Children’s Nebraska 2025-2027 Implementation Strategy Plan
Poster Gallery
Thank you for visiting the 2025-2027 Implementation Strategy Plan Poster Gallery
In this poster gallery you will see Children’s Nebraska’s planned goals and strategies for the next three years of community focused work in pediatric mental health, access to care and the social drivers of health, as guided by the 2024 Pediatric Community Health Needs Assessment. Please view the posters and provide your feedback as we finalize the plan and move toward implementation.
Creating Opportunities for Whole Child Health
Developing the Implementation Strategy Plan
Children's Community Health & Advocacy team develops the Implementation Strategy Plan (ISP) based on data from the Pediatric Community Health Needs Assessment (PCHNA). The ISP serves as an action plan to improve children's health by creating community programs and partnerships.
Scan the QR code to access the full 2024 PCHNA report.
Priority Impact Areas identified:
• Access to Care
• Social Drivers of Health
• Pediatric Mental Health & Wellness
Creating Opportunities for Whole Child Health
Implementation Strategy Plan Goals
The 2025-2027 Implementation Strategy Plan outlines five main goals aimed at positively impacting Access to Care, Social Drivers of Health, and Pediatric Mental Health and Wellness.
Goal 1: Enhance access to healthcare by removing barriers to care, enabling families to find and obtain health services.
Objective: Ensure families with children can identify, seek, reach, obtain and use the health care they need that aligns with their social, cultural and linguistic needs.
What we learned from our community:
Barriers to accessing care have increased since 2012 including: Difficulty getting a doctor's appointment, Finding convenient office hours, Struggling to find a doctor and Cultural and language barriers.
Those in Northeast Omaha had increases in all 4 barriers. Immigrant and Refugee families also cited barriers in access to care.
Community Prioritized Populations: Northeast Omaha, Southeast Omaha, Cass County
What
we
plan to do: Strategies
1. Establish strong partnerships with community organizations and schools to better support diverse families in their local areas and address unique needs and barriers to accessing care.
2. Develop and enhance resources and communication strategies, tailored to specific communities and populations, designed to improve awareness of health needs, services and prevention.
3. Develop mobile health and virtual school health services to provide healthcare and outreach to specific communities and populations.
How will we measure success: Anticipated Impact
Growth in partnerships at the collaborative level with organizations that support diverse families in their local areas.
Effective resource and communication tools developed and distributed.
Development of mobile health and virtual school health services.
Increased services provided in communities of need.
What success will look like:
Jamal, a high school football player in Northeast Omaha, struggles each year to get his required sports physical. This time, his coach shares a flyer for a mobile health unit nearby. Jamal visits before practice, gets cleared to play, and receives a mental health screening. Initially dismissive, he opens up about feeling overwhelmed. The provider reassures him, and a week later, Jamal attends his first counseling session. With support and new copingtools,hefeelslighterandplayshisbestfootballseasonyet.
Prototype
Goal 2: Develop programs and initiatives at the community level by forming innovative partnerships.
Objective: Build and enhance collaborations to improve health and social outcomes for children and families.
What we learned from our community:
Financial instability, food insecurity, and unsafe housing conditions are particularly prevalent in Northeast and Southeast Omaha, especially among lower-income households and Black and Hispanic families. Many families do not have the financial means to cover emergency expenses and struggle with food security. Very low-income families are most vulnerable with nearly 2/3 indicating a lack of financial and food security.
Community Prioritized Populations: Northeast Omaha and Southeast Omaha
What we plan to do: Strategies
1. Explore and advance ideas such as a placebased safety center and a family resource center for children to address injury prevention and community safety and social drivers of health through community-based partnerships.
2. Expand healthy housing and asthma prevention program to support remediation of asthma triggers in the home.
3. Provide Community Impact Grants to communitybased organizations that provide family support services that address the social drivers of health.
How we will measure success: Anticipated Impact
Increased access to local safety, injury prevention and family resources.
Remediation of unhealthy homes to improve child health outcomes.
Expanded capacity of community organizations to effectively address the social drivers of health for families with children.
What success will look like:
Maria, a single mom in Southeast Omaha, needs new tires for her car to get her children to school and herself to work but can't afford them. Thanks to Children's Community Impact Grants, she receives a low-interest loan from a local organization that helps families with expenses traditional banks won’t cover. With the funds, Maria replaces her tires, ensuring she keeps her job and her children arrive to school on time. Over six months, she repays the loan, knowing the small interest she paid will help another family in need.
Goal 3: Increase access to community resources by leveraging technology and strengthening strategic partnerships with community-based organizations to address the social drivers of health.
Objective: Address the economic, social, and cultural factors influencing community health.
What we learned from our community:
Financial instability, food insecurity, and unsafe housing conditions are particularly prevalent in Northeast and Southeast Omaha, especially among lower-income households and Black and Hispanic families.
Many families do not have the financial means to cover emergency expenses and struggle with food security.
Very low-income families are most vulnerable with nearly 2/3 indicating a lack of financial and food security.
Community Prioritized Populations: Northeast Omaha and Southeast Omaha
What we plan to do: Strategies
1. Enhance Social Drivers of Health (SDOH) screening and referral to connect patient families to resources, and work to fill community service gaps.
2. Build relationships with Community Health Worker (CHW) collaboratives and programs to strengthen connections between communities and healthcare for children.
3. Expand opportunities for Children's team members to volunteer in and participate in site tours at community organizations to enhance understanding of those served and SDOH needs.
4. Explore opportunities for youth, adults and teams to explore and participate in professional development programs like job shadowing and career training that promote economic mobility.
How will we measure success: Anticipated Impact
Increased access to resources that support patients' SDOH.
Increased data utilization to identify community service gaps to improve health.
Increased coordination with CHWs to provide care coordination for children.
Increased volunteering hours in underserved communities.
Increased team member understanding of community need and the impact of SDOH.
Increased partnerships at the collaborative level.
Increased access to career pathways for underserved youth in target areas.
What success will look like:
Emma, a new nurse at Children’s Specialty Clinic, volunteered at a diaper bank through a BeInvolved activity. Tasked with sorting diapers, she listened to stories of struggling families a father working two jobs, a grandmother on a fixed income, and a mother rationing diapers Their hardships opened her eyes to the reality of diaper need and its impact on health and dignity. What started as a simple volunteer shift became a powerful lesson in compassion and awareness Emma left not just as a helper, but as an advocate for families in need
Goal 4: Expand access to the full continuum of pediatric mental health care for children and youth.
Objective: Develop a comprehensive mental health care system inclusive of prevention strategies to intensive intervention, ensuring that every young person receives the support they need.
What we learned from our community:
Signs and diagnosis of depression and anxiety have increased since 2012
Diagnosis of depression and anxiety is highest in Northeast Omaha and most often reported among parents of girls and children in very low-income households.
Community Prioritized Populations: Adolescents, School-age children, Children with low-income families
What we plan to do: Strategies
1. Strengthen capacities within community organizations, schools and primary care offices to screen for and educate on mental health to improve early identification, intervention and connection to mental health resources.
2. Enhance accessibility and ensure underserved populations receive necessary support by utilizing technological advancements and leveraging innovative programs.
3. Strengthen and expand Children's behavioral health service line to provide a full continuum of care, including crisis assessment, inpatient, partial hospitalization, outpatient and integrated primary care services.
4. Collaborate to increase the sustainability of pediatric mental health care in Nebraska by supporting and growing the State's mental health workforce and building a strong infrastructure for data-driven decision-making.
How will we measure success: Anticipated Impact
Decreased percentage of patients with positive behavioral health screening results.
Targeted community outreach materials developed for school-aged children and adolescents.
Increased capacity at community organizations and schools in providing mental health prevention services and supports.
Increased psychiatry consults for primary care providers managing behavioral health needs in primary care clinics.
Expanded behavioral health service line through opening of Behavioral Health & Wellness Center.
Increased number of children and families served in a Crisis Assessment Center/Behavioral Health Urgent Care in Nebraska.
What success will look like:
Maya, a 10-year-old from rural Nebraska, visited Dr. Carter for stomach pain. A mental health screening revealed suicidal thoughts she hadn’t shared with her parents. Thanks to recent COPE training, Dr. Carter confidently addressed Maya’s needs without an outside referral. She collaborated with Maya’s parents to create a safety plan, including trusted adults, counseling, and removing harmful items at home. With family support and Dr. Carter’s guidance, Maya learned it was okay to ask for help Over time, she felt hopeful again, knowing she wasn’t alone in facing life’s challenges.
Goal 5: Foster a health care environment that promotes safety and empathy for patients, families and team by integrating trauma-informed practices into care delivery.
Objective: Become a trauma-informed organization, resulting in better care, reduced barriers and ensuring everyone has the opportunity to achieve better health outcomes.
What we learned from our community:
Signs and diagnosis of depression and anxiety have increased since 2012.
Diagnosis of depression and anxiety is highest in Northeast Omaha and most often reported among parents of girls and children in very low-income households.
Community Prioritized Populations: Adolescents, School-age children, Children with low-income families
What we plan to do: Strategies
1. Establish a structured approach to implementing trauma-informed care (TIC) by developing an organizational plan, creating a Safety & Wellbeing Council, and reviewing policies, practices and workflows to embed TIC principles throughout the organization.
2. Equip Children's clinical and patient-facing teams and emerging professionals with essential TIC training, expand Behavioral Emergency Response Team (BERT) and integrate social work to enhance safety and wellbeing for patients, families and staff.
How we will measure success:
Anticipated Impact
Established and strengthened organizational structure to support safety and wellbeing efforts.
Standardized responses and care across the organization through workflow and policy development.
Increased percentage of all team members trained in trauma informed principles.
Increased patient satisfaction scores.
What success will look like:
Maxwell, a 7-year-old with a fear of hospitals and past housing instability, arrives at Children’s Nebraska for a procedure. He is welcomed into a calm, child-friendly environment where nurses kneel to meet him at eye level and explain everything in simple, reassuring language. Given choices to foster control, Maxwell feels more at ease. His parents provide comfort while a Child Life Specialist uses distraction techniques. By the end of the visit, Maxwell and his family feel reassured, knowing they are in the right place, having built trust and confidence in the healthcare team.
We would like to thank our partners and team members who provided their time and expertise to develop the 2025-2027 Implementation Strategy Plan.
Community Partners
Pediatric Community Health Needs Assessment Partners:
Boys Town National Research Hospital
Building Healthy Futures
Charles Drew Health Center
Creighton Institute for Population Health
Douglas County Health Department
Lozier Foundation
OneWorld Community Health Center
Sarpy/Cass Health Department
Listening Session Partners:
Boys Town
Center for Immigrant and Refugee Advancement
Child Saving Institute
International Council for Refugees and Immigrants
Omaha ForUs
PFLAG
Restoring Dignity
Child Health Data Gallery Walk Hosts:
Barbara Weitz Community Engagement Center
Creighton at the Highlander United Way of the Midlands
Yates Illuminates
Children's Nebraska Departments
Access Center
Allergy
Behavioral Health
Cardiac Diagnostics
Cardiology
Care Coordination
Clinical Nutrition
Community Health & Advocacy
CP Administration
Developmental Pediatrics
Emergency
Finance
Food Services
Home Health
Hospitalist
Human Resources
Interpretive Services
Legal
Marketing & Communications
Medical Specialty Division
Nursing Administration
Office of Education
Pulmonology
Revenue Cycle
Strategic Planning
Trauma
Vision Outreach
Thank you again for visiting Children’s 2025-2027 Implementation Strategy Plan Poster Gallery
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