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.
Here at Northwest Area Health Education Center we are working with several practices but would like to highlight the work being done at the following practices on the Keeping Kids Well Initiative through Novant Health.
- Family Care Center
- Northwen Medical Group: Pediatrics
- Novant Health: Salisbury Medical
- Novant Health: Mountainview Medical
- Novant Health Pediatrics Lake Norman Mooresville
- Novant Health Robinhood Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine
- Novant Health Surry Medical Assoc.West Lake
- Novant Health Today's Pediatrics
- Twin City Pediatrics Winston-Salem
- Lexington Family Physicians
- Salisbury Pediatric Associates
- Surry County Health Department
- The Child Health Center
- Unifour Pediatrics
- Winston-Salem Pediatrics Highroad
Goal: Accelerate a rebound of pediatric well-care among Medicaid beneficiaries younger than 19 years of age to the pre-COVID-19 level.
This chart shows the need for this program, highlighting the Change in Volume of Overdue Immunizations
To learn more about the initiative, visit the collaborative’s webpage and view NC Medicaid’s Special Bulletin COVID-19 #120: Keeping Kids Well Program: Improving Well-Child Visit and Immunization Rates Across NC.
