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Buckeye Health Plan and Reach Out and Read Pediatric Clinics Promote Well Checks and Literacy Through Teddy Bear Clinics

Date: 09/06/19

Going to the doctor is good for a child’s health, and now it can be good for early literacy, too. In honor of National Literacy Month, Buckeye Health Plan is kicking-off its year-long partnership with Reach Out and Read, a nonprofit organization that incorporates books into pediatric care to give young children a foundation for success.

Through this partnership, Buckeye aims to address the literacy gap between early literacy skills and economic backgrounds. By age 4, there is a 4 million word gap between children from the wealthiest and poorest families.1 Plus, the gap in reading proficiency between lower- and higher-income fourth graders has grown by 20 percent in the past decade, with 80 percent of low-income fourth-graders not reading at their grade level compared to 49 percent of their wealthier counterparts.2

Buckeye wants to change these statistics. Throughout September, Buckeye will distribute more than 5,000 books to children at eight pediatric clinics statewide to encourage families to read aloud together.

“Research has shown that children who spend more time reading do better in school,” said Dr. Cheryl Morrow-White, Buckeye Health Plan Medical Director. “We are honored to continue partnering with Reach Out and Read to help children of all economic levels develop a lifelong love of reading.”

The partnership will kick-off on September 9, National Teddy Bear Day, with “Little Bear Healthy Clinics.” During these clinics, Buckeye will giveaway books about going to the doctor and guide children through a Teddy Bear “check-up.”

“We’re creating a friendly and interactive experience aimed at encouraging child well visits,” said Morrow-White, Buckeye Health Plan Medical Director. “We will have stations that young children can take their teddy bears through to get a checkup. This can help decrease their fears and make them more comfortable and confident about visiting the doctor.”

Reach Out and Read Little Bear Healthy Clinic Events

  • Rocket Pediatrics, Toledo, Ohio, Sept. 9 from 10 a.m. to noon
  • Crossroad Health Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, Sept. 9 from 10 a.m. to noon
  • MetroHealth Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio, Sept. 9 from 10 a.m. to noon
  • Five Rivers Health Center Pediatrics, Dayton, Ohio, Sept. 9 from 10 a.m. to noon
  • PrimaryOne Health, Columbus, Ohio, Sept. 10 from 10 a.m. to noon

For more information about Buckeye’s Little Bear Healthy Clinics and a full list of events, visit BuckeyeHealthPlan.com/ReachOutAndRead.

  1. Mapping the Early Language Environment Using All-Day Recordings and Automated Analysis. May 2017. Retrieved from: https://pubs.asha.org/doi/10.1044/2016_AJSLP-15-016
  2. NBC News. Reading Gap Between Wealthy and Poor Students Widens, Study Says. January 2014. Retrieved from: https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/in-plain-sight/reading-gap-between-wealthy-poor-students-widens-study-says-n17491.