Overview
We offer a reading program for patients at the UCSF Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine Clinic.
Inspiration
Reach Out and Read is a national early literacy organization endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) that partners with pediatric medical professionals to provide books and model reading aloud to children at their well-child visits until the age of 5.
More than 20 studies on the impact of Reach Out and Read demonstrate improvements not only in children’s language development and ability but also in clinic culture and clinician well-being.
Inception
Extending this model, we created a reading program called Turning Pages for patients at the UCSF Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine Clinic. We invite patients, clinicians, and staff to recommend books that shaped their lives or were meaningful to them during adolescence.
We also consult and partner with local bookshop Christopher’s Books to ensure we obtain a collection that would appeal to a wide range of ages, developmental stages, languages, cultures, and literacy levels to reflect and celebrate the diverse population of our clinic.
Intention
We have curated an inclusive and evolving collection and invite providers to give one book to each patient at an annual check-up. This gesture is intended to represent a tangible, personal connection between provider and patient and promote a culture of exchanging stories in the clinic space.
Read more about this initiative in Pediatrics and the Journal of Adolescent Health.