Children with Medical Handicaps (CMH)
formerly Bureau for Children with Medical Handicaps (BCMH)

The Children with Medical Handicaps (CMH) program is a health care program administered by Canton City Public Health in conjunction with the Ohio Department of Health (ODH). CMH links families of children with special health care needs to a network of quality providers and helps families obtain payment for the services their children need.

CMH's mission is to assure, through the development and support of high quality, coordinated systems, that children with special health care needs and their families obtain comprehensive care and services that are family centered, community based and culturally sensitive.

Major components of the program include: conducting quality assurance activities to establish standards of care and to determine unmet needs of children with handicaps and their families; funding services for the diagnosis and treatment of medically eligible conditions; collaborating with public health nurses and local health departments to assist in increasing access to care; supporting service coordination for children with selected diagnoses; and assisting families to access and utilize appropriate sources of payment for services for their child.

CMH provides assistance to children with special health care needs and their families who meet the medical and financial eligibility criteria. Assistance is provided to children under the age of 21 who have special health care needs and are residents of the State of Ohio.

Although CMH covers a wide range of services, it is important to know CMH does not cover all the services a child with special health care needs may require, nor are all services available for every diagnosis. Services must be related to the child’s CMH-eligible condition.

For more information, please visit one of the links below:

Information for Families

How to enroll

CMH Financial Application

General CMH Information Pamphlet

Information for Providers

If you have a specific question about the program or about a child/client on the program, please call (330) 489-3322.