Insights

The Top Children's Health Stories of 2018

Multiple images of childrenWith 2018 drawing to a close, we’re taking stock of the stories you found most engaging over the past year. From the opioid epidemic to mandated reporting to bedsharing and safe sleep, this year’s top stories tackle tough issues and are filled with passionate voices seeking to drive change in children’s health systems.

Thank you for reading our articles, liking them and sharing them with your networks. With your help, we’re building a vast community of stakeholders committed to achieving equitable outcomes for all children across the country. 

Read on to make sure you didn’t miss out on the stories your peers found most valuable in 2018.

Bedsharing, Breastfeeding and Babies Dying. A Conversation Worth Having
Bedsharing can lead to longer breastfeeding duration. It also leads to more infant deaths. These opposing facts represent a major dilemma for those working to improve infant health. What does it mean when strategies that put babies in danger also support behaviors that improve outcomes? In this article, Lori Feldman-Winter, MD, MPH, FAAP, a pediatrician and safe sleep and breastfeeding expert, provides some answers. 

Taking a Two-Generation Approach to Children’s Health
Even before birth, children rely on their parents to learn about and cultivate the habits and skills that will support their future health and well-being. Because of this, when a parent struggles, children’s health may suffer. In this interview with NICHQ CEO Scott D. Berns, MD, MPH, FAAP, we discuss why a two-generation approach is essential for children’s health, and how we can use it to drive systems-level change.

Treating the Opioid Epidemic as a Children’s Health Crisis
NICHQ's Chief Health Officer, Elizabeth Coté, MD, MPA, spent two years working to reduce opioid prescriptions in a rural Maine community. In this article, she shares her experience working with a young mother whose addiction to opioids stems from a cycle of poverty and drug abuse. Her story illustrates how opioids are damaging the health of some of our country’s most vulnerable families, leaving children as the youngest casualties of a nationwide epidemic.

Creating a Safe Sleep City
Citywide campaigns can be catalysts for improving safe sleep practices and infant health outcomes. In this article, find out what strategies Mississippi is leveraging to mobilize efforts across Jackson. From doctors to store owners to restaurateurs, the whole city is coming together to keep Jackson’s babies safe.

Our Systems Meant to Help Are Hurting Black Families
When does mandated reporting hurt rather than improve children’s health outcomes? Erin Cloud, who’s spent the past seven years advocating for parents in the child welfare system, shares a thought provoking story about what happens when biased reporting causes unintentional harm. Here, we shine a spotlight on this troubling example of when systems meant to support children’s health end up failing black mothers and children.

Launch an Early Childhood Parent Academy
Interested in developing free, accessible lessons that empower parents around early childhood development? An early childhood parent academy—a structured set of courses covering key topic areas that parents need to know about early childhood development—does just that. Click in for a curriculum and strategies on how to launch one in your state. 

What children’s health innovation stories have you read lately? Share them with us @NICHQ on Twitter!

Related Insights

Preparing Children with Special Healthcare Needs for Transition of Care 

Transitioning from pediatric to adult care can be challenging for any young person, but those challenges are often amplified for children with special healthcare needs. Two young adults with complex medical conditions share their experience with transitioning from pediatric to adult care. 

TRANSCRIPT | Connecting Infant and Maternal Health Outcomes – Prematurity Awareness Month

 Our main story this episode highlights he links between maternal and infant health, and the impacts of preterm birth on health outcomes for mothers, birthing people, and babies. Hear from NICHQ VP of Equity and Innovation Dr. Stacy Scott, Ph.D. D, MPA, who shares some equity considerations regarding disparate rates of preterm birth, infant mortality, and maternal mortality. Dr. Zsakeba Henderson, MD, FACOG, NICHQ’s senior health advisor, also connects the impact of maternal health on infant health outcomes while shining a light on the U.S. maternal mortality crisis and current policy initiatives that can help reverse maternal mortality trends.  

4 Strategies for Transitioning from Pediatric to Adult Care for People Living with Sickle Cell Disease

Whether transitioning to college or a full-time job, it's a time when young adults are going to be establishing their independence from their nuclear family and taking responsibility for their own needs. For a young person with special healthcare needs such as SCD, the responsibilities are compounded by the additional need to begin transitioning from pediatric to adult care. Read more for four helpful strategies for transitioning from pediatric to adult care for people living with sickle cell disease and other special health conditions. 

TRANSCRIPT | Sickle Cell Awareness Month: Transitioning to College, Equity Considerations, and Resource Sharing

 Our main story this episode highlights the need for resources for people living with sickle cell disease and strategies for transitioning from pediatric to adult care. We also reflect on National Infant Mortality Awareness Month and hear from NICHQ team member about connecting their personal and professional passion for equity. Thanks for joining us!

For our main story in this episode we are joined by Summer 2023 NICHQ Communications & Digital Strategy interns Amalia Hirschhorn-Martinez and Katie McCormick. They speak with members of the NICHQ team about our upcoming webinar focused on infant safe sleep and breastfeeding messaging and NICHQ’s continued work to ensure health professionals and the communities they serve are supported with the necessary tools and resources to create safe sleeping environments and improve breastfeeding and chestfeeding rates. 

Inviting and Engaging Family Partners in Your Work

Patient and family partnerships are an essential element of health equity. By supporting patient and family voices and encouraging space for collaboration, public health professionals can help ensure shared vision and values are at the forefront of determining solutions to improve a community’s health outcomes.