Urban Health Initiative
The Urban Health Initiative addresses the particular needs of children and families living in poor and medically underserved urban areas across the country.
In the United States, more than one in five children live in poverty -- more than 15 million boys and girls. Many live in large urban areas and have experienced homelessness at some point in their lives. In Los Angeles alone 500,000 children are living in poverty. In New York City, more than 17,000 are in the homeless shelter system. While large cities often have a more extensive infrastructure of social services than exists in rural areas, realistic access to consistent, quality health care remains a problem for families caught in the nets of homelessness, unemployment and poverty.
CHF’s Urban Health Initiative includes its Children’s Health Projects in Chicago; Newark, NJ; Washington, DC; Miami and Orlando, FL; Dallas and Austin, TX; Los Angeles and the San Francisco Peninsula, CA; Phoenix, AZ; and New York City and Long Island, NY. Patients of these 12 urban programs include homeless children and families; victims of domestic violence; children of the working poor; runaway and at-risk youth; and children of immigrants. In addition to primary health care needs, these children have higher than average rates of both medical and social problems, including asthma, obesity, developmental delays, ear infections, and tooth decay. As many as 60% of them are under-immunized.
There are numerous and often-complex barriers to medical care. Access to health services in urban areas is further compromised by inadequate transportation services; a shortage of medical providers in poor communities; and linguistic and cultural differences. Poor families, especially those who are homeless, move frequently and often have trouble navigating the health and social service system. They often rely on hospital emergency rooms to treat acute illnesses and fail to receive routine care.
Through the Urban Health Initiative, CHF is addressing these access issues by providing a “medical home” that delivers comprehensive medical care and support services where they are needed most: at homeless shelters, at schools, day care and community centers, and other areas where children, youth and families are known to congregate.
The Urban Health Initiative is a partnership between Wyeth and
The Children’s Health Fund.
