available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Professional and Support staff work together as a team to provide care coordination for eligible children. Team members include Nurses, Social Workers, Speech and Hearing professionals and program consultant aides (PCA). A Program Services Manager (PSM) supervises the Regional office team. The office is located at:

State of Illinois Regional Office Building
5415 North University Avenue, Room #106
Peoria, IL. 61614-4779
Phone: 309-693-5350
Toll-free within Illinois: 800-382-8569
FAX 309-693-5306
TDD 309-693-5345
email: peoriaro@uic.edu

If you have questions about any of our programs or would like information about available resources within the counties served, please contact us.

Regional Office staff are available at the following locations and times to meet with families, answer questions, take referrals, and offer assistance with any special health care needs:

Peoria has a Hemophilia Clinic:

Comprehensive Bleeding Disorder Center
Dr. Michael Tarantino, Medical Director
5019 N. Executive Dr.
Peoria, IL 61614
(309) 692-4533 or (888) 322-8670
www.hemophilia-ctr-peoria.com

Clinics are held on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of the month with Dr. Tarantino and other consultations as needed.

Outreach Hemophilia Clinics are located in:
Rockford--Swedish American Hospital
Decatur--Decatur Memorial Hospital
Danville--United Samaritan Provena

There is also a Clinic Available for Children who are Technology Dependent:

Pediatric Home Ventilator Clinic
Dr. Adalberto Torres, Director
420 NE Glen Oak Ave. fourth floor
Peoria, IL 61603
Call (309) 655-2312 or (877) 655-2464

CIOAT (Central Illinois Oral-facial Anomalies Team)
serves Central Illinois Children and Young Adults with Cleft Lip and Palate:

The Central Illinois Oral-facial Anomalies Team meets the second Thursday of the month (except July). To inquire more about the team, contact the local DSCC office at (309) 693-5350 or toll free at (800) 382-8569.

New Resource: Yellow Pages for Kids with Disabilities
Check out this new resource that provides an extensive list of many resources for families and children with disabilities. Yellow Pages for Kids with Disabilities web site is organized by state and includes government resources, grassroots organizations and parent support groups.

Telephone Help

In Illinois, Ameritech (AKA SBC), Verizon and Illinois Consolidated Telephone customers can get assistance with phone bills from Lifeline, a government program that offers qualified people a discount on their monthly local telephone bill. Another program, Link Up, helps consumers who are eligible to save up to 50% on telephone installation fees. Eligibility criteria can also be found at the above website.

Autism Program

The P.L.A.Y. (Play and Language for Autistic Youngsters) Project is a set of programs designed to provide individualized interventions for young children with autistic spectrum disorders. For further information contact Sara Scott, Developmental Therapist/P.L.A.Y. Project Consultant at Easter Seals, 507 East Armstrong, Peoria, IL, 61603, phone (309) 686-7722 or at www.sscott@ci.easterseals.com General information may be obtained at www.playproject.org.

RESOURCE WEBSITES:

Information for, about and by caregivers - www.caregiver.com

For money saving ideas - http://www.mommysavers.com

For resources and databases regarding a variety of disability and rehabilitation issues - http://www.naric.com

Spinal Cord Injury Information Network - http://www.spinalcord.uab.edu/show.asp?durki=21822

For a variety of programs and resources offered through the State of Illinois - http://www.illinois.gov

Information about Peoria - http://www.peoriachamber.org/index.php

The Kaiser Foundation released new guides that explain the role of Medicare and Medicaid for roughly 20 million children, adults and seniors with disabilities. These guides are found at http://www.kff.org/medicare/med020705pkg.cfm

The Central Illinois Business Leadership Network newsletter has listed a website for a newsletter for young, disabled persons entering the work force - http://www.youthhood.org/youthhood/index.asp

Grundy, Kendall, Will and Kankakee
Resource & Referral

Child Care Resource & Referral is a child care referral service and consumer education provider for the public seeking child care. They can also help income-eligible parents pay for child care. Presently they have 850 prviders in their database and are always recruiting more. They provide trainings, which meet DCFS standards, and have a nurse on board for providers and children's issues. Call (815) 741-1163 with questions or for further information.

Consumer Stipends Available

This stipend enables people with developmental disabilities and their family members to attend conferences of their choice directly related to developmental disability issues.

Stipends of $300/person or $500/family per year are available through the ARC of Illinois.
Money will pay for registration, childcare, meals, respite care, other expenses.
Requests must be received 30 days prior to conference.
Call (708) 206-1930 or go to their website: www.thearcofil.org

Angel Food Ministries

Need help with the cost of groceries? Angel Food Ministries, through Riverside Community Church in Peoria, can help. Check out this website for further information: http://www.riversidepeoria.com/ministries/details.asp?id=219

Christian Record Services

Offers free national camps for blind children, education assistance, lending library materials, glaucoma screening and other services to the blind. For more information, contact Victor Berg at (309) 462-5723.

Keeping Kids Safe!

KIDS IN CARS is a national organization dedicated to preventing injuries and deaths that occur due to children being left unattended in or around motor vehicles. In an effort to prevent future non-traffic vehicle-related injuries and deaths, KIDS IN CARS is focused on four main goals:

Maintaining a national database
Implementing education and awareness programs
Advocating for policy change
Recommending regulations for product design

For further information long on to www.kidsincars.org

Good Information for Parents...

Sign up at Parent Center for a customized, informative and fun weekly newsletter which includes information and news tailored specifically for your family! You will find fun activities, topics regarding parenting dilemmas, revealing polls, community support resources, information for shopping and saving money and many other useful areas of information. Their website is www.parentcenter.babycenter.com

ILLINOIS SPECIAL EDUCATION

"DEDICATED TO HELPING THE PARENTS OF
ILLINOIS SPECIAL EDUCATION CHILDREN"

Illinois Parents Groups
Child Advocates
Resource Organization
IEP Tape Records and Book List
Special Education Lawyers
Legal Research Resources
Where to File Complaints
Illinois State Board of Education
Political
Illinois Learning Disability Organizations and Schools

This website provides a wealth of information to assist parents in helping their children with special needs and may be found at www.illinoisspecialed.com.

LIFELINE AND LINK-UP FOR
ILLINOIS PHONE CUSTOMERS

Lifeline is a government program that offers qualified people a discount on their monthly local telephone bill. An eligible customer has a choice between two different programs, the Lifeline program or the USA Lifeline program. Link-Up helps households pay the installation charge for telephone service. If you are eligible for Lifeline, you are eligible for Link-Up. For further information customers may log on to the following sites: Ameritech customers : www.lifelinesupport.org/li/consumers/states/il/ameril.asp;
Illinois Consolidated customers: www.lifelinesupport.org/li/consumers/states/il/ilcontel.asp; and for Verizon customers: www.lifelinesupport.org/li/consumers/states/il/verizonil.asp.

CAMP BIG SKY operated by
Why Not Now? Inc.
9932 Grange Hall Road
Princeville, IL 61559

This not-for-profit corporation, which leases 100 acres of forest, lakes and grassland near Farmington, IL, provides accessible fishing, camping, hunting, boating and other related outdoor opportunities to people with disabilities. All activities are scheduled in advance and are appropriately supervised with volunteers. Services are provided, without cost, to the participants and their families and friends. For further information call (309) 258-6002. www.campbigsky.org