Using Clinical-Community Partnerships and 2-1-1 Technology to Improve Early Childhood Developmental Screening and Care

Promoting positive early childhood development is recommended by the DHHS National Prevention Strategy, and developmental screening for every young child is a recommended preventive health service for early detection of developmental delays and behavioral problems, in order to link children and families to early interventions. This study seeks to determine if a cross-sector collaboration, between a pediatric clinic and an established community-based child development screening and care management program, is associated with more screening and treatment for developmental delays in children from Latino low-income families. Using a randomized control trial, investigators will contact families scheduled for well child clinic visits and ask them to also contact the telephone-based early childhood development screening and care coordination program available through 2-1-1 Los Angeles County (211LA). The collaborative model will expand access to early screening for developmental and behavioral problems for very young children, and coordinate care between medical and community-based providers; goals are to screen and link more families to evidence-based services and ultimately reduce health disparities. If successful, the study will demonstrate the efficacy and effectiveness of the collaborative model, and establish a framework for its scale and spread to other communities with 2-1-1 services and child health care centers. 

Presentations

• Developing and testing a new model for telephone-based early childhood developmental screening and care coordination in vulnerable populations (PHSSR Keeneland Conference, April 2015)
• Clinical-Community Partnerships and 2-1-1 Technology to Improve Early Childhood Developmental Screening and Care (PHSSR Research in Progress Webinar, November 2015, recording)
• Testing the Efficacy of Telephone-Based Early Childhood Developmental Screening and Care Coordination through 2-1-1 (Abstracts submitted for presentation at Pediatric Academic Societies and AcademyHealth Meetings, April-June 2016)
• Testing the Efficacy of Telephone-Based Early Childhood Developmental Screening and Care Coordination through 2-1-1 (Poster Presentation, Pediatric Academic Societies, April 2016)
• Clinical-Community Partnerships and 2-1-1 Technology to Improve Early Childhood Developmental Screening and Care (Systems for Action Research in Progress Webinar, July 2017, recording)

Research Areas

• Information and Technology
• Translation and Dissemination of Research-Tested Public Health Strategies

Contacts

Paul Chung, M.D., M.S. and Bergen Nelson, M.D., M.S.H.S.
University of California, Los Angeles School of Medicine