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Why Access to Food and Nutrition Is Essential for Every Child By Stacy Chandna, MS, CIP: Access to nutritious food is one of the most powerful drivers of children’s health and development, yet for many families, it is not always easy to maintain. Across the United States, millions of children live in households that rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance
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A Sports Comeback Beyond Imagination: Jadon & Brennan’s Story The Archer brothers’ bad luck with meniscus tears began in spring of 2019. That’s when, at a high school basketball tournament in Texas, Jadon Archer suffered the dreaded bucket handle tear — obvious right away, because he couldn’t straighten his leg. He had to limp through the
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Deciding to Treat Fetal Renal Failure: Information & Support for Families By Timothy Crombleholme, MD: Until recently, most experts thought fetal renal failure was fatal — period. Expecting parents were simply told they had no options. Today, that’s no longer the case. With special care, it’s possible for a baby with fetal renal failure to survive and eventually thrive. But the
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Is it a Sprain or Broken Bone? Here’s How to Tell. By Allison E. Crepeau, MD: This blog was originally published in June 2024 and was last updated in March 2025. Sprains and broken bones can be painful and can look similar from the outside. It is important to know when to seek treatment. Connecticut Children’s sports medicine expert Allison Crepeau, MD
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Is Vaping Safe? No. Here’s Why. By Melanie Sue Collins, MD: The FDA recently ordered all Juul e-cigarette products off the shelves, a decision that has been in the works for two years following the rapid rise of underage vaping. Parents are concerned that their kids may look for other products or turn to actual cigarettes—both strong
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Understanding Celiac Disease: Facts vs. Fiction By Sarita Singhal, MD: Many of us are familiar with the phrase “gluten-free” and choose to follow a gluten-free diet for health reasons or based on what we see on social media. But did you know that not everyone who chooses to go gluten-free has celiac disease? At Connecticut Children’s, our pediatric
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Beyond Celiac Disease: William’s Story By Jeffrey Hyams, MD: William had just gotten home from school when his dad, Matt, sat him down. “Your doctor thinks you might have something called celiac disease,” Matt told him. William, then 14, was skeptical. Didn’t celiac disease have something to do with eating gluten? He ate everything and, as
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What Do NICU Levels Mean? Newborn Hospital Care, Explained. By Annmarie Golioto, MD, IBCLC, FAAP: This article was originally published in September 2022 and last updated in January 2024. All newborn babies need special attention in the first few days of life to make sure they are healthy, but some need more care and monitoring, especially if they’re born early or with
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Community Health Needs Assessment Priorities We are excited to share our newly published 2019 Community Health Needs Assessment. The report is a bedrock document for Connecticut Children’s and our Office for Community Child Health. It summarizes expansive community health data into concise critical community health needs
Acute Management of Migraine and Migraine-Like Headache Clinical Pathway Migraine headaches are a common reason patients present to the emergency department. Migraines have a considerable adverse impact on quality of life, and afflicted children may be seek emergent relief. Currently, there is a range of practices used by emergency medicine providers
Rhabdomyolysis Clinical Pathway Rhabdomyolysis is a syndrome characterized by the breakdown of skeletal muscle leading to the release of intracellular muscle constituents. The most common etiologies in children are viral illnesses, exercise, and trauma. Muscle pain and muscle weakness are the most common
Sickle Cell: Management of Acute Pain Crisis Clinical Pathway Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) is the most common genetic disease in the United States. It is caused by a mutation in the hemoglobin beta chain in which glutamic acid is substituted with valine. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2019) estimates that over 100,000
Somatic Symptom and Related Disorders (SSRD) Clinical Pathway Somatic Symptom and Related Disorders (SSRD) is a clinical presentation where symptoms or impairment cannot be fully explained by an identifiable disease process given the current medical evidence. This pathway seeks to evaluate and ultimately explain to patients and their
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Back-to-School Safety: Helping Your Child Navigate the Roads By Anna Stern, MPH: As kids head back to school, it’s a great time to talk with your child about how to stay safe on the roads. Whether they walk, bike, take the bus, or ride in a car, it's essential that they have the skills to get to and from school safely. That might mean discussing where to wait
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Reducing School Absences for Children with Asthma By Jessica Hollenbach, PhD: By: Jessica Hollenbach, PhD Asthma is the most common chronic pediatric disease, which affects nearly six million children in the United States. Children from minority groups who live in low socioeconomic urban areas experience the highest rates of asthma and associated concerns