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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn 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,\u201d Lenhart said.<\/p>\n
The information is reported to Pennsylvania\u2019s 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, \u201cThe state realized not all counties were reporting or using this data, or it wasn\u2019t always useful. We were asked to review the data and processes in use across the state. Through this work, we\u2019re hoping to encourage better data access and data sharing\u2014in order for these deaths to be reviewed, we need information from coroners\u2019 offices, Pennsylvania State Police, and any investigative agencies. We need to collaboratively understand factors surrounding each death to get a better quality of review.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\u2019s data analysis. Lenhart said there is no clear outstanding cause of death among children across Pennsylvania. \u201cPennsylvania is a very diverse state. Every county has a little bit of everything,\u201d she said. \u201cSome 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe got to see firsthand how other places handled child deaths and how their teams collaborated,\u201d 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. \u201cI was surprised to learn how many do not report the data,\u201d Edwards said.\u00a0\u201cSome just do not have the capacity to collect or report it.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\u2019s degree in public health for the betterment of her community. \u201cIt was eye-opening for us to see how things are run,\u201d she said. \u201cIt 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.\u201d Edmonds adds, \u201cOpportunities like this give students the knowledge and experience we need about our communities, and things we may need to know in our field.\u201d Edmonds, a native of Reading, Pa., will continue to be part of the team when she returns to campus this fall.<\/p>\n
Rau, a resident of East Stroudsburg, Pa. who graduated in May, was surprised at how much she learned. \u201cI learned a lot of different communication skills from both Pennsylvania counties and leaders in other states,\u201d she said. \u201cReaching 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\u2019m interested in.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lenhart said opportunities like this are invaluable for ESU\u2019s students: \u201cThey are making professional contacts across the state and gaining tons of experience. They\u2019re getting to see real-life public health activity, which is a real resume booster for them. It\u2019s been a great opportunity for us and our students\u2014we have been heavily engaged with the Bureau of Family Health, who care very deeply about Pennsylvania\u2019s citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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