Winston-Salem, N.C.– Two local doctors received one of eight American Academy of Pediatrics grants awarded to physicians nationwide as part of its Community Access to Child Health (CATCH) program. The initiative supports pediatricians to collaborate within their community so that all children have access to health services. One of the grants was awarded to Drs. Rachel McClung and Harold Latta of Novant Health Robinhood Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine in Winston-Salem. They received the grant in support of their continuous efforts to enhance healthcare for underserved children in the community.
The $10,000 grant will be used to serve Winston-Salem’s Karenni refugees, a small ethnic group from Myanmar (formerly known as Burma), to improve health care access and raise awareness. The Karenni refugee health initiative will offer after-hours clinics dedicated to well child checks for Karenni children beginning in February. To alleviate communication barriers, members of the Karenni community will be trained as medical interpreters and will be on-site for after-hours clinic visits.
The grant will also be used to hold monthly meetings at Calvary Baptist Church for Karenni parents to receive medical education. Drs. McClung and Latta’s mission focuses on connecting with parents, particularly mothers, of the Karenni families to empower and educate them, so they may mentor other parents.
“My goal is to partner with parents in seeking the spiritual, emotional, behavioral and physical health of their child, to encourage a healthy, happy environment wherein their child can meet his or her full potential,” said Dr. McClung, a pediatrician with Novant Health since 2012.
“Dr. Latta and I will help educate families about healthy nutrition and dental hygiene, among a host of other medical and wellness topics,” said Dr. McClung.
During his 24 years with Robinhood Pediatrics, Dr. Latta has donated his time to mission work in Haiti since 1996 and also volunteered at Sunnyside Clinic, part of Sunnyside Ministries, in Winston-Salem from 1994 to 2013. “We hope to empower and encourage Karenni families to take ownership of their health, as well as improving communication between healthcare providers and the Karenni people,” said Dr. Latta
Visit The OAR Foundation or CATCH’s website to receive more information about Drs. McClung and Latta’s work with the American Academy of Pediatrics. Donations to their project are accepted through The OAR Foundation’s website.
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