Community Pediatrics Overview

The AAP Division of Community-based Initiatives raises awareness of community pediatrics and supports pediatricians and child health professionals in developing a community perspective of pediatrics.

Brief History of Community Pediatrics at the AAP

Community pediatrics is described as a "concern for all children in a population, those who remain well but need preventive services, those who have symptoms but do not receive effective care, and those who do seek medical care either in a physician's office or in a hospital." Community pediatrics recognizes that children are best understood, and their needs attended to, within the interlocking contexts of biology, family, and community.

Since 1970, the Academy has been promoting community pediatrics in a variety of ways, including policy statements about community pediatrics and the medical home, and through activities like the Healthy Tomorrows Partnership for Children Program (HTPCP), the Community Access To Child Health (CATCH) Program, and the AAP Council on Community Pediatrics (COCP). In 1994, the Academy formalized its commitment to community pediatrics by instituting the Department of Community Pediatrics (DOCP) to provide support to pediatricians involved in the development and implementation of community programs that improve access to quality health care for children and their families.

Over the years, Community Pediatrics activities have documented the success of hundreds of pediatricians making positive contributions to the health of their communities, finding that "with information, support, and tools, pediatricians can be agents of change.” Through the years programs related to immunizations, breastfeeding, Native American Child Health, and Child Care have evolved and become part of the practice of community pediatrics.

In 2005, the AAP initiated changes to make Community Pediatrics part of the fabric of all AAP activities by infusing the concepts of community pediatrics throughout the Academy. The former DOCP divisions and programs have now been strategically aligned with activities related to chapter and state affairs, advocacy, policy, and education.