Since our founding in 1991, the staff and board of Child Health Partnership have strived to provide supportive, culturally aware, and trauma-informed care to the families we serve, building on parents’ strengths as their child’s first and best teachers. Our families are ethnically, culturally, and racially diverse. We have supported the healthy development of children and families with deep roots in the communities of Charlottesville, Albemarle, Fluvanna, and Louisa—communities that have a history of racial injustice—as well as families who are newcomers from many other countries, including those ravaged by poverty, war, and political oppression.

Our staff has the honor of providing services to children and families in their homes and sharing their joys and challenges as trusted partners. We acknowledge that healthcare inequities present challenges to black and brown families and that centuries of race-based economic injustice in our nation and community continue to limit opportunities for some families to thrive, manage the stress of overcoming obstacles, and live their dreams beyond meeting everyday needs for transportation, housing, and food security.

In 2020, we witnessed the murder of George Floyd and the COVID-19 pandemic, which disproportionately impacted Black and brown families because of health and economic inequity. In response, our staff formed a task force as part of its Staff Council, focusing on race and equity. In addition, the board established a Health Equity committee to understand how our organization can better respond to systemic racism and implicit bias in health care. Our goal is to take action for change that will remove barriers to equitable care for children and families marginalized because of race and other identity characteristics. We recognize that children and families may also face barriers to equity based on their economic status, mental and physical health challenges, sexual preference, gender identity, age, and language.

We are also looking inward, with humility, to continue to draw on the diversity of experiences and perspectives of our staff and to expand the diversity of our board, so that as an organization we better understand the complex needs of our families and meet them more effectively. We recognize we have more work to do in these areas.

Our core value that each child deserves every opportunity for strong physical and mental health infuses our work for health equity and the diversity of our organization. As we continue to learn and advocate for equitable health care, we are committed to honest and open communication. We welcome all meaningful feedback and dialogue with our supporters and partners as we aim to continuously improve our service to children, families, and the community.