Kids #TalkJustice Access to Health Care
Access to health care is an issue that really affects everyone. Even when families have insurance they may lack funds for co-pays, or still be in need of secondary services like vision, dental, and specialists. Beyond debates, because there is probably no country that has found the one-hundred percent correct answer to access, how can we understand and support access to health care in our communities and globally. Globally the situation is even more desperate as access to the simplest care is out of reach for many.
Health Care Discussion Starters:
Help your family go deeper:
- The cost of health care is staggering… who can you help with this burden? Do you know families you can support?
- Discuss specific illnesses with children. Help them understand what might go into care, what special equipment you might need, how often you might have to visit the doctor.
- Talk about parts of world where you might have to walk miles and miles to get to a health clinic. If you are bringing a sick family member what challenges might that bring?
- Talk about needing glasses, but having no way to acquire them.
- In disasters how important is health care? What things change in moments of crisis?
- What might be different about doctors offices around the world?
- The disease of malaria can be prevented by a simple bed net, yet many do not have access to that. What other sicknesses might be prevented by something simple (clean water, sanitation, clinics.)
- Do you have a free health clinic in your area? Is there anyway you can support their efforts?
- How can your family take care of its own health?
- How do you think health care where you live compares to other places around the world?
- How can you support efforts to help people have access to health care?
- Do you think this might be an important cause for communities to think about?
- If you know someone going through an illness or has a chronic illness how could you support their family? How could you support a classmate?
- Talk about root causes of heath care disparities: race, local resources, location in the world, poverty, immigrant or refugee, women in parts of the world.
Kids Books about Health Care:
I Lost my Tooth in Africa by: Penda Diakite
Mimi’s Village By: Katie Smith Milway
The Lemonade Club By: Patricia Polacco
The Fault in our Stars By: John Greene
The Heaven Shop By: Deborah Ellis
16 Ways to take Action:
- My Plate Kids’ Place is a great website to visit. Talk about how you might donate healthy choices to your local food bank.
- Set up a pop can tab collection to support Ronald McDonald House.
- A list of donations commonly needed by Ronald McDonald Houses. (contact your local house to check for specific needs.)
- WIC: Early Entry into Dental Care provides a simple yet powerful solution to the problem of preventing dental disease in low income children. Contact your local WIC office to see how you can be involved.
- Operation Smile Resources (provides free surgeries to repair cleft lips, palates and other facial deformities in children.)
- Learn about Child ViSion groundbreaking adjustable glasses.
- Send a malaria fighting bed net through Nothing but Nets.
- If you are on a sports team consider a Sports for Net Event.
- Browse photos from Nothing but Nets to see their work around the world.
- Provide immunizations for children in the developing world through Shot@Life.
- Ways to get involved in Alex’s Lemonade Stand (fighting childhood cancer)
- Make a chemo care kit from Pennies of Time.
- Shop St. Jude’s gift shop to support their research work.
- Use UNICEF lesson plans for health.
- Watch a video about Embrace Warmers that save the lives of newborn babies globally.
- At Smile Squared you buy a toothbrush and one is given to a child in need.
A Health Care Twitter list to follow.
Follow our About Proximity #TalkJustice Pinterest Board.
#TalkJustice Summer Serve Play Groups! Come over to our Facebook Event Page to learn more. Invite friends! We will be exploring topics and making a difference in community, using a series of books donated to us from CitizenKid. Hosted by About Proximity (that’s me) and my Mom, a public school family advocate for two decades.
What are your thoughts?