Baylor College of Medicine — Transition to Adult Care Mentorship

Project Summary
The Baylor College of Medicine’s Transition Medicine Clinic created a mentorship program for young adults with developmental disabilities transitioning from pediatric health care to adult health care and other home and community-based services. The project trained peer mentors and mentees to improve their self-efficacy, medical and community support navigation, and transition to adult care readiness. Mentors helped mentees achieve goals and successfully navigate services and supports, so they can be active members of their communities. The clinic also coordinated conferences to expand the program to other areas of the state and country.

Project Highlights

• The project provided in-person and virtual peer-mentorship training to 76 people with DD and family members.
• Several Houston-area organizations adopted the project’s curriculum to use in their own training programs, including the Houston Center for Independent Living, The Center for Pursuit, and TIRR Memorial Herman.
• Two peer mentors trained through the project were hired as patient navigators at major hospital systems within the Texas Medical Center.
    

Personal Impact Stories
In addition to support for adjusting to adult health care, participants improved their confidence and their ability to handle stress and anger, in turn becoming more independent in their lives. They also found opportunities to meet new people and socialize. After completing the training, one participant felt more confident making phone calls and appointments on their own. Another participant, who supported others as a peer mentor, said: “I have been able to help provide support to others to help meet their goals. It’s really nice, because the transition from pediatric care to adult care is really daunting at first and a difficult process to understand. I did not have any assistance in this process, but it’s really nice to help others figure it out.”