Children's Health Fund (CHF) is a

nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

that provides health care to children and families on mobile medical clinics throughout the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. CHF was founded in 1987 by singer/songwriter

Paul Simon Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actor whose career has spanned six decades. He is one of the most acclaimed songwriters in popular music, both as a solo artist and as half of folk roc ...

and pediatrician/advocate

Irwin Redlener Irwin Redlener is an American pediatrician and public health activist who specializes in health care for underserved children and disaster planning, response, and recovery. He is the author of ''The Future of Us: What the Dreams of Children Mean f ...

. The organization began with a single mobile medical unit funded by Simon and designed by Redlener's wife, Karen. More than 20 years later, the organization has 23 programs with more than 50 mobile medical units and is the nation's leading provider of mobile-based health care for homeless and low-income children and their families. Karen Redlener remains with CHF, currently serving as the organization's executive director. CHF programs are committed to the full range of children's health care from health education and preventative care to the diagnosis and management of acute and chronic diseases. CHF programs provide or coordinate care that fosters oral and mental health, as well as specialty or hospital care.

Paul Simon

In 1985, Irwin Redlener joined the board of

USA for Africa United Support of Artists for Africa (USA for Africa) was the name under which 47 predominantly U.S. artists, led by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, recorded the hit single "We Are the World" in 1985. The song was a U.S. and UK number one for ...

as the organization's medical director and director of grants, where he met

. In 1987, Redlener and Simon founded Children's Health Fund to provide health care to homeless and medically underserved children in New York City. Throughout the years, Simon has held charity concerts and benefit events supporting CHF and has traveled to Washington, D.C., to speak to elected officials on behalf of CHF.

National network

CHF's National Network serve children and families in Arkansas; Austin, Texas; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Chicago, Illinois; Dallas, Texas; Detroit, Michigan; Harlem, New York; Idaho; Los Angeles, California; Memphis, Tennessee; Mississippi; Mississippi Gulf Coast; New Orleans; New York City; New Jersey; Orlando, Florida; Phoenix, Arizona; San Francisco, California; South Florida; Southern Arizona; Washington, D.C.; and West Virginia. CHF has two affiliate programs in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Montrose, Colorado.

Advocacy

CHF supported the creation of the Children's Health Insurance Program in 1997 and most recently, the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), historic health reform legislation signed into law early in 2010.

Crisis response

CHF works with the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University to help document and assess the impact of major disasters on children and the communities they live in. Since

Hurricane Andrew Hurricane Andrew was a very powerful and destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that struck the Bahamas, Florida, and Louisiana in August 1992. It is the most destructive hurricane to ever hit Florida in terms of structures damaged ...

, Children's Health Fund has activated a crisis response plan to help provide medical assistance to the victims of the disaster. CHF initiated this plan again after the terror attacks of 9/11 providing support at ground zero in New York City; after

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...

ravaged the Gulf Coast in 2005; and most recently after the

BP Oil Spill The ''Deepwater Horizon'' oil spill (also referred to as the "BP oil spill") was an industrial disaster that began on 20 April 2010 off of the coast of the United States in the Gulf of Mexico on the BP-operated Macondo Prospect, considered ...

Awards

CHF has received a two star rating from Charity Navigator, although it previously held a four star rating.

References

External links

CHF HomepageCHF Publications
{{Authority control Non-profit organizations based in New York City Health charities in the United States Children's rights organizations in the United States Medical and health organizations based in New York City