ESU Faculty and Students Participate in PA Department of Health Grant-Funded Project

Three ESU professors and two graduate students are participating in a two-year grant project funded by the Bureau of Family Health, a subsidiary of Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH), that focuses on promoting the safety and well-being of children and reducing preventable childhood fatalities.

Clare Lenhart, Ph.D., associate professor of public health, Christine Fisher, Ph.D., associate professor of health studies, and Kelly Varcoe, D.N.P., assistant professor of nursing, along with Kamya Edmonds and Taylor Rau, graduate students in public health, represent ESU on a Child Death Review (CDR) Program Team. There are 61 CDR Teams across the commonwealth.

“In the state of Pennsylvania, it is required that the death of every person aged 21 and under is reviewed by an interdisciplinary panel. The intent is to learn about the circumstances around the deaths and use that information to prevent untimely deaths,” Lenhart said.

The information is reported to Pennsylvania’s Bureau of Family Health; however, due to a lack of funding, manpower, or other resources, some counties fall behind in gathering and/or reporting their data. Lenhart explains, “The state realized not all counties were reporting or using this data, or it wasn’t always useful. We were asked to review the data and processes in use across the state. Through this work, we’re hoping to encourage better data access and data sharing—in order for these deaths to be reviewed, we need information from coroners’ offices, Pennsylvania State Police, and any investigative agencies. We need to collaboratively understand factors surrounding each death to get a better quality of review.”

The deaths of premature infants, infants born with genetic abnormalities not compatible with life, and fatalities related to drug and alcohol, suicide, gun violence, and accidents all fall under the scope of the CDR Team’s data analysis. Lenhart said there is no clear outstanding cause of death among children across Pennsylvania. “Pennsylvania is a very diverse state. Every county has a little bit of everything,” she said. “Some of these stories are very hard to hear because there are people behind them. Ultimately, the goal is to not have these tragedies strike another family.”

Edmonds and Rau worked on the project at a grassroots level, contacting counties in Pennsylvania and surrounding states to learn more about their data collection methods and inquire about any discrepancies or missing data. The students also attended various meetings at the state and local level.

“We got to see firsthand how other places handled child deaths and how their teams collaborated,” Rau said. They were both involved with creating and distributing a survey to other CDR Teams. The survey results were used to determine how data is gathered and/or reported by the teams, and, for those who do not gather and/or report data, why these statistics are not reported. “I was surprised to learn how many do not report the data,” Edwards said. “Some just do not have the capacity to collect or report it.”

Edwards had never heard of CDR Teams prior to coming on board with the project, but it allowed her to use her undergraduate major in psychology and master’s degree in public health for the betterment of her community. “It was eye-opening for us to see how things are run,” she said. “It was nice to learn how the process works and which counties needed more help. I feel this was a step to see where many of the unfortunate deaths are to see if I could help in any way possible.” Edmonds adds, “Opportunities like this give students the knowledge and experience we need about our communities, and things we may need to know in our field.” Edmonds, a native of Reading, Pa., will continue to be part of the team when she returns to campus this fall.

Rau, a resident of East Stroudsburg, Pa. who graduated in May, was surprised at how much she learned. “I learned a lot of different communication skills from both Pennsylvania counties and leaders in other states,” she said. “Reaching out has given me a lot of great experience, as well as using different databases and developing the survey. Going into it, it did sound a little morbid, but going to the meetings was so interesting, and it really helped me identify what I’m interested in.”

Lenhart said opportunities like this are invaluable for ESU’s students: “They are making professional contacts across the state and gaining tons of experience. They’re getting to see real-life public health activity, which is a real resume booster for them. It’s been a great opportunity for us and our students—we have been heavily engaged with the Bureau of Family Health, who care very deeply about Pennsylvania’s citizens.”

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