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Prevention Is Powerful: Supporting Youth Before Crisis Hits By Cara During: When we talk about suicide prevention, the conversation usually focuses on intervention when someone is already in a crisis. But at Connecticut Children’s, we believe in building a safety net that helps young people before a crisis arises. This is called Primary Prevention. Think
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Gifting an E-Bike This Season? What Every Parent Needs to Know By Anna Stern, MPH: E-bikes are everywhere this holiday season. From social media videos to neighborhood rides, electric bikes have quickly become one of the most requested gifts for kids and teens. They’re fun, fast, and promise freedom and independence, while also getting kids outside and moving
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A Conversation with Kirsten Carlone on Strengthening Families in North Hartford By Annika Anderson, MPH: In February of 2025, Childhood Prosperity Lab (the Lab) led the second North Hartford Ascend Strengthening Families Protective Factors Community of Practice with 12 service providers and leaders. The Strengthening Families Protective Factors Framework (SFPFF) is a research
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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 Promising Opportunity to Transform Child Health Services By Paul Dworkin, MD: Background I am honored to serve as co-chair of the Children’s Subcommittee of Comptroller Sean Scanlon’s Healthcare Cabinet alongside Alice Forrester, the chief executive officer of Clifford Beers Clinic in New Haven. Comptroller Scanlon formed this subcommittee following his
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The Power of Place: Rethinking How We Create Social Impact By Annika Anderson, MPH: In 2023, the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University released a thought-provoking report on the significance of place, titled Place Matters: What Surrounds Us Shapes Us . The report details the impact of the social environment, built/natural environments, and
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Hispanic Heritage Month Medical Pioneers Hispanic Americans have made an important impact on the healthcare field. As part of Connecticut Children’s diversity, equity and inclusion journey, and our celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month, we continue with our Medical Pioneers series. The series honors physicians
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The Innovative Role of Comics in Child Health Education By Annika Anderson, MPH: By: Annika Anderson, MPH Do you remember what your favorite thing to read was when you were a child? Perhaps it was a picture book, like Tar Beach by Faith Ringgold, or Click, Clack, Moo by Doreen Cronin. It might have even been the Peanuts comic strips by Charles Schulz from
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Dr. Shannon Blemings: Advancing Pediatrics and Advocacy Through REACH Shannon Blemings, MD, a second-year pediatrics resident at Connecticut Children's, embodies a dedication to child health and community advocacy that has been shaped by her experiences growing up in New Haven, Connecticut. With a strong academic foundation in Physiology and