Mission and Vision
Mission of MPPP
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To offer every Montana parent/caregiver of a child with special healthcare needs access to a relationship with a Parent Partner for the purpose of inspiring and encouraging hope by providing access to relationships, information, and resources.
Vision of MPPP
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For every parent/caregiver of a child with special healthcare needs in Montana to have access to a Parent Partner they can build a relationship with regardless of where they live.
Our Story
The Parent Partner Program came to Montana in 2013, starting in two pediatric primary care practices and has since expanded to additional locations in Montana.
The Parent Partner Program model was created by Brad and Karen Thompson, founders of The Hali Project, named after their daughter Hali who has special needs. Their work started in a single practice in Amarillo, Texas with a pediatrician – Dr. Shari Medford. The program was successful and led to a Parent Partner Pilot Project through the Boys Town Child Health Initiative (Omaha, NE) working in eight practices across Nebraska.
Encouraging results led to another pilot project through the Mountain States Genetics Regional Collaborative. This project allowed the program to expand into Montana and Wyoming.
Research supports the value of peer to peer support and has identified common elements of successful support. The HALI Project / Montana Parent Partner Program model has had each of these core components built into its training and support model since its beginning in 2005.
We believe in the importance of ongoing support for the Program, the Parent Partners and the host site locations, this is built into the work we do in all our locations.