KarunaNews Story

Nurses or pediatricians in Duval County, Florida, who make in-home wellness checks will bring books for the families they serve to help reduce Medicaid patients’ reliance on taking their young children to emergency rooms. The nonprofit Kids Hope Alliance will use a $5.8 million grant from the US Department of Treasury to place books in the hands of mothers almost immediately after they give birth rather than waiting for children to arrive in school to create a culture of literacy and reading and thus help improve lifelong reading proficiency. Duval County has long trailed its urban peers in the state when it comes to producing proficient third-grade readers.