The Children's Health Fund

NATIONAL NETWORK - The national network is unique because it is composed of healthcare providers who work at the community level, building trust and providing resource-intensive care that children in these communities would not otherwise receive.Children's Health Fund sees steady annualized growth each year through expanding our national network of clinical sites, adding innovative programming, and responding to public health crises. In 2023, our national network partners served 112,970 children and family members in 533,009 clinical and health education encounters.See Schedule OExpanded Access to Care - In 2023, CHF produced or updated health education materials on subjects critical to the well-being of children, such as managing asthma and supporting children's social-emotional learning. A series of virtual discussions with guests including experts from the frontlines helped CHF address issues that children across our country face daily. To supplement our internal capacity to contribute to evidence-based practices, CHF created the research accelerator cohort, which leverages the participants' expertise to develop large-scale, mission-critical, cross-site research proposals. This cohort brings innovative researchers together to accelerate opportunities to pursue a shared research agenda. In 2023, Children's Health Fund Research Accelerator Cohort created a manuscript outlining lessons learned in the attempt to conduct cross-site research to identify mental health needs during the COVID-19 pandemic through resource-limited pediatric clinics. The manuscript will be submitted for publication. CHF continues to monitor and respond to health reform implementation and advocate for health equity and social safety net programs and funding.

PUBLIC HEALTH INITIATIVES: CHF's Public Health Initiatives seek to improve and protect population and community health. We engage local communities and promote patient empowerment to improve health outcomes in under-resourced communities. PHI draws upon data and insights from our national network partner programs to develop interventions focused on prevention, social drivers of health, health equity, and health education. These interventions inform our advocacy work, and we disseminate lessons learned broadly through our Innovation Lab, online briefings, and conferences. See Schedule OIn 2023, CHF's Public Health Initiatives department implemented three Community Health Equity and Engagement Roundtables (CHEERs) in underserved communities nationwide. The CHEERs gather local stakeholders from various sectors to identify localized social drivers of health and collaboratively strategize initiatives to address these challenges. The roundtables position patients, families, and youth as key stakeholders among healthcare professionals, policymakers, and social service organizations to drive community-based change.Children's Health Fund implemented two key vaccine initiatives in 2023 to advance vaccine access and confidence. These efforts included a partnership with the Association of American Medical Colleges to increase vaccine confidence in our national network partner communities of Phoenix, Arizona; Miami, Florida; and Dallas, Texas. We also continued our Vax, Snacks, Rx initiative, which enabled three urban national network partner programs to continue mobilizing pediatric vaccines and COVID-19 tests through innovative outreach methods.

HEALTHY AND READY TO LEARN - In 2014, the Children's Health Fund launched Healthy and Ready to Learn to address health issues that impact learning in New York City. The programming addresses needs rooted in social, racial, and economic inequities by empowering school staff and families to identify student health challenges and create trauma-sensitive environments. In 2023, HRL programming continued to address the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, including widespread behavioral health challenges and community disconnection, with a focus on parent workshops delivered in school settings. See Schedule OThe program also continued expanding into the early childhood care and education space by developing and delivering content specific to caregivers of children ages 0-5. The online resource and training center offered professional development workshops, sessions for caregivers, infographics, interactive learning tools, social media outreach, monthly newsletters, and additional resources.