Medically Fragile Infants

The population of medically fragile children in need of special care has tripled in the past 30 years as strides in technology and health care have enabled doctors to save young lives that would otherwise be lost. Some 10 to 15 percent of the nation’s children now require special care for chronic illnesses, physical disabilities, and developmental disorders. The complex needs of these children and the relatively recent surge in their numbers pose a serious challenge to parents, medical professionals, educators, and policymakers to find effective and efficient interventions at a time when reducing health-care costs has become a national concern.