Population Health and Wellness
Nationwide Children’s Hospital’s aspiration is to eliminate inequities in child health. We share a commitment with many community organizations to improve health outcomes for all children by ensuring access to the services they need.
We’re not only working to improve health care for children. We’re working to improve health for children – in all its forms. Studies show that health outcomes are influenced by a “neighborhood effect” — meaning that health outcomes vary based on where a person lives.
Factors that can affect health include access to health care, housing, education, employment, relationships, transportation and food supply.
We work toward our aspiration by:
Several programs are designed to remove barriers to accessing resources:
- Care Connection – Primary care, behavioral health and school-based asthma therapy are offered in central Ohio schools through school health clinics or the Mobile Care Center. All programs are designed to connect children to a medical home.
- BC4Teens – The Birth Control for Teens Program is a place for young women up to age 25 to talk with medical experts about birth control and sexually transmitted infections and get the birth control that's right for them — with no judgment.
- One example of this support is Ohio Better Birth Outcomes, a collaborative between four central Ohio hospital systems, a local federally qualified health center and public health, which is dedicated to reducing the infant mortality rate in Franklin County.
- The area health systems use quality improvement science to not only improve clinical care, but also connect pregnant women to other community resources to help ensure healthy birth outcomes.
- Another example is our commitment to rural health. The Nationwide Children’s service area includes all of southeastern Ohio, where we are leveraging community-based strengths and local partnerships to collaboratively improve health outcomes in more than 35 counties. We work to keep care local whenever possible and build capacity within southeast Ohio.
- Mental health and physical health are interconnected and deserve the same attention. With a commitment to improving access to behavioral and mental health services, we offer a broad range of programs to support at-risk youth in school, at home and in the community.
- The Healthy Neighborhoods Healthy Families initiative partners with faith-based organizations, community development organizations, youth-serving nonprofits and local public schools to focus on creating positive health outcomes in the community.
- South Side Thrive Collaborative convenes and promotes coordination and collaboration among a network of 40+ human service organizations, civic groups and businesses to ensure all Columbus’ South Side residents have stable housing, income mobility and good health.
- Programs support affordable housing; workforce development and employment opportunities; health and wellness; neighborhood safety; and improved educational outcomes for children and families on the South Side of Columbus.
Partners For Kids, a partnership between Nationwide Children's and more than 1,000 doctors, is one of the nation’s oldest and largest pediatric accountable care organizations.
Partners For Kids at a Glance:
- 330,000 children cared for
- 34 counties in central and Southeastern Ohio served
- More than 1,000 doctors participate
Nationwide Children’s Hospital was one of several organizations featured in a documentary produced by The Regional Educational Laboratory Midwest and WVIZ/PBS Ideastream. The documentary highlights efforts across Ohio to improve the health and academic outcomes of students in public schools through expanding students’ access to health care. It showcases Nationwide Children’s clinic at East High School and its successful school-based asthma therapy program.
