Children's National Medical Center is committed to meeting its mission of Care, Advocacy, Research, and Education by growing healthy kids! In 2011, this goal was the motivation behind a number of programs and initiatives aimed at educating, treating, and preventing a wide range of diseases, as well as breaking the racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic boundaries that can be barriers to impactful health care.

Because the Washington, DC metropolitan area is comprised of communities with unique and diverse medical needs, we are continually challenged to determine where the need for care is greatest, and identify key partnerships to bring meaningful services to children and their families. Last year, our administrators and staff focused their exceptional skills, talents, and energy on expanding already successful programs to reach more at-risk families and communities, while launching new ones with the promise of addressing unmet needs.
This report highlights a few of these accomplishments, including the:

• DC Pediatric Oral Health Coalition, a group comprised of stakeholders across organizations and disciplines that share best practices and develop solutions to improve the state of pediatric oral health in the District;
• Healthy Teeth Fluoride Varnish Program, where over 1,400 parents in underserved communities received education in good oral health habits, while establishing a dental home for their children;
• Congenital Heart Disease Screening Program, which promotes the value of early screening to prevent the risks created by delayed diagnosis;
• Health Education at Children's National ED at United Medical Center, a program that provides much needed education on the top five ambulatory care sensitive (ACS) conditions, and the proper usage of the emergency department;
• Focus on Youth with ImPACT, a CDC funded project, that serves both youth ages 12-15 and their parents with education on preventing HIV, as well as the risks of early sexual activity, and lastly
• Sickle Cell Adolescent Transition Program, which empowers and prepares kids with sickle cell anemia to successfully transition from pediatric to adult care.

The Children's National family is proud of our contribution to creating and maintaining healthier communities in the District of Columbia. Working together, we can make sure that every child has the opportunity to grow up healthy!