In 1929, Ruth Wendell opened the doors to the Arizona Society for Crippled Children.  This was the start of a series of charitable programs to help poor children with handicapping conditions.  In 1935, the federal government passed the Social Security Act. Title V is the section which established programs for children and pregnant women. As part of the children's services, recognition was made of the special health care needs of many children.

These state and federal programs eventually led to what is now known as the Children's Rehabilitative Services (CRS) program.  For many years, CRS was the only program in the Arizona Department of Health Services that addressed the issues of children and youth with special health care needs (C/YSHCN). Then, in 1992, OCSHCN was formed in order to focus attention on the public health and system of care needs of this population, their families and their communities.  In 1997, CRS and OCSHCN were merged, permitting a coordinated and comprehensive approach to the planning, implementation and evaluation of programs and policies.

The contract to run the CRS program has been held by St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center for well over ten years. St. Joseph's began providing clinic and in patient services to CRS patients and quickly expanded its role to include all plan administration.

St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center has managed the program growth to almost twice the size of what it was ten years ago. Currently, St. Joseph's contracts with two other local hospitals, subspecialty physicians and several other healthcare providers to help support this growth.

Last Updated 08/02/2007