Children's Issues
Forty percent of children under age five seen at Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC) are hungry or at risk for hunger. MMRF researchers study issues affecting the well-being of our youngest members of society in an effort to ensure their right to grow up healthy and strong.
MMRF's Children's Hunger and Growth Research Program conducts research and education in the areas of early childhood malnutrition, impaired growth, food insufficiency and obesity. They are currently involved in a number of studies including a multi-site study designed to measure the impact of welfare reform on hunger, growth, and general well-being of children under three years of age. In addition to collecting information for the study, research assistants for the Children's Sentinel Nutrition Assessment Program (C-SNAP) also provide information on intervention services for families identified as experiencing food insufficiency or whose children are malnourished. These families are being offered information on community resources and programs working to alleviate hunger.
Current Research
Pediatric Research, Education, and Advocacy
Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC) is committed to healthy and happy children. The Research, Education, and Advocacy in Child Health (REACH) fund supports our efforts to fulfill that goal.
RESEARCH
Research ensures a healthier tomorrow for children in our community. Our research program studies pediatric issues from conception to early adulthood, with special concentration on studies important to a diverse, urban population. The resources of the REACH Fund will enable us to sustain and expand our research focus.
EDUCATION
As the first teaching hospital associated with the University of Minnesota Medical School, HCMC has a history of preparing physicians to serve patients in clinics and hospitals across Minnesota and the nation. The REACH Fund invests in the medical education of physicians dedicated to culturally sensitive, premier care of children.
ADVOCACY
The staff of HCMC works as a team to improve children's lives through advocacy. We are committed to protecting our most vulnerable citizens through advocacy efforts such as helping families find support services, improving literacy and evaluating public policy impact on child health. A Family Resource Room, to promote our advocacy efforts and support families during their hospital stay or clinic visit, will be possible through the REACH fund.
Generations of patients have received medical care at HCMC, and its predecessor, Minneapolis General Hospital. Our staff has cared for children through typhoid and polio epidemics to present day illnesses and injuries. Preventive care now forms the cornerstone of our approach. With REACH Fund support, we will continue to work to improve the lives of the children in the heart of the city.
Adolescent Health
- Improving Follow-up of Youth after Emergency Department and Acute Care Visits
- Sexually Transmitted Diseases Among Youth at the Hennepin County Juvenile Detention Center
- Community Planning for Health Care for Recently Incarcerated Youth
- Principle Investigator: Julia Joseph-Di Caprio, MD, MPH
Apnea
- Evaluating Immunizations in Preterm Infants and the Occurence of Apnea and Bradycardia (A & B Spells)
- Principle Investigator: Richard Lussky, MD
Asthma
- Preventing Hospitalizations and Emergency Department Visits by Children and Adolescents with Asthma: Development of a Program Plan
- Principle Investigator: Lisa Hagen, RN, MS
Breast-feeding
- Initiation and Duration of Breast-feeding at HCMC
- Principle Investigators: David Fisher, MD, Jan Kutz, RN
- A Study of Hmong Women’s Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behaviors Related to Breast and Bottle-Feeding
- Principle Investigators: Richard Lussky, MD, David Thompson, MD
Hunger and Growth
- Children’s Growth and Nutrition Clinic
- Children’s Sentinel Nutrition Assessment Program (C-SNAP)
- Fun with Food and Fitness
- Principle Investigator: Diana Becker Cutts, MD
Infectious Disease
- Pediatric Tuberculosis at HCMC: Epidemiology, Diagnosis & Management
- Principle Investigator: Stacene Maroushek, PhD, MD
- Congenital Syphilis Surveillance and Newborn Evaluation
- Principle Investigator: Dawn Martin, MD
- Pediatric HIV/AIDS Surveillance
- Principle Investigator: Linda Thompson, MD
Immunizations
- Pediatric Immunization Assessment: Intervention and Risk Factor Analysis
- Principle Investigatro: Dawn Martin, MD
Medical Education
- Prevention, Education, and Diagnosis of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
- Principle Investigator: John Garcia, MD
- Evaluation of Touchpoints Education Program
- Principle Investigator: Sloan d'Autremont, MD
Pediatric Neurology
- Alternative Routes of Administration of Anti-Epileptic Medication for Children
- Principle Investigator: Robert Kriel, MD
Pediatric Literacy Program
- Program Manager: Lynne Burke
Post Partum Depression
- Principle Investigator: Helen Kim
RSV Prevention
- The Effectiveness of Synagis in the Prevention of RSV Infection in Ex-Preterm Infants
- Principle Investigators: Richard Lussky, MD, Linda Thompson, MD
