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InterCare locations are shown in blue. WIC only locations are shown in gray.
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Contact: Velma Hendershott InterCare Receives Foundation Funding for Reach Out and ReadThanks to a recent grant from the Ready for School Fund through the Community Foundation of the Holland/Zeeland Area, InterCare will be able to restock its supply of children's books that it gives out through its Reach Out and Read Program. Reach Out and Read (ROR) is a nationally sponsored program that helps supply doctors' offices with new books to give to pediatric patients at their well-child exams from six months to five years. InterCare was originally certified by the national ROR organization in 2007. It currently has four doctors and a family nurse practitioner at its Holland location who participate in the early literacy program. The national program requires that medical practices cover at least half of the costs of books from local sources. The Community Foundation's contribution will make possible the purchase of about 1000 age and language-appropriate new books for InterCare's young patients. InterCare started Reach Out and Read at its Holland practice as an add-on to its current array of health and wellness services. InterCare provides comprehensive primary medical and dental care to migrants and community residents, particularly the uninsured and medically underserved. Its offices are located at the James Center at the corner of James Street and Butternut. InterCare also offers prenatal and obstetric services, maternal and child health services for pregnant women and infants with Medicaid, and WIC. Although traditionally viewed as mainly a medical or dental practice, InterCare's larger mission addresses the overall importance of healthy communities. Reach Out and Read builds on the relationship that doctors have with their patients to make literacy promotion a standard part of pediatric care. Two other aspects of the Reach Out and Read program include the use of waiting room volunteers who read to children before their appointments, as well as the creation of waiting areas that are literacy-rich with colorful reading displays, child-sized furniture, and lots of books for all ages. Helping families and communities build early literacy skills in these ways ultimately contributes to long-term life successes and a reduction in negative outcomes associated with school failure such as low adult literacy, poor job skills, teenage pregnancy, substance abuse, and low self-esteem. In appreciation of the local financial support, Velma Hendershott, InterCare's CEO, stated, "We are thankful for the support the Foundation has given us to work with our families to improve language and reading skills and to assist parents in reaching appropriate developmental milestones for their children. The financial support of the Community Foundation will help promote early literacy in our young patients and all the advantages that go along with that. It is our ultimate intention for these outcomes to be associated with better growth and development and fewer health problems in adulthood in the communities we serve." InterCare has served the medically needy in southwest Michigan for over 36 years. In this time, the organization has grown from a small seasonal migrant health center to a six-county network with seven fixed sites and two mobile units. InterCare administers the fourth largest WIC program in Michigan and is involved in a variety of other special programs. Today, nearly 50,000 residents and migrants are served each year in west and southwest Michigan by Team InterCare. More information is available about InterCare and Reach Out and Read at www.InterCare.org and www.ROR.org.
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