Pediatric care for our future community members

03/15/2021 by Ashley Sanchez

Kids are enjoying a public playground as their parents watch over them from a distance. The joyful sound of laughter and chatter fills the air. This is what many of us remember about last February, but today, moments like this seem like a distant memory. The uncertainty and fear that 2020 brought is still very present. People are scared, and they have every right to be. However, fear can lead us to make hasty decisions that can have lasting, negative consequences for our health. Many children and families, for example, have stopped going to the doctor’s office altogether, due to the pandemic. As a result, many children are not getting necessary health care services, such as life-saving vaccinations and continued preventative care. The alarming decline in immunizations poses a dangerous risk to our children. Without routine checkups and vaccinations throughout adolescence, there is increased potential for health complications down the road.

Continued pediatric care is also imperative to the healthy growth and development of our kids. At AltaMed, we have maintained a steady focus on general pediatrics throughout the pandemic. We provide the necessary resources to ensure that children in our communities stay safe and healthy. This means having children and their families receive routine medical assistance, beyond COVID-related care, to make it a little easier and less scary to navigate these times.

The California Department of Public Health recently published an alarming statistic. According to the state agency, children’s vaccinations have dropped 40% during the pandemic. At AltaMed, our childhood immunization rate was around 40% in 2020 compared to 51% in previous years. Diseases that were considered under control are now becoming increasingly dangerous to our kids’ health. This overall decrease in vaccinations disproportionately affects our communities. We need to get our kids into the clinics and vaccinated to ensure a healthier future. Going to the doctor is already stressful for kids, but the current hyperawareness of COVID-19 can make a pediatrics appointment even more tense. AltaMed Health Services’ pediatrics teams make doctor’s visits enjoyable and comfortable for our little ones. In pursuit of this goal, and to support early brain development in our patients up to age five, AltaMed Foundation partners with Reach Out and Read, a national children’s literacy organization that seeks to improve reading skills. We want to continue teaching our kids about healthy habits from a young age so that they can grow up to become the future leaders of our communities.

Invest in a child's future today!

Reach Out and Read

Reach Out and Read is a nonprofit ally dedicated to school readiness, serving families and children across the nation. Through this partnership, our pediatric physicians and care teams provide books and encourage children and their families to read during their pediatrics appointments. This is especially important for those low-income families that may not have access to a public library.

Together, the AltaMed Foundation and Reach Out and Read:

Distribute roughly 1,800 books annually to children and families who may not have access otherwise.
Help improve participating children’s language development in just three to six months.
Encourage participating parents, who are 2.5 times more likely to read to their children more than three times a week.

What You Can Do

Your support provides opportunities for kids in Southern California. Many of our child patients lack the tools needed to stay healthy and become successful adults. Equipping kids with these resources from a young age sets the stage for healthy brain development and improved communication skills. That is why your generosity is so essential in the development of our community as a whole.

Please consider making a donation and investing in our future community leaders. If you would like to learn more about AltaMed Foundation’s pediatric efforts, visit altamedfoundation.org/reachoutandread

Help us deliver a better tomorrow for our communities

When all people have access without barriers to health care and human services, cycles are broken and communities flourish. With support from donors, AltaMed can expand our community programs and help more members of the community thrive.

AltaMed Foundation

2040 Camfield Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90040

[email protected] | (323) 889-7845