MM Curator summary:
The NC Reach and Read program just got more funding to partner with pediatricians to encourage early childhood reading.
The article below has been highlighted and summarized by our research team. It is provided here for member convenience as part of our Curator service.
A federal Medicaid program is providing just more than $3 million in funding for the state’s early childhood program known as Reach Out and Read.
The program will be conducted by the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services with matching funds.
DHHS said the reading initiative is one of the first in the country among state Medicaid programs.
The goal is improving literacy and language comprehension through participation from low-income children who would be eligible for Medicaid or the federal Children’s Health Insurance Program
Meanwhile, the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said the program has proven in other states to have improved patient-clinician relationships and well-child visit attendance.
“Expanding Reach Out and Read recognizes that children’s healthy development and early literacy are intertwined,” Dr. Mandy Cohen, the state’s health secretary, said in a statement.
“This program meets families where they are and through people they trust.”
Reach Out and Read partners with pediatric primary care locations to deliver training for medical providers, literacy tools for families, and to encourage healthy routines and relationships through shared stories.
