2016 Community Benefit Report CHAI_160088756_2016 Community Benefit Report_FIN - | Page 7

CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL COLORADO
More Than a Number
Psychosocial Screening Addresses All Aspects of Care
‘Do you have any concerns or problems that make it hard for you to keep
your child's health appointments or manage your child's healthcare?’
Questions like these have become part of regular intake processes
when families visit Children’s Hospital Colorado’s Child Health Clinic,
where there’s an increased focus on screening families for issues like
access to healthcare, resource needs like housing or food, financial
challenges, safety, relationships and caregiver wellbeing.
The Child Health Clinic is one of the largest providers of pediatric
primary care for Medicaid patients in Aurora, with children birth
to five years old making up the highest patient volume. Here,
the First 1,000 Days strategic plan provides a roadmap for the
organization to enhance its impact in the early childhood arena
through psychosocial screening efforts.
“In the Child Health Clinic, we want to understand the
circumstances that children and families deal with when they
come to us for their well-child and sick care,” says Dr. Ayelet
Talmi, pediatric psychologist at Children’s Colorado.
When concerns are identified on the screener, a resource team
member from Family Navigation, Community Health Liaison, Social
Work or integrated behavioral health helps address those needs.
“The medical training environment and screening provides a
unique opportunity to embed population health management
into pediatric training,” says Dr. Burnett. “When families receive
access to resources and supports earlier, children receive the
best opportunity for true prevention and health promotion.”
Dr. Talmi concludes, “When we understand, identify and
address concerns and challenges related to environments and
experiences, we are able to provide comprehensive healthcare
and deliver the necessary services and supports to ensure that
children are healthy, strong and thriving.”
With this goal in mind and support from the Colorado Health
Foundation, Rose Foundation and Caring for Colorado, the
Child Health Clinic launched a Psychosocial Screening initiative
in 2016. This universal tool assesses all aspects of a family’s
needs, environments and experiences, and connects them
with appropriate resources. The psychosocial screener asks
questions about elements that are known to impact child
health and a family’s ability to provide a safe, stable and
nurturing environment for their child.
“Our clinic sees a diverse population of families
from different cultures, languages, immigrant and
refugee status as well as families that are largely
publicly insured,” says Dr. Bridget Burnett,
psychologist at Children’s Colorado. “Our
screener is available in 11 languages, meaning
families can share issues related to housing or
behavioral health that otherwise they may not
know they can discuss with their doctor.”
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