The Connecticut Children’s Office for Community Child Health is dedicated to addressing critical contemporary issues in children’s day to day lives that have the potential to adversely affect their health and development. The Office is gaining national attention for its innovative programs and is serving as a role model for similar initiatives in other states….
Leveraging Science to Transform Pediatric Primary Care
“This field is too rich and too precious to settle for modest impacts. We should be raising the bar,” stated Jack Shonkoff, MD, the founding director of Harvard University’s Center on the Developing Child. Dr. Shonkoff delivered the annual Dworkin lecture at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, which is a Grand Rounds session named in honor…
Can We Bend the Arc Toward Justice?
By: Kimberly Martini-Carvell Yes, “…the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” Whether the author of this sentiment is Theodore Parker, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr., or Barack Obama, it has always comforted me in times of national and political unrest and upheaval. I use this quote to ground…
Connecting Pediatric Residents to the Community Through Capitol Squash
By: Martha Peregoy When people hear about the sport squash, they typically think of players at boarding schools and at country clubs, not urban middle school students playing after school. However, there are a growing number of organizations that bring squash to urban students. One of these programs, Capitol Squash, is right here in Hartford….
The Power of Care Coordination in Helping Families Thrive
By: Susan Roman, RN, MPH Families can find it overwhelming to arrange all of the medical care and social services needed for their children. Care coordinators offer powerful advocacy and support to help ease that burden for families. At Connecticut Children’s Center for Care Coordination, we are committed to embracing a cross-sector approach to advance…
Social Innovation Spotlight: Hartford Promise Integrated College Success Model
Innovation Spotlight is a new quarterly feature launched by Connecticut Children’s Advancing Kids Innovation Program to highlight the contributions of social innovators promoting the health and well-being of children, families and communities. Innovation Description: Hartford Promise is an integrated college success model that seeks not only to help Hartford public school students finance their college…
A Pound of Cure… How Might We Pay For an Ounce of Prevention?
By: Jesse Chandna and Scott Orsey Social determinants of health, the circumstances in which people live and work, have a profound impact on the overall outcomes of children and their families. That is why Connecticut Children’s Medical Center places a priority not only on addressing the medical and surgical needs of young patients, but also…
Manchester Embraces Healthy Homes Support
By: Marcus Smith All year, we will be celebrating the 15th anniversary of Connecticut Children’s Healthy Homes Program (Healthy Homes) by shining a spotlight on those who have helped us fulfill our mission to make Connecticut’s homes safe and healthy. Since 2003, Healthy Homes has helped over 2,500 families. We are proud to count the…
Fighting the Childhood Obesity Epidemic
By: Nancy Trout, MD Despite interventions at the national, state, and local levels, the tide of childhood obesity continues to swell. Given the current level of childhood obesity, simulated models of growth trajectories across the life course predict that 57 percent of today’s children will be obese at 35 years of age. Development of obesity…
Care Coordination Forum: Enhancing Access to Crucial Supports and Services
By: Susan Roman, RN, MPH Veronica Rosario’s story highlights the impact care coordination can have on children and families. Rosario and her two children relocated to Connecticut from Puerto Rico in 2015, after her husband passed away from cancer and her youngest son was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy. They moved in with her in-laws for…
Introducing Our Social Innovation Spotlight
By: Jacquelyn M. Rose We recently highlighted the importance of networks when cultivating and supporting social innovations in the blog, Supporting Networks of Innovators Addressing Social Needs, citing Steven Johnson’s quote, “If you look at history, innovation doesn’t come from just giving people incentives; it comes from creating environments where their ideas can connect.” This…
Help Me Grow National Forum: “We Can Create Change!”
This year’s Help Me Grow National Forum was the largest to date for our Help Me Grow National Center (National Center), which is based at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center in Hartford, Connecticut. More than 400 child health advocates gathered in Seattle from 29 states for the 3-day event. In 2017, 99 Help Me Grow systems…
Help Me Grow National Forum: The Inspiration Behind our Keynote Address
By: Kimberly Martini-Carvell The organizing, investing and curating of information, attendees and partners for the Help Me Grow National Forum is actualized by many. The Forum planning committee contributes significant energy and resources in informing and designing the content, while Help Me Grow National Center (National Center) staff works diligently to ensure that every opportunity…