Bridgewater, NJ, June 26, 2007 — Six Trenton medical facilities today received 1,000 books each to disseminate to their youngest low-income patients, thanks to New Jersey′s Pharmaceutical and Medical Technology Industry — and their trade association, the HealthCare Institute of New Jersey (HINJ).
The six sites participate in Reach Out and Read, a national children′s literacy program in which doctors give books to infants, toddlers and preschoolers at check-ups and advise their parents about the importance of reading.
The Trenton donation is the first delivery of books under a partnership between New Jersey′s pharmaceutical and medical technology companies and their trade association, the HealthCare Institute of New Jersey (HINJ), with Reach Out and Read.
HINJ member companies have pledged to provide $100,000 per year for three years to support existing Reach Out and Read sites in New Jersey, expand the program to serve more at-risk children, and establish an infrastructure to help the program grow and sustain itself in New Jersey.
HINJ President Bob Franks plans to visit each of the state′s Reach Out and Read sites this summer to deliver books.
“As a major partner of Reach Out and Read, New Jersey′s pharmaceutical and medical technology companies have made a multi-year commitment to expand and enhance the program. Today is our very first site visit to show our support for this wonderful program. I am very happy to be able to present 1,000 books to each of the six Trenton Reach Out and Read sites. Our contribution today totals $18,000 in donations — that’s 6,000 children′s books that will be distributed across the city to children ages five and younger,” said Franks.
The event held at the Henry J. Austin Health Center, featured remarks by the Honorable Lucille Davy, Commissioner, NJ Department of Education and Melinda Green, Vice President, Children′s Futures.
Reach Out and Read focuses on the children at greatest risk — children aged 6 months to 5 years living at or near poverty. Doctors participating in Reach Out and Read distribute carefully selected new, developmentally and culturally appropriate books – starting with board books for babies and moving on to more complex picture books for preschoolers. Bilingual books are available in 12 languages. Each child who participates in Reach Out and Read starts kindergarten with a home library of up to 10 books and a parent who has heard at every well-child visit about the importance of books and reading.
Research shows that the program really works. Studies illustrate that parents who get books and literacy counseling from their doctors and nurses are more likely to read to their young children, read to them more often, and provide more books in the home.
Low-income children exposed to Reach Out and Read show improved language development, a critical component of school readiness. Children score 4 to 8 points higher on vocabulary tests, giving 2-year-olds a 6 month head start developmentally. The only American literacy program featured at the recent White House Conference on Global Literacy, Reach Out and Read is endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Last year, New Jersey doctors gave away more than 75,000 books to almost 49,000 of the state′s youngest low-income children at 49 Reach Out and Read sites.
Reach Out and Read Medical Director Perri Klass, M.D., says that the grant from New Jersey′s pharmaceutical and medical technology companies will make it possible to serve a greater number of New Jersey′s youngest at-risk children. “We are grateful to HINJ and its member companies for their commitment to the children of New Jersey and thrilled to see the first books resulting from our partnership delivered to the Reach Out and Read sites in Trenton,” Klass says. “The grant has created great momentum for expansion of the Reach Out and Read literacy program in New Jersey.”
Nationally, thousands of doctors this year will give 4.6 million new books to 2.8 million low-income families in all 50 states, Washington, DC, Guam, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Today, Reach Out and Read reaches about 25% of America′s most impoverished children. International programs modeled on Reach Out and Read have been started in Bangladesh, Italy, Israel, the Philippines, England, and Canada. For further information, please visit Reach Out and Read′s website at www.reachoutandread.org.
About the HealthCare Institute of New Jersey
The HealthCare Institute of New Jersey is a trade association for the research-based pharmaceutical and medical technology industry in New Jersey. Founded in 1997, the Institute serves as a unified voice for the industry and seeks to build awareness of this industry′s impact on New Jersey′s quality of life and economic well-being. There are currently 28 members of the HealthCare Institute of New Jersey.
About Reach Out and Read
Reach Out and Read is a national, non-profit program that is working to make literacy promotion a standard part of pediatric primary care. Reach Out and Read trains medical providers to advise parents about the importance of reading aloud and to give books to children at check-ups from 6 months to 5 years, with a special emphasis on children growing up in poverty. Endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics, Reach Out and Read has one of the strongest records of research support of any primary care intervention. Peer-reviewed studies indicate that parents who get books and literacy counseling from their doctors and nurses are more likely to read to their young children, read to them more often, and provide more books in the home. Low-income children exposed to the program have shown improvements in language development, a critical component of school readiness.
Since 1989, Reach Out and Read has trained nearly 46,000 doctors and nurses who have given advice and a new book at more than 16 million well-child visits. This year Reach Out and Read will provide 4.6 million books to more than 2.8 million children, at more than 3,200 hospitals and health centers in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the United States Virgin Islands. Reach Out and Read was the only American literacy program presented at the White House Conference on Global Literacy. International programs modeled on Reach Out and Read have been started in Italy, Israel, the Philippines, England, Bangladesh and Canada. For further information, please visit Reach Out and Read′s website at www.reachoutandread.org.