Academia's Role in Community Access to Child Health

Abstract

Ideally the mission of every academic health center should encompass the core values of the Community Access to Child Health (CATCH) Program: improving child health, increasing access to health care, and promoting advocacy at the community level. As university hospitals face challenges to improve child health through research, clinical service, and teaching, promoting advocacy at the community level should occur as a natural progression. Certainly, many of the key findings of the CATCH evaluation as they apply to pediatricians in practice apply just as well to pediatricians in the academic setting. Pediatric faculty with exposure to community child health issues early in their careers seem to be more likely to advance efforts within the CATCH agenda. Relationships of individual faculty in academic institutions to local and/or state public health agencies can play a key role in enabling community projects to be successful. Finally, because medical students and residents spend a majority of their time in contact with academic faculty, the role of the academic institution in introducing advocacy skills is apparent. Throughout the brief history of CATCH, it is apparent that one of the major keys to success is the leadership of individuals willing to dedicate their energy and professional careers to children's issues. Creative partnerships involving community and medical liaisons often gave CATCH projects the innovative boost they needed to prosper. Of particular importance is the recognition that CATCH has an evolving definition. Like any program, CATCH is dependent on the interests of its leaders, the needs of the community it serves, and the power of its financial supporters. …