Standing up to microaggressions: A hospital-wide training
How can a large, teaching hospital address racial bias in the midst of a pandemic? This question came to a head last summer as the country reacted to the death of George Floyd. As a champion for children’s health, and as part of its Declaration on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusivity, Boston Children’s Hospital committed to ... Read More about Standing up to microaggressions: A hospital-wide training
Global services: Coordinating care for international families
In most years, more than 2,500 families living outside of the United States seek care at Boston Children’s Hospital. To help guide the process, the Global Services team — a group of medical and administrative professionals — manages all the details. Their mission is to help coordinate care between families, medical professionals in their home ... Read More about Global services: Coordinating care for international families
We speak your language: Helping non-English-speaking families receive the best care
Visiting a health care provider requires a fair amount of communication, whether for scheduling an appointment, receiving care, or understanding follow-up directions. For families whose primary language isn’t English, the Interpreter Services program at Boston Children’s Hospital can help make those discussions easier. “Our team of interpreters provides translation services in more than 70 languages,” ... Read More about We speak your language: Helping non-English-speaking families receive the best care
A Juneteenth celebration of children’s books featuring Black characters
Books can provide a mirror for kids to understand themselves and a window into the world around them. Yet for many generations, Black characters were almost nonexistent in children’s books. Very often, the few that did appear were limited, with one kind of hair and one skin tone. “Thinking about the books that were popular ... Read More about A Juneteenth celebration of children’s books featuring Black characters
Beyond HIPAA: Maintaining patient privacy in a big data era
After a prolonged, painful era in which medical data were exchanged mainly by fax, most patients today have electronic health records. But the data within them aren’t as private as they might think, says Kenneth Mandl, MD, MPH. As director of the Computational Health Informatics Program (CHIP) at Boston Children’s Hospital, he’s seen patient data ... Read More about Beyond HIPAA: Maintaining patient privacy in a big data era
Celebrating remarkable Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders
Boston Children’s Hospital thrives, thanks in part to the contributions of its Asian American and Pacific Islander staff and clinicians. Whether developing innovative treatments for chronic disease, treating children with complex conditions, or organizing online events to bring remote teams together during the pandemic, our Asian American and Pacific Islander team members are central to ... Read More about Celebrating remarkable Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders
Nurses Week 2021: Nurse-led contact tracing team helps reduce the spread of COVID-19
As COVID-19 evolved into a serious threat in March 2020, protecting the health of patients, families, and employees at Boston Children’s Hospital was more important than ever. To stop COVID-19 transmission within the hospital community, registered nurses from across Boston Children’s voluntarily stepped up to form a contact tracing team. Their role: using their clinical ... Read More about Nurses Week 2021: Nurse-led contact tracing team helps reduce the spread of COVID-19
What is health equity and how does it affect children?
Put simply, health equity is a commitment to ensuring every person can obtain the highest level of health possible, no matter where they live or who they are. In 2020, many hospitals around the country — including Boston Children’s — made public commitments to health equity for their patients. This was part of a national ... Read More about What is health equity and how does it affect children?
Honoring our Black achievers
Each year, Boston Children’s Hospital honors exceptional Black achievers who have progressed in their careers and demonstrated a commitment to youth development and community. Recipients of the 2021 Boston Children’s Black Achievers Award bring a wide range of experience to their roles at the hospital. And all four of this year’s awardees are going above ... Read More about Honoring our Black achievers
The COVID-19 vaccine: Why some people of color hesitate
The COVID-19 pandemic has been especially hard on people of color. In addition to higher rates of infection, serious illness, and death, many Black and Latino communities have experienced profound economic hardship and increased anxiety and depression during the pandemic. Against this backdrop, the COVID-19 vaccines developed by Pfizer and Moderna might seem like great ... Read More about The COVID-19 vaccine: Why some people of color hesitate