A study exploring the transformative effects of the Community Plunge, an educational
program at Wake Forest University School of Medicine (WFUSOM), on healthcare delivery,
community engagement, and trainee perspectives was recently published in the Journal of
Clinical and Translational Science. Led by Dr. Christopher A. Jones of Northwest AHEC, the
study highlights the broader context of health outcomes, where clinical care accounts for
only 20%, emphasizing the critical role of social determinants of health (SDOH) and
individual behaviors in shaping the remaining 80%.

Among the many impacts of COVID-19 on North Carolina is a marked decrease in rates of well-child visits and childhood vaccinations. The problem is particularly acute in minority populations, but since the advent of COVID-19, parents across the board have been less likely to be up-to-date on these important medical services. Well-child care includes medical and developmental screening tests and immunizations are critical to avoiding problems such as a resurgence in measles and other communicable diseases.

To help increase well-child visits and immunization rates, Community Care of North Carolina (CCNC) and NC AHEC, under the direction of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NC DHHS), has launched the Keeping Kids Well program. CCNC and NC AHEC will work with practices experiencing a greater number of care gaps to improve these measures and also will work to raise awareness of the problem among North Carolina’s parents.