Gifts of Knowledge, Imagination

By Patricia St. Germain

The Spectrum

Published February 17, 2009

 

ST. GEORGE - Even during these tough economic times, people understand the importance of literacy and thanks to the donations by Barnes & Noble customers, the Community Health Center of St. George received 600 books for the Reach Out and Read program.

Over the holidays, customers at the book store were asked if they wanted to purchase books for the clinic, which has the highest percentage of patients at the poverty level in the county, to be handed out to children 5 and younger during well-child checkups.

Amy Miner, board chairwoman of the Community Health Center and program coordinator for the Reach Out and Read program in St. George, said the clinic depends on grants and private donations for the book program the clinic started participating in about a year ago.

"This was a fabulous partnership," Miner said of the book drive. "Literacy is a team effort with the whole community."

Each year, Barnes & Noble does a book drive for a charity and this year, the Community Health Centers across the state were the recipients.

The clinic started participating in the Reach Out and Read program more than a year ago.

The program, founded in 1989, has given out more than 20 million books across the country and has international programs modeled after the Reach Out and Read program. Nationally, thousands of doctors will give out about 4.8 million new books this year at more than 35,000 health care sites.

Nancy Neff, CEO of the Community Health Center of St. George, said the young patients and their parents love the program. At each well-child check-up, the patient is given a new age- and language-appropriate book. By the time the child is 5, Neff said the child will have about 12 books.

Miner said the program is amazing and makes a difference for the children who participate. The program is a way not only to treat the mind and body but, Miner said, the clinic hopes it serves as motivation for parents to keep up with well-child checkups. Miner said surveys of the program in other parts of the country show that the program has increased reading time at home.

Miner said she initiated the program locally because she has always been interested in childhood literacy and its impact.

When the child is seen for a well-child check-up, in addition to the book, Miner said, the medical provider gives literacy tips.

Even without a well-child check-up, the clinic focuses on literacy by having staff in the waiting room available to read a book to the child and sending the child home with a gently used book.

In a press release, Barbara Harrison, community relations manager at Barnes & Noble, said the book drive has put books in the hands of more than 2 million children nationwide.

"We gave our customers the venue through which to donate, but their generosity made this possible," Harrison said in the release.

Other donations include gifts from people who give books to the program in lieu of gifts for co-workers, a donation from a group at Dixie Regional Medical Center and a grant from Target.

In addition to participating in the Reach Out and Read program, the Community Health Center provides health and dental services and low rates and accepts private insurance, Medicare, Medicaid and CHIP and has a sliding fee scale for people with no insurance.

Miner said the recently donated books give the clinic about six months of books to hand out to patients. "It's such an amazing program," Miner said.