The health and well-being of children and families is impacted by what happens both inside and outside of our hospital’s walls. CHOP strives to increase health equity and to positively impact children and families. Our team collaborates with teams across the hospital and the community to amplify the impact of these efforts through government action.

Gun violence prevention and advocacy at CHOP

Firearms are the No. 1 cause of death for children in the United States, surpassing motor vehicle deaths and those caused by other injuries. The United States is alone among peer nations in the number of child firearm deaths. In no other similarly large or wealthy country are firearm deaths in the top four causes of mortality — let alone the No. 1 cause of death among children.

Gun violence requires a comprehensive approach to prevention and treatment. Across the medical community there is consensus that countermeasures to this national epidemic do exist and can be implemented through enacting laws or improving public policy.

Our Government Affairs teams supports the Center for Violence Prevention in advocating for policies that keep children safe.

Every child deserves a home: Advocating for housing as a matter important to health

CHOP has testified to Philadelphia City Council on the importance of housing for children and the role of our Family Justice Partnership (FJP) in assisting families maintain safe housing through legal intervention.

CHOP's FJP provides pro bono (free) legal services and legal representation to families of patients in select CHOP locations whose health and well-being may be negatively affected by a legal barrier.

Our team continues to collaborate with CHOP’s Center for Health Equity on ways to continue to advance these critical programs for children and families.

Regional Poison Control Center

CHOP’s Poison Control Center is a nonprofit, regional poison control services provider. The center offers a 24/7 hotline staffed by registered nurses and pharmacists with special training in toxicology.

Government Affairs continues to advocate for resources from state and local government to support this program and the services it offers to the community at-large.

The power of storytelling: Advocating for early literacy promotion in pediatric primary care

CHOP’s Government Affairs team supports CHOP’s Reach Out and Read team in advocating for policies that embed the evidence-based early literacy promotion model into pediatric primary care. Learn more about efforts advocating in DC for military families, and read our policy recommendations for Medicaid and CHIP written in partnership with CHOP PolicyLab, here.