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….
Study Highlights Need for Education on Choking Hazards
By: Scott Schoem, MD, MBA and Kevin Borrup, DrPH Choking is a major cause of death particularly for children 4 years old and younger. In 2016, 255 children in the United States died from a choking incident and there were even more nonfatal incidents. More than 15,000 children are treated each year in emergency rooms…
Social Innovation Spotlight: Lactation Innovations
Social Innovation Spotlight is a 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. In her recent blog post, Breastfeeding is Best!, Nancy Trout, MD highlights the health benefits of breastfeeding for infants and mothers. She also…
Healthy Homes Joins Other Programs to Transform Hartford Home
By: Marcus Smith Safe, stable and affordable housing is critical to the health and well-being of children and their families. Homeowners we work with through Connecticut Children’s Healthy Homes Program are in great need and lack the financial means to keep their homes in good condition. Their homes have fallen into disrepair, and are too…
Supporting Healthy Development is a Big Bet For Children
By: Paul H. Dworkin, MD As a frequent pursuer of grant support, I am encouraged and inspired by recent philanthropic trends, such as funders embracing a high impact, transactional model of giving; strategic philanthropy; and the leveraging of funding from multiple sources. An exciting example of the latter is the Pediatric Big Bet, comprised of…
If You Love Children…
By: Jacquelyn M. Rose, MPH It’s not enough to be an early care and education professional because you love working with children. If you love children, you must leverage your view, your voice, and your visibility to improve the systems and quality of services for young children and families. While a variety of words and…
Help Me Grow Report Details Nationwide Reach
The diagnosis came when Isabel’s daughter was just 33 months old. Autism. The family was shocked. They wondered how they missed the signs. They did not know where to turn for help. Isabel immediately contacted her pediatrician who referred her to their local Help Me Grow affiliate, Help Me Grow Orange County, California. Care coordinators…
Leveraging Medicaid to Promote Children’s Optimal Health
By: Paul H. Dworkin, MD As our country continues to grapple with how best to achieve meaningful healthcare reform, we have an auspicious opportunity to leverage Medicaid to transform child health services to promote children’s optimal health, development, and well-being. Leveraging Medicaid to transform child health services demands that the past not be a prelude…
Pediatric Residents Address Health Needs of Refugee Children
By: Melissa Held, MD, FAAP They are among the most vulnerable patients we see. They are children who have been displaced from their countries due to violence and political unrest. They are young refugees seeking to rebuild their lives with their families here in Connecticut, a world away from the countries from which they fled….
Breastfeeding is Best!
By: Nancy Trout, MD The United States delegation to the United Nations World Health Assembly recently shocked the public health sector (and much of the world) by seeking to water down a resolution that called for governments to “protect, promote and support breastfeeding” and to restrict misleading advertising of food products that are harmful for…
Are We Asking the Wrong Questions About Investing in Child Health?
By: Scott Orsey Are we missing the mark when it comes to how we best invest in children’s health? Perhaps a futuristic look at the transportation sector may hold relevant and innovative solutions to transforming healthcare. I recently had the opportunity to listen to Tony Seba deliver inspiring and motivating remarks at a conference. Tony…
Summer Fellows Study Injury Prevention
By: Garry Lapidus, PA-C, MPH Summer is a busy time at Connecticut Children’s Injury Prevention Center (IPC) because the season always brings with it an unfortunate array of preventable injuries, and we do all we can to raise awareness about the ways parents and caregivers can prevent such injuries. Through all of our media interviews…
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…