For too many children in poor rural and urban areas, there is no consistent, quality health care in their lives. The problem may be transportation, insurance, or language and cultural barriers. The end result is too often the same. Children lack the essential health services to grow and thrive. In the most heartbreaking scenarios, they develop life-threatening illnesses—or lifelong conditions—needlessly, for want of decent health care.
For nearly twenty years, The Children’s Health Fund has been battling barriers to health care for homeless and other low-income children. Out of that fight has come innovative solutions. Our “Blue Bus” mobile medical units draw children and families for curbside checkups and treatments. It may sound unorthodox. When necessary, it is. To ensure underserved children get the health care they need, sometimes caregivers must go to the children.
CHF’s creative success in serving disadvantaged children is rooted in highly accepted approaches to pediatric care. The goal is a “medical home” for each patient. We also forge strong affiliations with academic medical centers to ensure children receive quality care.
A “medical home” is not a place. It’s a partnership between a pediatric clinician and the child and family. A medical home gives access to an array of services that are family-centered, continuous, comprehensive, coordinated and culturally sensitive. It guarantees an ongoing relationship with a doctor, to ensure all health needs are met.
Through CHF’s mobile units and fixed-site clinics, we provide medical homes for at-risk children and adolescents in our Children’s Health Projects around the country. The medical staffs come from our partner institutions, which have the resources and expertise to meet the toughest pediatric challenges.
CHF’s vision of pediatric care includes addressing the multiple factors that influence a child’s well-being. Our patients receive comprehensive care in all areas, including complete oral health and dental treatments that are often overlooked. We provide screening, prevention, identification and management of acute and chronic conditions; health education; and mental health and development services.
We also view health care as a doorway into a wide range of services. Through the trust that builds between CHF and families, we become a source for help with medical and non-medical concerns. We advocate for families on insurance and housing. We foster learning skills through our reading initiatives. The CHF model of care enables young patients to thrive physically, emotionally and intellectually too.
