Connecticut Children’s Office for Community Child Health Enhancing systems and innovating solutions that promote the health, development and well-being of children and their families. 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 their communities healthy so they won’t need our clinical services. Connecticut Children’s Office for Community Child Health is nationally recognized as a pioneer in building partnerships across all sectors known to impact child health, 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 want, when they want them. 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 strong child- and family-serving systems and cultivate 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 The Help Me Grow National Center supports the Help Me Grow affiliate network which represents an ever growing, powerful coalition of 31 states, more than 120 communities and individuals invested in ambitious and resourceful early childhood systems that optimally serve all children and families. Help Me Grow is the only evidence-based system building model that promotes the early identification of health, developmental and behavioral concerns in vulnerable children and connects 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 are 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 » 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. The IPC’s efforts to address community violence includes the Hospital-based Violence Intervention Program (HVIP). HVIP seeks to address community violence by intervening with youth and young adults who have experienced violence as a witness, victim or perpetrator. Research to determine the most effective means for addressing violence is ongoing. 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 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 » System Building North Hartford Ascend Pipeline is a cradle to career effort helping children and families living in the North Hartford Promise Zone, which includes Clay Arsenal, Northeast, and Upper Albany neighborhoods, have the support and resources they need to reach their full potential. In partnership with the community and a multi-disciplinary, cross-sector team, Connecticut Children’s will partner with community-based organizations, community leaders, and residents to integrate achievement-oriented schools with vital community services and programs into a cohesive, integrated, and coordinated pipeline. Learn more about the North Hartford Ascend Pipeline » 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 Facebook by following @ConnecticutChildrensCommunityHealth. Join us on Twitter by following @advancingkids. Sign up for our E-updates
