In late summer, many offices sponsor a promotion for children and their health. This is often in the form of a backpack check-up, scoliosis and posture check, or a school supply drive. The idea is to link the new school year with children’s health to better promote clinic services, generate new patients, and of course, improve the health of the kids.

It’s been my experience that these events are usually only marginally effective. Still useful, I feel that the real opportunity is being missed.

You could be getting more families under care. How?

Educate your families and your community on:

1. The results you deliver. How the outcomes you generate with children’s health are extraordinary. Use written and video testimonials and endorsements.

2. What you stand for. Today’s children face more challenges to their health than their parents. In fact, our children today are sicker than earlier generations. Learn about this and make it your anthem, a flag you wave. Stand up for the kids in your community, and you will earn respect and allegiance of parents. Be their guardians in health.

3. Provide special promotions and events. These could be workshops, screenings, or a special day of services with donations going to a local charity.

4. Alliances and Partnerships. It would be a good idea to create alliances with midwives, doulas, biological dentists, acupuncturists, and other professionals who share a similar concern and goal for healthier children. Invite them to participate in your events. Have them contribute a short article in your newsletter – in exchange, you could do the same with them in their newsletters. Create partnerships.

5. Schedule an event every two months, or every month. Never stop.

Your leadership, based upon your awareness of the health crisis facing our youth, is the primary element that will drive the success of your kid’s programs.

Read the following from the ebook, The Sickest Generation and follow the link below to the entire article, and other resources to become even more acquainted with the challenges the next generation of children face.

• American children have never been sicker. Over half (54%) are suffering from one or more chronic illnesses, with the late 1980s and early 1990s viewed as the gateway period that launched the decline.
• Many chronic illnesses have doubled since that time. The “4-A” disorders—autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, asthma and allergies—have experienced meteoric growth, affecting children’s quality of life and contributing to premature mortality. The spike in autism prevalence has been particularly dramatic, with prevalence as high as 3% (one in 34 children) in some regions. Pediatric autoimmune conditions also are on the rise.
• U.S. children are far more likely to die before their first birthday than infants in other wealthy countries and life expectancy is falling, driven largely by rising death rates in adolescents and younger adults. Suicide is the second leading cause of death in teens, half of whom are reported to have at least one mental, emotional or behavioral disorder.
• The proportion of public school children using special education services is skyrocketing, with estimates ranging from 13% to 25% of school populations.

Sincerely,

Ed Petty

To the ebook, The Sickest Generation and other references.