Child health care centres: an academic model for comprehensive child health care in the community

• Published in: Child : care, health & development Vol. 31; no. 2; pp. 217 - 222
• Main Authors: Katz, M., Urkin, J., Bar-David, Y., Cohen, A. H., Warshawsky, S., Barak, N.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Science Ltd 01.03.2005; Blackwell Publishing Ltd
• Subjects: Academic health centres; Adolescent; Adolescents; Child; Child Development; Child Health; Child Health Services - organization & administration; Child Health Services - standards; Child Welfare; Child, Preschool; Children; Children & youth; Clinics; Community based clinics; Community health services; community paediatrics; Comprehensive Health Care - organization & administration; Comprehensive Health Care - standards; Education, Medical, Graduate; Family; Health care; Health conditions; Health facilities; Health Personnel - psychology; Health Policy; Health services; Humans; Infant; Interdisciplinary Approach; Israel; Job Satisfaction; Medical education; Models, Organizational; paediatric care; paediatric primary care; Patient Satisfaction; Pediatrics; Pediatrics - education; Service delivery; training in paediatrics; Israel
• ISSN: 0305-1862; 1365-2214
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2214.2004.00467.x

The challenge of the discipline of paediatrics in the 21st century is to promote health and development of children in a way that will enable them to maximize their biological and social potential. The community child health centre (CHC) in Israel is a model of community health care service built to provide comprehensive health care to children and adolescents, as well as an academic setting for under‐ and postgraduate paediatric training. Today there are 34 CHCs in Israel, serving a population of 220 000 children from birth to 18 years of age. The CHC combines the advantages of group practice with those of an academic medical centre and enables flexibility and mutual learning. Further expansion and development are required to realize the CHC's mission of a true comprehensive academic centre for paediatric community health.