Child Advocacy

Child Advocacy at Riley Hospital for Children

All children have the right to grow up to lead healthy, safe, and productive lives.  Many children with chronic conditions, disabilities, or serious injury receive medical care at Riley Hospital for Children as in-patients or through our out-patient clinics.  But we also work on behalf of children who may never come to our hospital or clinics.

This vision is accomplished through a commitment to these values:

• promoting quality healthcare for all children and families;
• advocating for children and supporting the family through family-centered care and support services;
• providing information and education for children, families, and providers;
• working cooperatively with health care networks, community organizations, business, industry, and government to ensure the needs of children and youth are addressed at the local, regional, state, and national levels;
• conducting research on children's issues that contributes toward development of education programs and public policy;
• fostering ethical behavior and decisions in all that we do;
• maintaining and advancing our leadership role, through teamwork and innovation, as a center of excellence.

Our hospital advocates for all children through special projects, education programs, information materials, and partnerships that address children's health, wellness, injury prevention, disability awareness, and access to healthcare.  Many departments provide leadership in preventative health education, health promotion, public policy, parent education and family support, and mental health.

Integral to Riley Hospital's leadership in child advocacy is a belief that our hospital act as a dedicated partner to local communities across Indiana and a partnership builder on a regional and national basis to keep children's issues and needs an urgent priority for policy makers, educators, and leaders.  Riley Hospital for Children carries out work in child advocacy by linking partners and resources with others who care about children so that progress and positive change for all children can occur.