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VIP Co-Founder and Chief of Pediatrics at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue Dr. Benard Dreyer recently published an article, “The Death of George Floyd: Bending the Arc of History Towards Justice for Generations of Children” in Pediatrics discussing the importance of racial equality for the health of future generations. Dr. Dreyer has also served as past President of the American Academy of Pediatrics in 2016. In the article, the authors point out how pediatricians can use their power to deconstruct racial injustices. Working closely with families and children gives pediatricians a unique opportunity to play a role in working toward an equal society for the well-being of future generations of children. The authors also provide suggestions for policies that if implemented could lead to effective changes.
Despite past tragic events, similar to ones happening today, society has more or less maintained the “status quo”– until now. Individuals and communities are coming together to stand up for the critical changes needed for a racially just society. One way healthcare workers have showed up for the patients they care for was by forming Pediatricians Against Racism and Trauma (PART) last year. PART is comprised of over 60 pediatrician leaders from across the country, including VIP Co-Founders Dr. Alan Mendelsohn and Dr. Benard Dreyer, who call for policy changes and action. As stated in the article, structural racism lays the foundation for many injustices to be built upon. Some of those injustices include: bias in the delivery of care to Black children and families, bias in medical schools and healthcare, mass incarceration of youth of color and the parents of children of color, discrimination against Black, Native American, and Latinx families in housing, education, and employment, microaggressions suffered by individuals of color during daily life, criminalization and detention of immigrant families at the border, and denial of benefits. These overwhelming injustices lead to a life of chronic fear and emotional trauma in children, youth, and families which is why change is so crucial. As the American Medical Association stated, “police brutality is a health issue.” Therefore, healthcare workers are in a vital position to play a part in leading the way toward change. Not only do the authors of this article state where many issues lie, they also provide evidence-based policies for achieving successful changes. Those six policy recommendations are:
While this list is not exhaustive, it is comprehensive and offers opportunities for policymakers to carve a path towards justice so the children of tomorrow can thrive in a society that is not built against them. At VIP we support and stand with peaceful protestors in the pursuit of a better tomorrow. To read the full article click here: https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2020/06/23/peds.2020-009639 Society for Research in Child Development hosted a webinar this week, open for anyone to join, to facilitate a conversation about working towards antiracism in the developmental research community. SRCD is a professional society for the human development field, with a focus on child development. SRCD aims to understand human development in order to improve human well-being. (Wiley) It comes as no surprise that an organization rooted in studying and improving the lives of humans, particularly children, would be one to host this webinar. All in attendance had the opportunity to hear from three scholars about their experiences with racism and journey toward becoming antiracist.
Eleanor Seaton, PhD, began by speaking about the crucial role adults play in children’s learning of race and how at the young age of 3-4 years old they begin to grasp ideas about race. Dr. Seaton turned the conversation to Rebecca White, PhD, MPH and Margaret Caughy, Sc.D who shared their journeys on working toward antiracism as White women. A significant personal experience Dr. White shared was how she came to terms with understanding what privilege meant to her. Growing up poor she did not feel like she was privileged; however, she came to understand that socioeconomic status was not comparable to race. While the struggles of poverty affect families deeply, racism exacerbates those struggles even further. The panelists also discussed how inequalities show up in research and ways in which White researchers could move towards change. Particularly in samples and measures, eurocentrism heavily occurs with an overwhelming amount of standardization of White or Western experience as the normative or default development. The scholars on the panel urge researchers to identify race in their work and to not take a “colorblind” lens. Racial differences matter to outcomes; however, Dr. Seaton also advised that race does not exist exclusively. The intersection of race, gender, age, class, and more all contribute to multiple systems of oppression. In order to create change developmental researchers must take on the duty of unlearning and relearning history, with the goal of being intentional in their work moving forward. As a part of our team effort to be active learners within our community, a number of our staff attended SRCD’s webinar. Afterward, team members took part in personal conversations and shared their thoughts and reactions in a safe (virtual) space with colleagues. As a community we continue to take steps towards becoming actively antiracist by promoting ways to educate young children about race on our social media, engaging in dialogue with one another, and participating in learning opportunities like this one. Video Interaction Project was recently mentioned in a Washington Post article written by VIP Co-Founder, Dr. Benard Dreyer and Professor of Pediatrics of NYU Grossman School of Medicine, Dr. Leonardo Trasande.
The article discusses ways the COVID-19 situation could have a lasting impact on children and what we can do now to support them during this stressful time to mitigate those impacts. Due to the current unfolding events children are more at risk for experiencing consequences later in life that include mental and physical illness. Research has shown that children are impacted by their parents’ stress and there is no doubt that the coronavirus has exacerbated household stressors. The strong emotions that are being felt by families experiencing hardship and loss have an effect on children, despite not being directly impacted by the virus. The additional stress that has been felt across neighborhoods, states, and nations requires more support for families and children. The article describes the work that is done by VIP and how the use of video recordings and developmentally appropriate toys can support parents in engaging with their child in meaningful ways. These parent-child interactions can mitigate the difficult experiences families are otherwise facing. Programs like VIP provide parents with an opportunity to increase their parenting confidence and lower instances of parenting stress. When parents share quality interactions with their children, they are ultimately strengthening their child’s early development. Parents can do their part at home to protect their children from additional stress during this time by being mindful of the topics of conversation children are witness to, keeping an open dialogue with their children, and creating a safe space for children to express themselves. At VIP we continue to work to provide compassionate support to the families we work with and provide them with the tools necessary to positively engage with their children. To read the full article: click here. In a recent news release the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) addresses the current movement that is happening to challenge injustices and discrimination faced by the Black community. In the statement, AAP President Sally Goza, MD, FAAP says there is “a growing body of research,” on the notion that racism is harmful to children’s health and, “…we cannot ignore the impact.” Children are receptive of their environment and may hear and see things that they don’t fully understand. They may have questions about the images and videos that are circulating and as a parent you want to be equipped to have a meaningful and informative conversation with your child, taking into consideration their age and what they can process.
Dr. Heard-Garris and Jacqueline Dougé, MD, MPH, FAAP have multiple recommendations on how parents can engage their child, especially during this pivotal time. They recommend checking in with your child about what they have seen or heard and validating their feelings. Watching for changes in their behavior is another way to support them during this time, particularly if they seem anxious, aggressive, or withdrawn. If you’re concerned, you can reach out to your pediatrician or a mental health provider. Place limits and supervise exposure to media – this is an important way to filter the amount and types of news your child is viewing. Check in with your own emotions and ask for support if you need it. Keep in mind there is no perfect way to have these conversations. There are resources available to provide guidance on how to find the “right” words to share with your child, including this article by HealthyChildren.org. To read the full AAP statement, click here. At VIP our hearts are with the Black community now and always. We stand for racial justice, equality and better childhood outcomes for future generations. We encourage parents to have these important conversations with their children, as they are never too young to learn about race. Books are a great place to start the dialogue and education about race with little ones. The future of our children starts at home. The beginning of 2020 has been off to a very eventful start for us here at VIP! From our exciting expansions over the course of 2019, to welcoming new team members onboard over the past few months, to expanding to two more sites this spring, we have been busy at work to bring VIP to more children and parents than ever!
Over the last two months in particular our team has banded together to quickly develop plans to deliver VIP remotely in light of the COVID-19 situation. We understand that this is a difficult time and we are here to offer as much support as we can to our VIP families. With most of our team working remotely, we miss seeing your smiling faces in the clinic! However, we look forward to seeing them again soon as we have recently rolled out virtual programming. We have adapted our program to be delivered virtually by calling our families over the phone and video chatting to provide sessions and check in. We want our families to know that we are here for you and have been working hard to gather information and resources to share with you. In partnership with Children of Bellevue, we have compiled a guide of almost 80 resources to connect you with important information. It includes many categories such as where you can get meals for you and your family to fun and educational activities you can engage your children with at home. You can view this resource guide by clicking this link. Finally, we hope you are all staying safe and we want you to know we are thinking of you during this time. We look forward to speaking with you soon! Visit your site’s location page for information on how to contact your VIP Coach and get more information about scheduling your session with us virtually! Love, The VIP Team |
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June 2024
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