A Family to Family Health Information Center (F2F HIC) has been operating in Montana since 2003.  Since June 1, 2019, Montana’s F2F HIC has been located at the Rural Institute for Inclusive Communities at the University of Montana in Missoula.  Prior to that, the center was housed at PLUK (Parents, Let’s Unite for Kids), a grass roots, family-led organization that closed its doors in 2019.

The grant for the current F2F HIC was written by Jenn Banna, Shawna Hanson, and Martin Blair.  Jenn and Shawna are both parents of children with special health care needs.  Martin Blair is a former special education teacher and the current executive director at the Rural Institute for Inclusive Communities.

The parents working in our center have first-hand experience and understand the challenges faced by families of children and youth with special health care needs.  We provide critical support for families caring for children with complex needs. We are here to assist providers, state and federal agencies, legislators and other stakeholders to better understand and serve children and their families with special health care needs.  We also provide trainings and presentations tailored for families and professionals about topics of interest in living, or working, with families of children with special health care needs.