Cultural acknowledgement
Department of Public Health acknowledges that health beliefs and practices vary across different people. You might use this toolkit differently depending on your unique community, culture, identities, or special health needs. This toolkit is intended to be inclusive and respectful of the ways young adults and their families manage their health and health decisions, both privately and with support of their communities.
Language access information
You can use the mass.gov Google Translate feature to view this content in your preferred language by clicking “Select Language” at the top of the window. Please note that some resources listed in this toolkit are from external organizations and may only be available in English and may not have translations available.
Disclaimer
All tools within the Health Transition Toolkit have been adapted from and refers to national, state and regional resources. DPH has discussed this toolkit with subject matter experts, young adults, and families for their help and feedback. This toolkit should be for personal use only and should not be used to diagnose or treat a condition. Please consult a doctor and do not rely solely on the toolkit for medical needs.
You can contact the DPH Community Support Line at (800) 882-1435 to speak with a resource specialist who can help answer questions about health transition. They can also help you find out if you’re eligible for services, including public benefits, care coordination, family supports, and other resources listed in this toolkit. Please note that the eligibility criteria for services mentioned in the toolkit can change over time.
Young adults should use this toolkit with help from their parents, caregivers, and support system. You can become more independent while still receiving support from those around you!
Definition list
These definitions are to help youth, young adults, and their families understand this chapter. These definitions were created by the Division for Children and Youth with Special Health Needs for use with the toolkit only.
- Care team: Group of healthcare professionals that help care for a patient.
- Discrimination: Being treated wrong or unfairly, because of race, ethnicity, disability, gender, sexual orientation, or other identities.
- Healthcare provider: Doctors, nurses, physician assistants, therapists, or other providers who help care for someone's health.
- Healthcare transition: When a young adult switches from having child healthcare providers to adult healthcare providers.
- Health conditions: Range of physical, developmental, behavioral, emotional conditions, or symptoms that can affect someone's health and well-being.
- Health insurance: Plans people can get through the government, work, or a private company that helps pay for some or all their medical care.
- Health transition: The time of life when a young adult starts learning and taking more responsibility of their own health and switches from child health to adult health systems.
- Medical or health emergency: A serious medical concern or issue that needs immediate medical attention from a provider or hospital.
- Medical records: Information online or on paper that explains someone's conditions, symptoms, medicines, or past surgeries and treatments.
- Medicine: This could be a drug, pill, cream, injection, breathing treatment, or other things taken or used to help treat a symptom or condition.
- Patient portal: A website where people can find their health information with their provider.
- Personal identification information: Information that helps say who someone is, including their name and birth date. This can be found on licenses, state-issued ID, student IDs, and medical ID cards.
- Self-management: Learning about and taking more care of one's health independently and with support.
- Skills: Activities or behaviors that someone can learn.
- Support system: Includes parents, caregivers, family members, friends, mentors, and community that can help someone in different parts of your life.
- Symptom: A feeling, issue, or pain that someone can feel physically, mentally, or emotionally and that can be related to a condition. This can be a new feeling or feelings that have been felt in the past.
- Treatment/care plans: A plan made with a provider that explains how someone's health care goals and plans.
- Well-being: Health and happiness at a certain point in time.
- Young adults with special health needs: People who have or are at increased risk of chronic physical, developmental, behavioral, or emotional conditions.