The Healthy Neighborhood, Healthy Families Initiative

Pediatrics. 2018 Sep;142(3):e20180261. doi: 10.1542/peds.2018-0261. Epub 2018 Aug 3.

Abstract

: media-1vid110.1542/5799877332001PEDS-VA_2018-0261Video Abstract : Extreme poverty and the associated effects, such as blight, housing insecurity, and crime, have debilitating consequences on child development. Health care institutions are largely ineffective in changing those outcomes 1 child at a time. We present a case study of a hospital treating the adjacent neighborhood as a "patient" to address social determinants. The community represents a largely impoverished and housing-unstable neighborhood that underwent an assessment by community partners and treatment with a multifaceted housing intervention. Marked improvement in vacancy rates occurred, although outcome assessments for children are still being gathered. Several case learnings are presented, but the involvement and investment of pediatric health care clinicians and institutions increased the speed and size of neighborhood development after 80 years of redlining and institutional racism.

MeSH terms

  • Child
  • Child Health
  • Family Health*
  • Health Promotion / methods
  • Hospitals
  • Housing*
  • Humans
  • Residence Characteristics*
  • Social Environment
  • Social Planning*