In Case You Missed It... March Edition!

What We're Reading 

Achieving Payment Reform for Children Through Medicaid and Stakeholder Collaboration
and
A Guide for Action

Suzanne C. Brundage, Chad Shearer

The United Hospital Fund (UHF) released two reports—Achieving Payment Reform for Children Through Medicaid and Stakeholder Collaboration and a companion guide,  A Guide for Action. Both found that overhauling payments for children’s health care so that quality and outcomes are rewarded—rather than the quantity of care delivered—could have a profoundly positive impact on children’s health. Implementing such reform requires close collaboration between state Medicaid agencies and children’s organizations. A Guide for Action outlines the necessary steps that can be taken.

A Parenting and Life Skills Intervention for Teen Mothers: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Joanne E. Cox, Sion Kim Harris, Kathleen Conroy, Talia Engelhart, Anuradha Vyavaharkar, Amy Federico, Elizabeth R. Woods

This study found that when teen mothers participated in a program offering parenting/life skills intervention and medical care for both themselves and their children, teen mothers were less likely to have repeat pregnancy and had higher maternal self-esteem over a period of 36 months. 

Maternal Depression and Stress in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: Associations With Mother-Child Interactions at Age 5 Years 

Emily D. Gerstein, PhD, Wanjiku F.M. Njoroge, MD, Rachel A. Paul, MPH, Christopher D. Smyser, MD, Cynthia E. Rogers, MD

Researchers examined the correlation of maternal depressive symptoms and stress in the (NICU) with parenting behaviors at age 5 years, in mothers of children born preterm. Early maternal peripartum depression and stress may have lasting impacts on multiple parenting behaviors, emphasizing the necessity for screening and targeted interventions in the NICU.

In the Media

February 11, 2019: Youth Today: Even Toddlers, Preschoolers Need Trauma Informed Intervention by Nathan Swaringen

March 11, 2019: New York University: For Infants, Distinguishing between Friends and Strangers is a Laughing Matter by James Devitt

March 16, 2019: New York Times: Why You Want to Eat This Baby Up: It’s Science​by Pagan Kennedy

Docs for Tots team meeting day at our WeWork Astoria office: Caitlyn, Maggie, Melissa, and Rose

What's up Docs?

Help Me Grow — Long Island was featured on Help Me Grow National's Get to Know an Affiliate series! Help Me Grow interviewed our Executive Director, Liz Isakson and HMG-LI Coordinator, Melissa Passarelli. Read the interview in full on the Help Me Grow National Blog.

Staffing Update: Meet our new Bilingual Family Resource Specialist, Rose Marie Paul! In 2017, she received her Bachelor of Science from Queens College. She was previously employed at the Hispanic Counseling Center as a Bilingual Care Manager. Learn more about her and our other staff members here!

Read our new blog post:
"Living in an affordable, quality home can have a positive impact on the child’s development. On the flip side, living in low-quality housing which is often accompanied by lack of heat, pests and other negative factors is shown to result in physical, emotional and behavioral problems for children," wrote Fabella Decema, a Help Me Grow — Long Island Family Resource Specialist, in a recent post on the Docs for Tots blog.

#ThinkBabies
Docs for Tots is proud to announce that we have become a #ThinkBabies National Campaign partner! Learn more about the partnership on our website.