Healthy children come from healthy homes

Whether it is a city the size of D.C. or Dayton, healthy children come from healthy homes. Understanding the social determinants of good health doesn’t happen from reading a book. You really have to take a walk in someone else’s shoes to learn what it’s like to be the best parent you can be. That’s why I was so impressed to see the Dayton Children’s Hospital Board of Trustees dig deep and participate in poverty simulation exercises at their annual retreat.

When treating children, it’s imperative to look beyond the notes and thoroughly understand all of the challenges facing your patient’s life. Trust is a commodity that has to be earned, and it doesn’t come cheap. But once the bond is made between the pediatrician, parent and child — then real, lasting improvement begins.

Like Dayton, Children’s National delivers hundreds of millions of dollars a year in community benefit. We take on projects that bring us up close with families in their own communities, like managing mobile health vans and school nursing programs.

I also learned that we share the same mission: always treat every child that comes through your door as if they were your own. That’s because improving the health of kids is a smart investment toward reducing the time and energy our country spends on chronic adult health conditions every year.