Better Together
Caring for children when they are in the hospital or at a doctor’s appointment is only the beginning. Our mission is to improve every child’s health and well-being, which means caring for children where they are: in the community. Here are some steps we’re taking to meet that goal. Get Started
Encouraging Early Literacy: Books for Babies
When it comes to reading to children, it's never too early to start. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends pediatricians “use a robust spectrum of options to support and promote literacy.”
CHOP's Books for Babies program is designed to begin a child's journey to literacy. “We know that reading with young children results in improved language skills in toddlers and improves school readiness,” says Shelia Knerr, MD, a CHOP Pediatric Hospitalist who led the creation of the program. Learn More
It's in the bag!
Through the Books for Babies program, parents of newborns receive a gift bag that includes a board book, a bookmark, an application for a library card at their local library, and information on the well-established benefits of reading to their newborn.
This was an incredible journey that began, grew and continues to prosper due to the ongoing support of the CHOP Community Impact department, the CHOP grants programs, and the commitment of the whole CHOP enterprise to help their employees support children and families in their communities.
Sheila Knerr, MD, Books for Babies Founder
Dr. Knerr recently retired from her role as a CHOP Pediatric Hospitalist and passed the torch of Books for Babies leadership to Koryse Woodrooffe Ekouevi, MD, a CHOP neonatologist at Grand View Health, pictured left.
Learn more about CHOP's literacy programs
The Power of a Picture
Dermatology is a visually oriented specialty that lends itself well to remote consultation.
Pediatricians at participating CHOP Care Network sites can send a picture of a child's skin issue through the Electronic Medical Record system to the Dermatology team for a consultation. The Dermatology team typically responds within just a few days, as opposed to patients having to wait months for an in-person consult.
The E-Consult program in dermatology has become an important part of my clinical practice. I love the fact that I can save families time, money and the anxiety of waiting for an answer, while also equipping pediatricians to manage their dermatology patients. A well-taken photo truly is worth a thousand words!
Amanda Moon, MD, CHOP Pediatric Dermatologist
The teledermatology program plans to expand to all CHOP Primary Care sites in the future. CHOP is also exploring using e-consults for other subspecialties to improve access to care and the patient family experience.
Learn more about the ways CHOP is using technology to enhance care to help children everywhereMedicine and More: The Family Connects Program
Sometimes, a family visiting the Emergency Department at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia has social needs that go beyond their child's immediate medical problem. Families may struggle to have enough food or a safe place to live. CHOP created Family Connects to provide community resources to meet those social needs. Learn More
Working to Build a Future Workforce at CHOP
Part of CHOP's mission is to fill the registry of future healthcare workers with young people who reflect our diverse community and patient population. We have numerous programs that give youth from grade school through college opportunities to learn about the many roles across the institution — in patient care, administration, research and beyond.
Our robust internship programs, in particular, provide hands-on experience that can transform a student's career aspirations and prepare them for a job across the spectrum of healthcare. Learn More
Training at CHOP Is a Nationwide Draw
The nine REU interns for 2023 came from colleges that spanned the United States.
Safer Driving and Brain Injury Dominate Research Topics
Summer 2023 REU research topics included:
- Biomechanical Responses during Pre-Crash Maneuvers and Autonomous Driving Scenarios
- Understanding Eye-Glance Behaviors Among Young Drivers
- Analysis of Pediatric Occupant Kinematics and Kinetics in Motor Vehicle Crashes
- Social Equity and Spatial Effects on Safe Mobility
- Developing 3D-Printed Anthropomorphic Models to Improve Clinical Training
- Examining Learning to Drive, Risky Driving Behavior, and Crashes in Young Drivers
- Human Subject Study with Parents and Teens to Study Effectiveness of Driver Safety App
- Optimizing Concussion Care for Children and Adolescents
- Cognitive and Circuit Impairments Induced by Mild Traumatic Brain Injury
Healthy Food, Healthy Childhood
When a family doesn't have the resources to put nutritious food on the table, providing a bag of groceries just answers an immediate problem. The Food as Medicine program takes a broader approach that includes nutrition education for families and activities for kids so they're learning about healthy food while having fun. And it happens right where the kids receive their healthcare: The Nicholas and Athena Karabots Primary Care Center, Norristown.
The program began when social worker Victoria Armstrong saw Norristown families facing food instability coming out of the pandemic. Learn More
Food — and So Much More for Families
Families Enrolled in Food as Medicine receive:
- Weekly delivery of fresh produce May through November, complete with info on what's in the box and recipes to try
- Twice monthly delivery of nonperishable groceries
- Monthly family sessions with exercise, story time, gardening, cooking demonstrations and dinner
- Cooking equipment that includes cutting boards, knives, grater, pots, pans and more, plus a cookbook of family-friendly, healthy fare
- Monthly children's book related to gardening or healthy eating
- Yoga mat and water bottle for each child
It Takes a Village to Offer Family Nights
Community partners that support Food as Medicine:
- Cutloose Cares and leaders Jordan and Emily Deane
- Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, which provided the on-site garden, cooking demonstrations and weekly produce boxes
- Martha's Choice Marketplace, a Catholic Social Services food pantry in Norristown
- Norristown-area restaurants
- Reach Out and Read and other CHOP volunteers
Learn About CHOP's Food-related Programs
Photos of a Food as Medicine family night
Afghan Refugees: From Chaos to Care
After the chaotic and frightening exit from Afghanistan, refugee families coming through Philadelphia International Airport were offered a calm clinic where CHOP doctors evaluated ill children and arranged for their ongoing healthcare needs.
CHOP continued to care for children while they were in the refugee camp at Joint Base Mcguire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey and after local resettlement. Learn More
Learn More About
Safe Medication Disposal Saves Lives
Leftover medications in the home, especially opioids, present a danger to a curious toddler or to a youth seeking to use or to harm themselves. By placing secure drug take-back bins near the entrances to our Philadelphia and King of Prussia hospitals, CHOP gives families a simple, anonymous way to keep their entire family safe by getting their old meds out of the house. Learn More
Guns and Kids: A Deadly Mix
Every day, eight children suffer gunshot wounds because of improperly stored or misused guns in the home. Eighty percent of teens who use a firearm to commit suicide use a family member’s gun.
The Center for Violence Prevention partners with community organizations to reduce those numbers by sharing information on how to safely store firearms and handing out hundreds of free gun locks at community events across Philadelphia. CVP also provides these resources to families during primary care and emergency room visits at CHOP. Learn More
Reaching Out to Families
CHOP’s Gun Safety Program talks to families in primary care offices, the ER and their communities.
Partnership for Playgrounds
Collaboration among the Healthier Together Initiative at CHOP, the Trust for Public Land and Add B. Anderson Elementary School’s principal and other stakeholders — with design help from the school’s students — turned a half an acre of asphalt into a haven that supports active play and encourages spending time outdoors.
The project also brings a safe space to the Cobbs Creek neighborhood, providing a meeting place for community events beyond the school’s operations. Learn More
Active Recruiting Broadens Supplier Base
With its Supplier Diversity Program, Children’s Hospital has emphasized creating a registry of suppliers and contractors that mirrors the diversity of our employees, patient families, board of trustees and the communities we serve and support every day.
Minority Business Enterprises bring their skills and expertise to all areas of the hospital — from constructing new buildings, providing IT solutions to the CHOP enterprise to ensuring the necessary supplies are delivered to our many locations on time. Learn More
Our Financial Commitment
Our pledge to improve the health of children and the broader community takes on many forms: thousands of employee volunteer hours, free use of our facilities for community organizations, free health education and training for families and professionals, donated goods and services, and, of course, financial. Through all these efforts, in fiscal year 2023 (July 1, 2022, through June 30, 2023), CHOP contributed more than $640 million to this effort.
All financial data is for fiscal year July 1, 2022, through June 30, 2023. These reports include amounts expended by Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s hospital facilities, as reported on Schedule H of the IRS Form 990, and our controlled affiliates, including our physician practice plans, which are not required to complete Schedule H. Accordingly, the values on this fact sheet are greater than the amounts reported in the CHOP Schedule H, which applies only to our hospital facilities. For more information, call CHOP’s Office of Community Impact at 267-426-5506.
Financial Assistance Policy Summary: The mission of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia is to advance healthcare for children. To help children get the care that they need, CHOP provides financial assistance for medically necessary and emergency care to patients who meet the eligibility requirements. If CHOP determines that a patient is eligible, CHOP will waive 100% of the patient’s financial responsibility (after all applicable insurances and other government assistance). Learn more about our financial assistance policy. View previous Community Impact Reports.
| Category | Total |
|---|---|
| Financial Assistance / Charity Care Cost of medical care services for families that qualify for CHOP’s financial assistance policy | 2,651,982 |
| Medicaid Programs Unreimbursed cost of Medicaid and other means-tested government health programs | 357,116,120 |
| Community Health Improvement Services Community-based clinical services, health education and support services focused on public health | 19,734,721 |
| Health Professions Education Net costs incurred by CHOP to train health professionals, including pediatricians | 59,811,593 |
| Subsidized Health Services Hospital-based clinical services provided at a financial loss to the organization | 69,936,713 |
| Research Cost of studies that identify new treatments and cures | 126,105,183 |
| Cash and In Kind Contributions Funds and goods provided to other organizations to provide community benefit | 7,049,337 |
| Total | 642,405,650 |