The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released a new policy statement, “Poverty and Child Health in the United States,” on March 9th that recommends pediatricians screen for poverty at all well-child visits. These screenings include asking about basic needs, such as food and housing, and making appropriate referrals when needed. AAP also recommends pediatricians help patients and their families build resilience to the negative effects of poverty by identifying and supporting protective factors within families.
Why is this important to the ACEsConnection community?
Because poverty has been shown to be a strong indicator of childhood trauma and a huge array of adverse experiences. These experiences, as we all know, are linked to a number of health issues that affect individuals, families, and whole communities.
Screening for poverty allows pediatricians to learn about whether families are in need of food, shelter, financial aid, early education, or other services, and make the appropriate referrals. Assisting these children is not an immediate solution to poverty, but it will help them find systems of support and become more resilient towards trauma. Furthermore, building resilience will help these children succeed later in life and less likely to recreate traumatic environments for the next generation.
Read the full policy statement here.
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