Making House Calls for Kids with Chronic Diseases

A grant awarded to Stony Brook Long Island Children's Hospital by the Healthcare Efficiency and Affordability Law for New Yorkers has allowed the hospital to return in part to a staple of old-fashioned medical care: making house calls.

Specifically, the HEAL NY grant facilitates the hospital's "Keeping Families Healthy" program, which sends community health workers out into the field to help new parents and underserved families, provide preventive medical education, and connect patients with the resources they need in between office visits. The program is free for children up to age 18 who either suffer from a chronic health condition or who receive Medicaid insurance.

Margaret McGovern, who chairs the department of pediatrics at SBU's School of Medicine and serves as physician-in-chief of the children's hospital, said in a statement that the "Keeping Families Healthy" program is a successful model.

"By providing health education and other services in between office visits, our pediatricians are able to devote more attention to specific health concerns during the office visit and families feel more satisfied with the care they receive," McGovern said.

According to the hospital, the program has helped more than 240 children via more than 500 home visits since it was launched in July of 2011.

Community health workers are dispatched from Stony Brook's primary care facilities in Patchogue and Islip to focus on three main areas: managing chronic diseases such as asthma, diabetes and obesity, fostering wellness elements such as developing healthy eating habits and preventing disease, and helping parents care for their newborns when they need additional support.

Community health workers are hired, trained and managed by a non-profit community social welfare entity called the Federation of Organizations, and supervised by Stony Brook pediatricians. 

Susan Stell of Setauket is one parent who has taken advantage of the program. A community health worker visited her home seven times over the six-month span following the birth in June of her first baby, Ashante Williamson. Stell said in a statement that the community health worker was a warm, genuine, and easy-to-talk-to person.

"She was able to do practical things such as weigh and measure Ashante, but also take down questions and forward them to the pediatricians," Stell said. "It was really special because as a first-time mom, I had a lot of questions. With [the Community Health Worker] coming, it kept me on top of things. She would relay the questions to my pediatrician. I was impressed that the doctor took time out to call me personally and answer my questions."