Homeless Health Initiative (HHI)
Project Description:
The Homeless Health Initiative (HHI) is a volunteer outreach program coordinated by The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia's Community Education Department. Volunteers of the HHI provide medical and dental services to children in area shelters and assist families in accessing important health care services including health insurance, primary care and specialty care.
HHI started in 1988 when a group of Children's Hospital residents recognized the need to improve health care access for homeless children. The residents began providing acute medical care at emergency shelters in West Philadelphia. Today, HHI provides the following services to children in shelters and their families:
Medical and dental care
Hearing and vision screenings
Health and parenting workshops
Interactive parent-child development activities
Recognition
HHI has been named a "Best Practices Model" by the Philadelphia Blueprint to End Homelessness, People's Emergency Center and the Mayor's Task Force on Homeless Services. In the spring of 2005, HHI was presented at the Third International Symposium on Child Health and Development in Tokyo, Japan, as a way of inspiring such efforts and initiatives to be undertaken in Japanese hospitals.
Keyword(s):
homelessness, effective black parenting, healthcare for children in shelter
Core Function(s):
Training Trainees, Performing Technical Assistance and/or Training, Performing Research or Evaluation, Developing & Disseminating Information
Area of Emphasis
Quality Assurance, Education & Early Intervention, Child Care-Related Activities, Health-Related Activities, Recreation-Related Activities, Quality of Life, Other - Cultural Diversity, Other - Leadership
Target Audience:
Students/Trainees (long or intermediate trainees), Community Trainees / Short term trainees, Professionals and Para-Professionals, Family Members/Caregivers, Adults with Disabilities, Children/Adolescents with Disabilities/SHCN, Legislators/Policy Makers, General Public
Unserved or Under-served Populations:
Racial or Ethnic Minorities, Disadvantaged Circumstances, Limited English, Geographic Areas, Empowerment Zone, Renewal Community, Urban
Primary Target Audience Geographic Descriptor:
Single-County, Mulit-County, State, Regional
COVID-19 Related Data:
N/A
