In Western New York, poverty rates are disproportionately higher among children under 18 than among adults over 65, a trend especially evident in minority communities. A notable 46% of Hispanic children, 45% of black children and 37% of American Indian children live in poverty, compared to 18% of Asian children and 11% of non-Hispanic white children.

In examining communities of poverty more closely, CHF identified several communities across our regions where two or more contiguous census tracts fell within the bottom 20 percent of income. These communities will be our priority in much of the work we do related to children because of the concentration of poverty within those census tracts and its impact on individual families, children and community institutions such as schools and recreation programs.

In our announcements of available funding, eligible communities will be identified and encouraged to apply.

Presenting health challenges include:

·       The rate of chronic diseases among children in poverty is rising at an alarming rate. Asthma, diabetes and obesity are taking their toll, not only physically, but on the child’s capacity to learn and participate in important developmental activities.

·       Low-income families spend most of their scarce resources pursuing food and shelter. Primary care is not a priority until a child’s health problem appears urgent. Then, families seek care in emergency departments. Insurance coverage does not necessarily result in children receiving appropriate care.

·       Primary care delivered in an office or clinic setting during regular working hours can be a problem for low-income parents. Many work at low-wage jobs where time off means lost wages and possible job loss. Those without cars must secure rides or use time-consuming public transportation to get to appointments.

·       A culture of poverty, especially intergenerational poverty, does not facilitate learning or use of primary healthcare services.

·       The health care system, designed for the middle class, makes little accommodation for families from low-income or ethnic communities. Providers often do not understand the context from which these families come and feel they have no time to help their patients navigate the system. Numbers of minority providers are limited.

·       In many communities, too few providers serve the numbers of people needing care. In other situations, many providers of medical, dental and mental health services don’t accept uninsured or Medicaid enrollees.

 

Our Goal for Children Living in Communities of Poverty: Improved overall health status

To help achieve this goal, we will invest in:

·       Supports that allow children to reach their full physical, emotional and academic potential

·       Health care that is timely, accessible and centered on children and families

·       Quality of care unparalleled in improving health and reducing health disparities

Key Foundation Initiatives

In examining communities of poverty more closely, CHF identified several communities across our regions where two or more contiguous census tracts fell within the bottom 20 percent of income.  These communities will be our priority in much of the work we do related to children because of the concentration of poverty within those census tracts and its impact on individual families, children and community institutions such as schools and recreation programs. 

In our announcements of available funding, eligible communities will be identified and organizations serving those areas will be encouraged to apply.

Nuts and Bolts:  Improving Fundamentals of Care for Children in Communities of Poverty

Nuts and Bolts is a $2.2 million, three year initiative designed to improve outcomes in physical, mental and oral health for children in selected communities of poverty in western and central New York through strategic investments in organizations committed to and capable of increased accountability for outcomes.

 

The target audience for the Nuts and Bolts RFP that was issued in April 2005 was:

·        Those organizations serving children in zip codes with the most concentrated number of children living in western and central NY communities of poverty and

·        Organizations striving to achieve a culture and infrastructure that is driven by outcomes, quality and ongoing evaluation and improvement. 

 

As western and central New York non-profits face growing competition for increasingly limited resources, CHF believes our targeted investments in the sixteen Nuts and Bolts Grantee Organizations will generate a significant and lasting return towards improving the lives of children in communities of poverty. 

 

Other Foundation efforts for Children in Communities of Poverty

Schools & Health

The Foundation has identified one initiative that it is developing for future funding:  Schools and Health.  Through this initiative, we expect to be supporting Comprehensive School Health Planning as well as looking at ways to strengthen school, family and health relationships.  As participation opportunities are determined, they will be posted on the website on the What’s Happening page.

As a first step in that work, we commissioned the Center for Health Improvement to do a best practice review of programs that link those components in communities nationally.  You can download a copy of that report, entitled Review of School-linked Children’s Health Programs, by clicking here.

This Community Cares: Addressing Children’s Developmental, Social-Emotional, and Behavioral Health in Erie and Niagara Counties

Project Overview

CHFWCNY is supporting a project focusing on reducing barriers to developmental and behavioral screening and treatment for young children. This Community Cares is an initiative in keeping with our vision to work closely with schools, health systems, neighborhoods, and families to support the development of the whole child.

TCC targets children 0 to 5 years of age in Erie and Niagara Counties. In its initial phase, it is collaborating with pediatricians, nurse practitioners, and family practitioners in implementing an appropriate and standardized developmental/behavioral screening instrument in their practice. By mid-2008, we hope to be in a position to propose a pilot program in several pediatric practices through which we can test screening tools, examine various financial models and assess impact on newly identified children.

In future phases, we intend to explore opportunities to increase and simplify access to appropriate mental health and behavioral services for these children and their families. 

Background on This Community Cares

In 2007, CHFWCNY commissioned an environmental scan of programs, gaps, barriers and recommendations for improving early childhood social-emotional and behavioral health in Erie and Niagara counties. The report includes stakeholder interviews, evidence-based strategies for young children with behavioral/emotional challenges, and policy issues that impact universal developmental or physical screening of children. The report assisted in developing our conceptual framework for examining the need for behavioral and developmental screening and service linkage for young children.

For more information about this project, contact Project Director, Meghan Guinnee at , .

To access the report, Assessment and Recommendation on Children's Social, Emotional and Behavioral Health in Erie and Niagara Counties, click on the link below: 

CHF final report _ Ginsburg(1).doc