Coalition Strives to Promote Children’s Health

Peggy Geisler, Director of the Sussex Child Health Promotion Coalition and club member, presented information about the organization to Soroptimist International of Seaford on April 16.

The SCHPC is a Nemours Health and Prevention initiative in collaboration with the citizens of Sussex County. The mission of the Coalition is to engage the entire community in a collaborative effort to improve the health of children.

Coalition members believe that in order to help the child they must first focus on the needs of the parents as well. One of the main goals of the Coalition is to first identify the needs of families and understand the real issues that affect Sussex County families today.

Geisler believes that many health issues stem from poverty. One way the Coalition is trying to combat this problem is by partnering with local churches and the Delaware and Maryland Food Banks to provide free food drops. This service is available to Sussex County residents in need of assistance and is operated on a first come, first served basis.

Another strategy the SCHPC is using to achieve its mission is to facilitate strategies for family health promotion. In addition to supplying food and various staples, free health screening is also available during the food drops. This screening covers diabetes, heart, cholesterol, HIV, and more.
Although the Coalition has been in operation for less than two years, Geisler feels that it is making great strides in understanding the needs of families in order to take a more comprehensive approach to raising community awareness as well as providing much needed services.

“There is no one portal of information available to Sussex County families and we hope to be able to provide that,” Geisler added.

For more information about the SCHPC, visit the website at www.sussexkids.org or www.sussexkids.com or call 302-444-9062.