NYC Health + Hospitals Launches 3-2-1 Impact, a Program That Provides Early Intervention Services to Support the Health and Well-Being of Young Children and Families
3-2-1 IMPACT program supports the health and well-being of young children and their families through on-going in-clinic engagement during routine appointments
Dec 09, 2020
NYC Health + Hospitals today announced the launch of its 3-2-1 IMPACT program. The Integrated Model for Parents and Children Together (IMPACT) program aims to support the health and well-being of young children and their families. Led by the public health system’s Office of Population Health, the program integrates three disciplines, mental health, pediatrics, and women’s health, to deliver a two-generation approach that treats children and parents with one goal: to improve the long-term health trajectory for each family unit. The program, which is currently available for all pregnant patients and pediatrics patients under the age of three at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue, Queens, and NYC Health + Hospitals/Gotham Health, Gouverneur, augments a personalized approach to clinical care with routine screenings between pregnant patients and their provider to help identify when a family needs additional support interventions, such as mental health support and non-medical social needs like food or income support. Screenings done with mothers during pregnancy carry into postpartum follow-up and pediatrics visits, and the proper care is conducted through a social worker or other mental health professional. 3-2-1 IMPACT aims to reach more than 19,000 families in its first year. The initial roll-out of the program is partially funded by Robin Hood’s Fund for Early Learning and the Mayor’s Office for Economic Opportunity.
“Prevention and early intervention are necessary to make sure that our youngest New Yorkers and their families are healthy and stay healthy,” said First Lady Chirlane McCray. “Wrap-around mental health services, screenings throughout prenatal and postnatal care, and pediatric wellness visits are key to caring for the whole person and child. We are grateful for partners like NYC Health + Hospitals and Robin Hood for their expertise and support for the social-emotional needs of our children and families.”
“At the City’s public health system, we take a 360-degree approach to health, understanding that someone’s mental health and environmental factors play a critical role in their wellness and their family unity,” said NYC Health + Hospitals Chief Population Health Officer, Nichola Davis, MD. “The 3-2-1 IMPACT program is not just another example of this approach, but also an example of our commitment to our patients and their families to ensure we’re providing support systems that transcend the examination room.”
As part of the 3-2-1 IMPACT program, a pregnant patient’s obstetrician-gynecology (OB/GYN) team will ask a series of questions to help identify any additional mental health or wrap-around support services needed to sustain a healthy, full-term pregnancy. This screening can include questions around depression, anxiety, food insecurities, and other social needs. If needs are identified, the team works with the family to connect them to the appropriate support services. Any support would transition from pre-natal to post-partum care for both the mother and the baby to ensure the new parent continues to have the support they need to safely care for the infant and provide the best environment.
In addition to the assessment process for additional support services, the 3-2-1 IMPACT program also incorporates parenting support programs, such as Healthy Steps, Video Interaction Project, and Reach Out and Read. Each of these programs recognizes the essential role of parents in their child’s development and offers an array of tools and resources to support effective approaches to parenting, and integrates reading, parent-child bonding, and learning into family life. For example, the Video Interaction Project supports a willing parent in videotaping them around an age-appropriate toy or book, where a trained early childhood counselor provides supportive coaching to the parent to enhance learning, promote social interaction, and physical bonding. During COVID, this program has been able to continue over video visits.
To help carry out the program at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue and Queens, as well as NYC Health + Hospitals/Gotham Health, Gouverneur, the health system has hired more than 20 new social workers, community health workers, video specialists, and dedicated psychologists and clinicians. The first three facilities involved in the 3-2-1 IMPACT program were selected because each had a long history of working to support the social-emotional needs of children and families and of working to build a two-generation focus into pediatric care.
“A child’s overall wellness is dependent on many factors, from their physical and mental health, to their at-home environment, and the wellness of their parents and family unit, said Mary M. McCord, MD, Director of Pediatrics, NYC Health + Hospitals/Gotham Health, Sydenham and Clinical Lead for 3-2-1 IMPACT. “Our 3-2-1 IMPACT program helps us better evaluate potential risk-factors and seamlessly connect an individual or a whole family with critical resources to ensure continued success for the child and family as a whole.”
Robin Hood, New York’s largest poverty-fighting organization, has generously contributed a $1.96M grant through its Fund for Early Learning (FUEL) to NYC Health + Hospitals to help launch the 3-2-1 IMPACT program. FUEL’s mission is to convert New York City into an “early learning metropolis” where every infant and toddler can equitably achieve a bright future by translating the science of early neurological development into actions by parents, caregivers, practitioners and policymakers to optimally build the brains of more than 100,000 New Yorkers, age zero to three years, who are living in poverty, and to change their life trajectories in the process.
“Supporting a strong foundation for children’s optimal growth and development requires attention to both the child and their caregivers. Early learning starts in the womb, and children’s development is best achieved when their own support systems are appropriately cared for and supported as well,” said Kelly Escobar, Robin Hood’s Senior Program Officer. “Robin Hood is proud and excited to work so closely with NYC Health + Hospitals to reimagine healthcare to include more two-generational approaches and evidence-based programming to coordinate care and make support of children and families a central focus of primary care practice.”
The Mayor’s Office for Economic Opportunity has also helped to launch the program with a $787,560 contribution to-date.
“3-2-1 IMPACT is an ambitious program to provide women and children with quality prenatal, postnatal, and pediatric care. NYC Health + Hospitals has taken the initiative in addressing the mental health needs and economic concerns of NYC families,” said Assemblyman David Weprin. “Their work is greatly valued and appreciated. I applaud Robin Hood and the Mayor’s Office for Economic Opportunity for funding this program.”
“The sooner mothers and young families get access to the social and health services they need the better off our city will be,” said Council Member Ben Kallos. “3-2-1 IMPACT is precisely the kind of program New York City families need right now as we all grapple with fall-out of this pandemic. By doubling down on the three disciplines, mental health, pediatrics, and women’s health, we will make great progress at improving the overall health of our residents. Thank you to NYC Health + Hospitals, and to Mayor De Blasio, for making this a focus and getting this program started during these tumultuous times.”