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Health & Fitness

AN UNCONVENTIONAL PRESCRIPTION BY PEDIATRICIANS & FAMILY PHYSICIANS COULD BE A CHILD'S BEST MEDICINE

The Middletown Rotary Club, a supporter of local literacy programs, hosted a presentation by Reach Out and Read, a non-profit organization that trains and supports medical providers who give books to children and advice to parents about the importance of reading aloud at well-child exams.   The organization builds on the unique relationship between parents and medical providers to foster essential literacy skills in young children between six months and five years old.

Presenting at the club’s meeting were Christine Garber, Connecticut Program Coordinator and April Diep, D.O., a first year resident with Middlesex Hospital Family Medicine Residency Program.   

“Research shows that children who start school on track are more likely to reach their full educational, social, and life potential.  Since the first five years of life are a critical time for learning, the intervention of Reach Out and Read pediatricians, family physicians, and nurse practitioners during child well visits provides an ideal window to advise parents of the importance of reading aloud,” stated Garber. 

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The focus of this program is on early intervention as many children, especially from low-income families, are not read aloud from birth.  Reach out and Read serves nearly 40,000 children in Connecticut, four million children across all 50 states, where America’s youngest children are prepared to succeed in school through a partnership with their doctors who prescribe books and encourage families to read together. 

For more information on the organization or if interested in volunteering, visit www.reachoutandread.org or contact Christine Garber at Christine.garber@reachoutandread.org or via phone at 203.980.6430.

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Middletown Rotary meets every Tuesday at 12:15 at First & Last Restaurant for lunch and guest presentations.  For more information, contact Trish Witzky-Lambert by phone at 860.344.1221, by email at trishlambert@heritagecommons.com or visit www.middletownrotary.org for an overview of the club.  The Middletown Rotary Club is also on Facebook!

Members of the Rotary Club of Middletown are business, social, and civic leaders who make a positive difference in their community and in the world through humanitarian service, education, high ethics, and goodwill. The club maintains its membership from those who live and/or work in Middletown as well as the surrounding towns of Cromwell, Portland, Durham, Middlefield and Higganum.

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