|
Community entities monitor programs and outcomes for an entire population, neighborhood, or community to ensure that a sufficient level of child health care is accessible, culturally appropriate, and affordable. The entities scan what is available and what is missing to support healthy child development and take steps to fill in the gaps.
 |
|
 |
|
| The Harlem Children’s Zone (HCZ), working with Harlem Hospital, Columbia University, Harlem Health Promotion Center, Touchpoints, and the New York City Department of Health, found that 26% of Harlem children (ages 0 to 12) have asthma—over four times the national average. HCZ now screens all children within the HCZ, offers home visits to conduct individual assessments, and provides information, services, and medical support to families dealing with asthma. It is also getting out the message that when asthma is properly managed, children can enjoy normal lives that include participation in sports and other outdoor activities. | |
|
 |
|
 |
Community agencies work together to connect families with people and agencies who can help them deal with the non-medical aspects of children's health problems.
|
|
|
|
| Rhode Island Legal Services, the Roger Williams University School of Law, and several health care providers have developed the Rhode Island Family Advocacy Program (RIFAP), which provides legal assistance in areas such as housing and public benefits to families with health needs. Attorneys meet their clients when and where they access health care. www.rifap.org | |
|
|
|
|
Local coalitions strengthen community connections to child health services by publishing annual report cards, creating widely representative citizen advisory boards, and distributing health-related materials in multiple languages. They make formal and informal sources of information, assistance, and support widely accessible and culturally responsive.
Local coalitions reach out to families to help them obtain public and private health insurance for their children.
|
|
|
|
| The Healthy Start/Medicaid component of the Cuyahoga County Early Childhood Initiative enrolls children in state and federally funded health insurance programs and connects low-income children with health providers for well-child services.
The Children’s Partnership has established an Express Lane Eligibility Website to provide advocates, community leaders, and policymakers with tools for extending health insurance (through Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program) to more than 4 million uninsured children enrolled in such public programs as Food Stamps, WIC and School Lunch. This Web resource is a central clearinghouse for information about Express Lane Eligibility strategies in more than a dozen states and cities. http://www.expresslaneinfo.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home2
Covering Kids and Families—Rhode Island, a network of advocacy organizations, community based organizations, neighborhood health centers, and state agencies, works to ensure that all eligible Rhode Island Families are covered by the state health insurance program, RIte Care. Covering Kids, part of a national program funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, places trained workers at family-friendly sites around the state to enroll every eligible family. It has given Rhode Island the lowest rate of uninsured children in the country. www.rikidscount.org | |
|
|
|
|
Community entities monitor the existence of connections between child health care and other necessary services to minimize stress and provide treatment for substance abuse and other problems likely to interfere with healthy parenting.
Community groups work with public health agencies to ensure a healthy environment, including:
- Adequate sanitation and utility services
- Buildings maintained to code
- Access to safe, affordable, high-quality food supplies, including neighborhood markets
|
