Connecticut Children’s Office for Community Child Health Innovating systems and programs that promote children’s healthy development Connecticut Children’s is well known for its state-of-the-art medical and surgical care. However, we are also committed to keeping children in our communities healthy so they won’t need to access our clinical services. Connecticut Children’s Office for Community Child Health is nationally recognized as a pioneer in building partnerships across all of the sectors that are known to impact child development and well-being, such as housing, transportation, food and nutrition, and family support services. Such partnerships make it easier for families to access both the medical care and non-medical community supports they need to thrive. Research shows that as much as 90 percent of child health outcomes are due to factors outside clinical care and the Office for Community Child Health is committed to addressing those factors to help all children reach their full potential. What We Do Through the work of the Office for Community Child Health, Connecticut Children’s works to build stronger child-serving systems and cultivates innovative and cost-effective solutions that close existing gaps in medical care and community services for children and their families. Click here for an overview of our work. Learn more about what we do » The Office for Community Child Health has a wide variety of programs that promote optimal child health, development and well-being. Some of those programs include: Promoting Optimal Development Help Me Grow National Center supports affiliates in 28 states that promote the early identification of developmental and behavioral concerns in vulnerable children and connect them to services for immediate intervention. One of the National Center’s affiliates is Help Me Grow Connecticut, which families and providers can access by calling the 211 Child Development Infoline. In Connecticut and around the country Help Me Grow affiliates work to ensure concerns get identified and addressed as soon as possible, to better position children for success in school and in life. Without this model, many children’s developmental and behavioral concerns would go undetected and they would not receive interventions until concerns escalate and become much more difficult and expensive to treat. Learn more about Help Me Grow National Center » Learn more about Help Me Grow Connecticut » Nutrition and Exercise The Start Childhood Off Right (SCOR) program promotes healthy nutrition and physical activity from birth to establish healthy habits early and reduce childhood obesity. The program offers monthly wellness events for children and families. It also provides families with information on breastfeeding, responsive feeding, introducing solid foods, managing picky eaters, and providing healthy toddler snacks. It also provides families with tips on limiting screen time and information on activities to do with your baby and toddler. Learn more about Start Childhood Off Right Program » Healthy Housing Connecticut Children’s Healthy Homes Program is committed to preventing childhood lead poisoning by making homes throughout Connecticut safe and healthy. Healthy Homes works with community partners, local and state agencies, and utilities to improve living conditions for families. Its services include inspections for lead and safety hazards in homes, plans to correct such hazards, financial assistance and relocation for remediation, referrals to weatherization programs for energy efficiency, and educational programs about home hazards.. Learn more about Healthy Homes » Preventing Injuries The mission of the Injury Prevention Center (IPC) at Connecticut Children’s is to reduce unintentional injury and violence among Connecticut residents. To accomplish this mission, the IPC focuses on four key areas: research, community outreach programs, education and training, and advocacy. One of the IPC’s signature programs is Safe Kids Connecticut, which offers safety events and educational materials to the community. Safe Kids events include bike rodeos, car seat clinics, and safety fairs that bring education directly to the community. The program focuses on preventing drowning, window falls and other common summertime injuries, preventing playground and sports injuries; and fire and cooking safety. Learn more about our Injury Prevention Center » Asthma Management Asthma affects one out of every eight children living in Connecticut. Many children who have asthma are either underdiagnosed or undertreated. Our nationally recognized Easy Breathing© program helps to improve diagnosis rates of asthma and also helps to create a standardized approach to help keep asthma under control. Easy Breathing is an evidence-based asthma management program that translates national asthma guidelines into a usable format for pediatricians, primary care practitioners, and family medicine practitioners. Learn more about Easy Breathing » Coordinating Care Connecticut Children’s Center for Care Coordination connects children to appropriate medical and community services, which can be difficult and overwhelming for families to access on their own. The Center serves children who have complex medical needs, children who are at-risk for poor outcomes due to social determinants of health, and children with behavioral health needs. The Center connects children and families to medical, behavioral, educational, legal, advocacy and social services. It also supports the basic needs of families by connecting them to organizations that provide clothing, food and medical equipment. It helps children and families communicate effectively with all providers and prepares youth for adult life by helping to build independence. Learn more about our Center for Care Coordination » Additional Programs These are just a few of the extensive programs offered to families in our communities. Learn more about additional programs of Connecticut Children’s Office for Community Child Health » Health Briefs The Connecticut Children’s Health Brief series provides data-driven findings and recommendations to inform best practice and policy to strengthen families and promote optimal outcomes for all children. The series features work from Connecticut Children’s researchers, clinicians and program leaders that addresses the medical, social, environmental, and behavioral factors that directly impact child health, development and well-being. This work has the potential to have a broad and lasting influence on critical contemporary issues in children’s health such as obesity, asthma, sexually transmitted diseases, behavioral health disorders, and child abuse. It also serves to inform policy, advance equity and reduce disparities. Questions about the Connecticut Children’s Health Brief series can be directed to HealthBrief@connecticutchildrens.org. Universal Suicide Risk Screening: A Strategy to Save Children’s Lives – Published January 2021 Responding Faster to Prevent Severe Damage Caused by Button Battery Ingestions: Recommendations for Action – Published April 2021 Our Team Connecticut Children’s Office for Community Child Health is led by Paul H. Dworkin, MD, a nationally renowned developmental pediatrician. Learn more about our team » Stay Connected Keep up with the latest news from Connecticut Children’s Office for Community Child Health. Visit our blog, Advancing Kids for insights on advancing children’s optimal healthy development. Join us on Twitter by following @advancingkids. Sign up for our E-updates
