Children's hospitals and other pediatric healthcare providers are working to identify and dismantle discriminatory care practices that fuel racial health disparities, according to a May 9 article from The Commonwealth Fund.
At Children's National Hospital in Washington, D.C., conversations with families of color revealed that many felt staff were not properly addressing their children's pain. Parents said some staff members were quick to call security if they raised their voices or took other measures to try to have their concerns taken seriously.
To address these concerns, Children's National created a program that dispatches social workers to units where staff members have reported conflicts with or among parents. Social workers meet separately with parents or caregivers and staff members to help find a peaceful resolution. Of the 216 instances in which social workers have been called, 84 percent were resolved without the need for hospital security, according to the report.
At Akron (Ohio) Children's Hospital, hospital leaders are highly focused on addressing disparities around mental healthcare. The hospital conducted a Community Health Needs Assessment in 2022, which revealed high rates of suicidal ideation among Hispanic and Black children. Parents also reported difficulty accessing mental healthcare services for their kids.
Akron Children's has since increased care access by integrating behavioral health services into a majority of its primary care clinics and training primary care providers to screen for concerns such as anxiety and depression. After learning families wanted more time to discuss mental health concerns with clinicians, the hospital implemented a policy to extend healthcare visits by 15 minutes anytime such a concern is raised.
Read the full article here.