A program involving pediatricians and community-based organizations in New York City helped connect more than 1,500 families to services to help address basic needs in the last year.
The pediatricians and organizations participated in the United Hospital Fund Partnerships for Early Childhood Development initiative, which involves pediatricians working with community organizations to address social determinants of health that affect young children, including food insecurity, child care needs and lack of secure housing.
The initiative was launched in 2017, and since then, 12,000 families have been screened for these social factors.
In 2018 there were 8,400 screenings. Of those 8,400 screenings, 46 percent revealed at least one social need that needed to be addressed. Physicians referred more than 2,000 of these families to participating community-based organizations, and over 1,500 families made contact with the community partners.
Pediatricians affiliated with the following eight NYC health systems participated in the program:
● BronxCare Health System
● Cohen Children's Medical Center
● NYC Health + Hospitals/Gouverneur
● Mount Sinai Health System
● NewYork-Presbyterian/Charles B. Rangel Community Health Center
● NewYork-Presbyterian Queens
● St. John's Episcopal Hospital
● NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn