Building Political Capital: Engaging Families in Child Health Policy.

Abstract

* Abbreviations: AAP — : American Academy of Pediatrics CHIP — : Children’s Health Insurance Program As we reflect on the recent election, it is relevant to consider the variety of roles that pediatricians can play in supporting and promoting public policies that benefit child health. Pediatricians have historically used their knowledge and experience to advocate for children and families in a number of forums, including authoring opinion pieces and editorials, participating in interviews with the media, and meeting with policy makers. Although these forms of advocacy are important, they lack a key characteristic: enhancing the agency of our patients and families. Although pediatricians often convey anecdotes to channel families’ experiences and perspectives in these forums, this type of advocacy does little to strengthen the voices and political capital of the families and communities we serve. To better ensure that future policy-making is informed by what is best for children’s health and welfare, should we consider it our duty to encourage families to engage in civic discourse and advocacy themselves? Advocacy on behalf of children and families is widely recognized as a central tenet of our field. The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education emphasizes this aspect of the pediatrician’s role by mandating that all residency programs incorporate training in child advocacy.1 The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has also highlighted this responsibility in their policy statement on poverty and child health, in which they recommend that community pediatricians “advocate for public policies that … Address correspondence to Polina Krass, MD, Department of Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, 3401 Civic Center Blvd, Philadelphia, PA 19104. E-mail: krassp{at}email.chop.edu