Through its Health & Prevention programs, UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh Community Health works together with community partners and organizations to ensure that environments where kids spend most of their time enable healthy lifestyles and behaviors.
Using a process of continuous quality improvement, UPMC Children’s hospital staff provides technical assistance, training opportunities, and coordination with hospital and community resources to guide partners in adopting health-promoting policies and best practices that support child health, wellness, and resilience.
Our portfolio of Health & Prevention programs includes:
Healthy Schools
Healthy Schools is a program of the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, implemented locally by UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh in collaboration with school partners. The Healthy Schools Program (PDF) is a national initiative that helps schools create a culture where healthy eating, physical activity, and social-emotional well-being are the norm. Children’s partners with more than 80 local schools to implement the Healthy Schools Program and to coordinate policy, system, and environmental changes that support students’ health and academic achievement.
We work with the following school districts:
- Clairton City
- Cornell
- Duquesne
- McKeesport
- Penn Hills
- Penn Hills Charter School of Entrepreneurship
- Pittsburgh Public Schools
- Steel Valley
- Woodland Hills
Learn more about the Healthy Schools Program (PDF).
Watch how UPMC Children's Hospital Brings Healthier Generation's Work to Pittsburgh.
Healthy Out-of-School Time
Also a program of the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, Healthy Out-of-School Time (HOST) is locally implemented by UPMC Children’s Hospital in partnership with United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania’s APOST – Your place for everything afterschool. Through HOST, Children’s works with local out-of-school time providers to create a culture of healthy eating and physical activity. Assemble, Family Resources Beverly Jewel Wall Lovelace (BJWL) Out-of-School Time, YouthPlaces, and YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh are among our 80+ HOST partners that are working hard to make their after-school settings the healthiest in the nation.
Learn more about HOST (PDF).
Healthy Early Childhood
Through our Healthy Early Childhood (HEC) initiative, we support the youngest children in our community to grow up healthy and thriving. In partnership with local early childcare programs, family centers, and families, Children’s utilizes GO NAPSACC’s evidence-based tools and resources to build healthy eating and physical activity habits in children up to age 5.
Learn more about HEC (PDF).
Pittsburgh Parks Rx
In some cases, getting outdoors and being active is the best medicine. Pittsburgh Parks Prescription (Parks Rx) is a partnership between UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy that encourages children and families to take advantage of Pittsburgh’s amazing parks, trails and open spaces to achieve better health and a sense of wellbeing. Pittsburgh Parks Rx is unique in that it operates through three pathways: school, community and clinical settings to create a continuum of advocacy and support for active lifestyles.
Watch how Parks Rx encourages the community to stay healthy.
Injury Prevention and Safety
Children’s Injury Prevention and Safety team works with school and community partners and families to promote home safety, safety on bicycles and other wheeled vehicles, and gun safety.
Learn more about Children’s injury prevention programs.
Youth Violence Prevention and Education
Children’s Community Health offers research-informed programs for middle and high school students to assess and discuss topics like masculinity, gender, emotions, positive bystander behaviors, healthy relationships, leadership skills, and goals.
For additional information read:
Community Partners
