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Child Health Advocacy Institute Awarded Several Grants

Funds Will Be Used to Enhance Community Health Programming

Washington, DC – The Child Health Advocacy Institute (CHAI) continues its commitment to addressing health threats impacting children by proactively addressing issues identified as specific needs in the community. Recent “wins” in the area of oral health are an example of the kind of issue-based advocacy and community action that make the CHAI a national leader in child health advocacy and community health innovation.

Recent grants to support the CHAI’s work include:

  • The DentaQuest Foundation selected Children’s National Medical Center as one of just 20 organizations nationally invited to join its Oral Health 2014 Initiative. Through the CHAI, Children’s National will receive resources to support the District of Columbia (DC) Pediatric Oral Health Coalition’s work to tackle the lack of access to oral health services for underserved children. The Oral Health 2014 Initiative is a major step towards launching a national movement to reverse profound oral health disparities in the United States.
  • CHAI received renewal of the Jesse Ball duPont grant, an award that also supports the DC Pediatric Oral Health Coalition. A wide range of community leaders and organizations are participating in this project including hospitals, community organizations, and public health agencies.
  • CHAI was awarded competitive renewal of a grant from the Consumer Health Foundation to assist with the implementation of the “Healthy Teeth” program through the CHAI’s Advocacy and Community Affairs Department.

CHAI faculty and staff have also been engaged in advocacy dissemination activities including the following invited speaking opportunities and recent peer-reviewed publication:

  • Jerry Paulson, MD, CHAI’s Director of Global Health and an environmental health expert convened the Mid-Atlantic Center for Children’s Health and the Environment Annual Conference this past October. Dr. Paulson delivered the keynote address and conducted a breakout panel discussion at the regional meeting held in Philadelphia.
  • Chaya Merrill, DrPh, Child Health Data Lab; Ruth Fisher Pollard, Advocacy and Community Affairs; and CHAI Senior Vice President Joseph Wright, MD, will represent the CHAI at the National Association of Children’s Hospitals and Related Institution’s (NACHRI) conference with a presentation entitled “Development of a Community-Driven Web Portal to Improve Pediatric Health”.
  • Diana Fendya and Karen Belli from the Emergency Medical Services for Children – National Resource Center (EMSC-NRC), a program of CHAI, were lead and co-author, respectively on an article, published in the October issue of Pediatric Emergency Care entitled, “Organized interfacility transfer processes: an opportunity to improve pediatric emergency care.”

Contact: Susan Muma or Emily Dammeyer 202.476.4500.

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