Healthier Together: Tackling Non-medical Factors to Improve Children's Health in West Philadelphia

Healthier Together: Tackling Non-medical Factors to Improve Children's Health in West Philadelphia

Narrator: We are Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and we’re proud to call West Philadelphia our home. Today in our neighborhood, almost 40 percent of families are living in poverty. More than 10,000 children, that’s one in four, are living with asthma. And a person’s chances of being the victim of crime are almost twice the national average.

Did you know that 80 percent of a child’s health is determined by non-medical factors like housing, hunger, trauma, and poverty? Because we are devoted to children’s health, we cannot ignore what’s happening in our neighborhood. This is why we created “Healthier Together.” It is a set of programs outside the walls of our hospital focused on factors that impact the health of children in West Philadelphia.

We used research and conversations with community leaders to identify areas of greatest need. CHOP is committed to addressing those needs, plus emerging issues and those amplified by COVID-19. CHOP is forming public-private partnerships to repair houses where children with asthma live. Renovations remove mold and other asthma triggers, so kids like Shye can get their asthma under control.

Thirty percent of our West Philadelphia patient families don’t have enough healthy food to eat. CHOP Supports several programs to ensure that children don’t go hungry and that families know how to prepare healthy meals. Living in a high crime area leads to high stress and trauma. CHOP identifies kids who have been exposed to violence and connects them to services that help them build resilience. The goal: reduce the harm trauma inflicts on kids.

To promote the economic health of West Philadelphia families and businesses, CHOP is committed to buying goods and services from local businesses. For individual families, we sponsor free financial counseling and free tax preparation right in the neighborhood. CHOP is in West Philadelphia working with our government, community, and philanthropic partners; standing alongside families and children, standing up to support our neighbors.

We need partners to stand with us. Join us.