MADISON – The Providers and Teens Communicating for Health (PATCH) Program, founded in Madison, Wisconsin and now replicated nationally, has been recognized by the American Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs (AMCHP) as a Best Practice. A Best Practice is noted as the highest mark awarded among rigorously evaluated programming in the Innovation Station Database, AMCHP’s collection of evidence-based programming for public health.
Founded in 2010 by the Wisconsin Alliance for Women’s Health (WAWH), a statewide non-profit health advocacy organization, the goals of the PATCH Program’s Core Package are three-fold: 1) to promote open, honest, and medically accurate conversations between adolescents and their health care providers; 2) to authentically engage youth in adolescent health improvement efforts; and 3) to provide engaged youth the knowledge, skills, and opportunities that enable them to thrive and flourish into adulthood.
PATCH Program Founder and Director, Amy Olejniczak, MS, MPH, has always strongly believed that young people have the ability to be incredible advocates for the health of their generation if given the space and tools to do so.
“We work to ensure that efforts to improve adolescent health happen WITH young people rather than TO them. After all, THEY are the experts and what it’s like to be a teen today,” says Olejniczak.
The PATCH Program values the importance of youth-friendly health care and is fully committed to sharing knowledge and skills across the country to grow impact.
“Through the PATCH Program, thousands of teens and health care professionals have gained valuable knowledge and skills needed to enhance the communication and relationship between these two populations in health care settings,” says Sara Finger, WAWH Executive Director. “This leads to healthier future generations.”
AMCHP’s Innovation Station Database showcases and highlights the kinds of solutions that will be needed to improve the health of women, children, and families across the country.
For more information about the PATCH Program’s Best Practice, including program details, evidence of effectiveness, and replication approach, visit: http://www.amchp.org/programsandtopics/BestPractices/InnovationStation/ISDocs/Core%20PATCH%20Package_Innovation%20Station%20Handout.pdf
