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Traditionally,
children from low income
families lack access to medical care and may receive fragmented,
limited, and sporadic services from clinics or hospital emergency
rooms. Studies show that children develop the mental, physical, and
psychological competencies in their early years that will determine
their future potential. Therefore, it is essential that young children
receive consistent preventive and primary care in these formative years.
The CHIP of Virginia
network is responsible for increasing access to health care for
thousands of Virginia’s low income children and their families. CHIP
targets children from birth to age six, when comprehensive
prevention-oriented services make the greatest impact in the life of a
young child.
Central to CHIP’s mission
is the creation of a relationship between a child and a primary care
provider – a medical home that provides cost-effective prevention
services in a consistent setting. Studies have shown that having a
regular source of care reduces child health expenditures by over 20%
CHIP also links each family with a CHIP team consisting of a public
health nurse and a outreach worker. A cornerstone of the CHIP program
is the partnership between the outreach worker and the nurse who work
as a team with the family and service providers. The CHIP team coaches
families with complex social, behavioral, or medical challenges to more
efficient and cost-effective use of health care and community services.
The CHIP team takes a
capacity-building approach to working with families, helping them set
and reach goals to achieve financial independence and to build parental
confidence. CHIP’s model of working with rather than for families gives
parents the power to make changes in their lives and helps them reach
their full potential.
CHIP’s comprehensive
approach improves the
health of children, families and communities, promotes parental
involvement, and strengthens each family’s ability to move toward
self-sufficiency and to provide a stable environment where children
grow up healthy, safe, ready to learn and ready to succeed.
The CHIP of Virginia network includes 11
sites operating in 30 Virginia communities and currently serving 2,700
children and 250 pregnant women in over 2,000 families. The 11
sites
employ over 150 program staff members.
Read more: Frequently Asked Questions
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