Young Children’s Health Initiatives

Knowing physical and developmental health is a critical piece in building a strong system to support early childhood. The Partnership works collaboratively across Durham County to make sure young children and their families have access to health services. In addition to funding Smart Start health related programs, the Partnership works to increase the capacity of health services by:

• Convening the Durham Health Check Improvement Task Force —
  A Partnership-led task force with the Durham County Health Department and the NC Division of Medical Assistance to ensure Durham families with young children, not covered by private insurance, have access to health care  and connect to a medical  home to receive regular check-ups and immunizations. The task force includes representatives from the Durham Community Health Network, Durham County Department of Social Services, and Lincoln Community Health Center.

• Collaborating with Community Health Initiatives and Partners in Durham County including:
  
  
• The Partnership for a Healthy Durham — The Partnership for a Healthy Durham is a coalition of more than 50 agencies and 150 members focused on improving the physical, mental, and social health and well-being of Durham County residents.  www.healthydurham.org
  
  
• The Medical-Legal Partnership for Children — The Medical-Legal Partnership for Children is an alliance between health care providers and lawyers to benefit low-income and at-risk children.  It provides an opportunity for pediatric providers to refer patients for legal assessment in situations where a non-medical obstacle is impairing the overall health of a child.  www.law.duke.edu/partnershipforchildren
  
  
• Docs For Tots - The Docs For Tots North Carolina works to connect health professionals, primarily Duke University Pediatric Residents, with meaningful ways to support early childhood initiatives that influence the overall health of our young children. www.dft.org
  
  
• Strong Couples Strong Children — Strong Couples Strong Children aims to strengthen relationships among unmarried couples who are expecting a child or have a child 3 months or younger by providing them with tools needed for effective communication, problem solving, conflict resolution and financial management.  www.strongcouples.org
  
  
• Achieving Healthy Lifestyles — A recipient of 2009 Durham Health Innovations grant, the Achieving Healthy Lifestyles planning grant focuses on obesity in children ages 4-10 and their families.
   
• Durham Connects -Durham Connects brings Families, Community agencies and health care providers together to give babies the best environment for growth. The basic elements for optimum development include adequate nutrition, safe home environments, educational stimulation, nurturing parenting and high quality childcare. Durham Connects nurtures this growth by visiting parents and babies in their own homes and connecting them with community supports.  www.durhamconnects.org
  
  
• B.E.S.T Alliance — The Durham Breastfeeding Education and Support Team(B.E.S.T) for Babies Alliance focuses on breastfeeding among African-American women in Durham County, North Carolina. This is a Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) approach to engage representatives of academic and community-based partners including community organizations, businesses, and lay persons in collaborating to assess, address, and improve breastfeeding among African-American women in Durham County. 
  
  
• Transition to Kindergarten Initiative — Durham’s Partnership for Children and Durham Public Schools have partnered together around a Transition to Kindergarten Initiative in Durham County. As part of this initiative,starting in the 09-10 school year we will begin the process of compiling and analyzing the Kindergarten Health Assessment Reports for all children entering kindergarten in Durham Public Schools. The Kindergarten Health Assessment Report (KHA), mandated by most states, is used to identify children at school entry with any health problems that may interfere with school performance.   

Resources:

• Getting Ready: Indicators of Health in Durham County — A Report Card on Young Children's Health
• Getting Ready Report Cards Addendum — Medicaid Health Check Data
  

Health Check Resources:

• North Carolina Healthy Start Foundation
  
• NC Division of Medical Assistance
  
• 2009 National Smart Start Conference Workshop Presentation:  Following the System: A Look at the Health Check System from the Smart Start World

For more information about the Young Children’s Health Initiatives, please contact Trish Vandersea, 919-403-6960, trish@dpfc.net