Improving health outcomes by addressing chronic absenteeism
Through CARE program, parents and caregivers have the opportunity to consent to share their child’s attendance information with their child’s healthcare team. The team then provides outreach and medical attention to children who might be missing school.
School absenteeism is a national crisis. Chronic absenteeism, defined as missing 10% or more of the school year for excused and/or unexcused absence, is soaring. With rates of chronic absenteeism at 43% in Washington, D.C., and data showing clear connections between academic attainment, graduation rates, long-term health and life expectancy, school absenteeism is a critical health and educational equity issue for children in the nation’s capital.
The big picture
To combat this issue, Children’s National Hospital has partnered with District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) and other local partners to develop the Collaborative for Attendance Resources in Education and Health (CARE-H). Funded by the United Health Foundation, CARE-H is a cross-sector, multidisciplinary data-sharing program. Parents and caregivers have the opportunity to consent to share their child’s attendance information with their child’s healthcare team. The team then provides outreach and medical attention to children that might be missing school.
Children’s National Hospital leads the way
Each month, team members from primary care at Children’s National conduct outreach to patients and families who are experiencing barriers to school attendance, and assist families with referrals to primary care, subspecialty, mental health, oral health appointments and other social resources. “We know it is important to help families with the many medical and social barriers that may prevent them from attending school, and as their medical home, we are fortunate to have the ability to connect them with these important resources,” stated Jaytoya Manget, NP, DNP, FNP, Quality Improvement Lead for the CARE-H program at Children’s National.
During the 2022-2023 school year, the team conducted nearly 2,700 minutes of outreach and generated over 70 referrals for medical appointments and social resources. “A more supportive framework and holistic approach around attendance by the schools has helped promote acceptance of the hospital’s outreach, as has the trust its healthcare providers have established with their patients,” said Danielle Dooley, M.D., M.Phil., a pediatrician and medical director of Community Affairs and Population Health at Children’s National.
Children’s National also established a regional learning collaborative, with partners from Trenton, NJ and Delaware who have developed similar attendance data-sharing programs based on the work done by Children’s National. “I hope that through our collaboration, this model can be used to address chronic absenteeism across the nation,” said Dr. Dooley.
