Children's Hospitals Share Innovative Ways to Advance Nutrition Security at Lurie Children's Convening

Dr. Caree Cotwright delivering the keynote address.

In her keynote address, Dr. Caree Jackson Cotwright, Director, Nutrition Security and Health Equity at the USDA shared a compelling personal story about the key role children's hospitals play in promoting better health

Together with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Children's Hospital Association (CHA), Lurie Children's recently co-hosted a convening on "Nutrition Security, MyPlate and Children's Health." This event brought together experts from leading children's hospitals to discuss innovative approaches to nutrition security and children's health.

Keeping Youth Front and Center in Austin

Special thanks to Jordan Campbell at Alt_ Chicago for hosting our latest Austin HOPE Center youth engagement meeting on September 30! Young people from our Adolescent Medicine program, KIPP Elementary, Boys and Girls Club and Communities United came together to learn how their input has shaped the project so far and to continue to share their ideas. The highlight was a workshop to help Jordan and the team design the huge mural that will go on the building!

Connecting 150+ students to Healthcare Careers

This summer, our Mentorship and Workforce Development program (MWD) introduced over 150 students from Chicago Public Schools to careers within healthcare through various programs. “What warms my heart is to see that we’re giving students exposure into careers that they may have not thought existed,” shared Maria Rivera, MWD Director.

SCY-HVIP team: from left to right, Dr. Karen Sheehan, Medical Director; Britinia Johnson, Manager of Violence Prevention Initiatives; Chelsea Castillo, HVIP Social Worker/Violence Recovery Specialist; Sheila Hickey, HVIP Clinical Manager; Dr. Samaa Kemal, Associate Medical Director; Kevin Rak, Data Specialist; Leslie Helmcamp, Director of Violence Prevention Initiatives; and Cassandra Otoo, Program Coordinator

Marking One Year of Supporting Families Recovering from Violence

This month, our Hospital-based Violence Intervention Program (HVIP) marked its first year since launching. The program offers tailored trauma-responsive care coordination and connects patients and families to community resources, aiming to reduce further trauma and prevent repeat visits to the hospital, including emergency department visits.

“During the early months, we served a dozen families, including patients, siblings, and caregivers with a range of services: safety planning, addressing housing concerns, and connecting to community-based social and mental health services.”

Sheila Hickey, LCSW, MJ, Clinical Manager

Hospital-Based Violence Intervention Program

Forging New Partnerships

The Maternal and Child Health Initiatives (MCHI) team has established a new partnership with with the Chicago Department of Public Health's Family Connects Chicago program, which connects even more families to long term home visiting services and raises the visibility of home visiting services across the city. Our team is expanding with three new Parent Educators on our team! Our Spanish-speaking Parent Educator Emily Aragon-Melendez has joined our team since June 2024. We are also excited to introduce Dejah Broaster and Cheyenne Sheard who will be joining our team this fall.

Working Stronger, Together

The Schreiber Family Center leveraged Magoon Institute programs in its Stronger Together pilot project, working with Touch by an Angel Learning Institute, a childcare center on the West Side of Chicago. Six trainings on Early Relational Health were provided to teachers and all parents were eligible to receive food boxes, car seats, cribs and sleep sacks and a connection to Home Visiting services during the 3-month period.

Safe Sleep: Listening and Learning

Dominique Johnson, our Safe Sleep Coordinator for the Unintentional Injury Prevention Program, has led a series of focus groups with parents on Chicago's South and West Sides to explore their perspectives on safe sleep practices and assess the practicality of guidance received from medical providers in everyday life.

Read our FY24 Community Volunteering Annual Report!

Advocating for Essential Cardiac Safety Legislation in Schools

Lurie Children's Project ADAM, alongside other advocates, pushed for IHB5394 to be signed into law, amending the School Safety Drill Act. This law mandates that all public and private school districts develop a Cardiac Emergency Response Plan (CERP) and distribute it to coaches, staff, and those responsible for executing it during school activities. These requirements will take effect on January 1, 2025. The act also requires CPR and AED training for high school students as part of their curriculum.

Supporting Expanded Medicaid Initiatives

Section 1115 of the Social Security Act allows the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to approve experimental Medicaid projects. In 2022, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) updated its guidelines for using these waivers to address Health Related Social Needs (HRSNs). On July 2, 2024, CMS approved Illinois’ extended Section 1115 waiver to cover 10 HRSNs, including nutrition. Lurie Children’s has been advocating for children and families to be part of this process. Successful implementation will allow Lurie Children’s to expand and sustain its nutrition security efforts.

The latest resources and publications focused on community health

from us at Lurie Children's:

Expert Advice on Health and Safety

Talking to Children about Tragedies in the News

Teaching Kids to Love Healthy Food: MyPlate for Families

How to Boost Your Child’s Immune System

Resources & Research

Free App: Little Lessons!

Little Lessons! is a new app from Lurie Children's that provides credible, evidence-based tips on managing challenging behaviors in toddlers and preschoolers. The app also includes helpful advice on responding to the most common mental health diagnoses in this age group – anxiety, disruptive behavior, and inattention and/or hyperactivity.

Learn More

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