The Center for Child & Community Health (CCCH) provides support to programs at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland whose goals match those of CCCH's mission. In addition, CCCH directly manages several programs, projects, initiatives and studies that fall under its mission.
CCCH Programs
CCCH Programs, Projects, Initiatives and Studies
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Brilliant Baby
CCCH is leading the evaluation of the Brilliant Baby program, conceived and funded by Oakland's mayor, Libby Schaaf, as part of her Oakland Promise program. Brilliant Baby provides preloaded college savings accounts and financial coaching to families of newborns born into poverty.
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Center of Excellence for Immigrant Child Health and Wellbeing
Over 50 percent of children in California have at least one immigrant parent. Many immigrant families face social and economic challenges that significantly affect their health and health care, and require a particular approach and understanding from providers. The first of its kind at a hospital on the West Coast, UCSF's Center of Excellence for Immigrant Child Health and Wellbeing (CoE) was established in 2019 to serve as a hub for addressing the unique challenges faced by immigrant populations when it comes to health care. The CoE promotes best clinical practices related to immigrant health, including providing clinical care and referrals, developing institutional policies, conducting training and consultation both internally and at other hospitals, and engaging in original research.
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Down Syndrome Clinic
At Charlie's Clinic – the only Down syndrome clinic in the East Bay – we offer comprehensive medical and developmental services for children and adolescents. Our experienced, multidisciplinary team thoroughly reviews each child’s medical history, informed by American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines. Each visit also focuses on development, educational progress, behavioral concerns and independence in daily activities. Clinic staff members advocate for services through the school districts and regional centers, and review individualized education programs (IEPs) and individualized family service plans (IFSPs). Every child is screened for a dual diagnosis of DS-ASD (Down syndrome - autism spectrum disorder). Charlie's Clinic promotes social health and socialization opportunities, and connects families with community resources. To promote the development of a supportive and inclusive community, we organize social events for all patients to attend. The clinic director is an active member of national and international Down syndrome organizations, and participates in research efforts to improve our knowledge and understanding of the condition.
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Community Health & Adolescent Mentoring Program for Success (CHAMPS)
This award-winning program offers educational interventions to help high school students in racial and ethnic minority populations explore health care and biomedical research professions. The aim is to make those professions more representative of California's diverse population, with a long-term goal to improve access to health care and reduce the health disparities in today's society. CHAMPS partners with local high schools, health academies, universities, medical schools and residency programs as part of a health professions pipeline.
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Cultural Humility Training
Cultural humility is a philosophy or approach to providing care that was developed at Children's Hospital Oakland in the late 1990s. This approach emphasizes the provider's humility rather than the provider's seeking to appear to have expertise. The goal is to improve the quality of a clinician's interactions with clients and patients.
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Family Care Network (HIV/AIDS)
Family Care Network (FCN), funded by the Ryan White CARE Act, is a collaboration of seven organizations that coordinate primary medical care, case management, peer advocacy, and legal and mental health services for women and children living with or affected by HIV/AIDS in Alameda and Contra Costa counties. PHAP is the only one of these local agencies that is funded to provide comprehensive care for infants, children and youth with HIV, as well as to help pregnant women with HIV avoid perinatal transmission.
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FINDConnect (Family Information and Navigation)
Poor health outcomes in children are driven more by social, economic and environmental factors than by genes, behavior or access to care – but addressing these so-called social determinants of health has traditionally been outside the scope of medical practice. FINDConnect is a mobile, cloud-based application developed by CCCH to help health care and other providers quickly screen and refer patients and clients for basic social and economic needs that may be affecting their health, as well as track their progress over time. FINDConnect is housed in the Claremont Clinic, integrated with the hospital's medical record system, and available to every provider at the hospital.
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FETCH (Free and Easy Transportation for Children’s Health)
Lack of transportation is cited as the top reason families might miss medical appointments. In collaboration with Lyft and Yoots, FETCH provides free and convenient round-trip transportation to clinic visits for families that lack access to reliable transportation and are at risk for missing scheduled appointments.
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Food as Medicine
Many families that come to UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland for care rely on inexpensive, processed foods because healthy food is unavailable or inaccessible in their communities. CCCH partners with the Alameda County Community Food Bank and Phat Beets Farms to provide two Food Farmacy pop-up markets per month, where families receiving care at Children’s can get free, fresh produce, meats, eggs and whole grains, along with easy recipes and other nutrition-related education. In partnership with Medical Social Services, CCCH also supports the distribution of food backpacks to departments across the hospital, supporting families in need.
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Pediatric ACEs Screening and Resiliency Study (PEARLS)
Adverse events early in life, such as exposure to violence and abuse, can cause what is known as toxic stress. If not addressed early, research shows that early adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) can lead to negative biological and behavioral changes that last a lifetime. There are currently no validated ACEs screening tools for children. CCCH is working with the Center for Youth Wellness in Bayview-Hunters Point, San Francisco, and Children's Hospital Oakland's Primary Care Clinic to create and validate a standard screening tool for ACEs in the pediatric setting. This is a crucial step that will facilitate widespread screening for ACEs in clinical pediatric settings. The study will also assess how the ACEs screen correlates with existing behavioral health tools, key physical health indicators, and biomarkers.
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Spread the Word (Early Literacy)
Eighty percent of a child's brain is formed by age 3, and it's influenced in large part by their parents' words. The more words children hear spoken to them, the better their brain develops. Research shows that the quality of early childhood brain development strongly predicts health and socioeconomic outcomes in adulthood. Through Spread the Word, CCCH partners with Primary Care and Medical Social Services to distribute books to pediatric patients. In partnership with Tandem - Partners in Early Learning, CCCH hosts monthly literacy activities in patient waiting rooms, including reading circles and interactive literacy activities. Our ultimate goal is to make child literacy a routine part of pediatric care, much like hearing screenings and treatment for ADHD.
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Trauma-Transformed and Trauma-Informed Care Collaborative
This program teaches providers throughout the Bay Area how to provide trauma-informed care to children, youth and families. Trauma-informed care is an organizational structure and treatment framework that involves understanding, recognizing and responding to the effects of all types of trauma. Trauma-informed care also emphasizes physical, psychological and emotional safety for both consumers and providers, and helps survivors rebuild a sense of control and empowerment. Since 2018, CCCH has been funded by Genentech in partnership with Center for Care Innovations to join the Resilient Beginnings Collaborative. That partnership helps support training in trauma-informed care at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland.
Learning never stops
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