Each Project HEALTH program addresses the issue of double jeopardy, a formidable combination of poverty and poor health faced by low-income children. In effect, poor children face two sets of obstacles: first, they are more frequently exposed to risks such as medical illness, family stress, insufficient social support, and parental depression; and second, when these risks are realized, they face more serious consequences to their health than counterparts of higher socioeconomic status.
Recognizing the disconnect between available resources and the families who need them, Project HEALTH responds with two types of programs:
- Our clinic-based help desks use the doctor’s office as a point of intervention to connect families with critical resources, such as food, housing, and childcare.
- Our afterschool programs provide children facing chronic illness with the skills and knowledge to take care of their health, as well as the intensive academic and peer support necessary to realize their full potential in school and in life.