Pediatricians Recommending Poverty Screenings

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Pediatricians across the country are recommending that medical professionals screen for poverty during routine visits.

One in five children in America lives in poverty, WCBS 880's Marla Diamond reports, and the science tells us that it really impacts their health and development, in addition to causing lifelong problems.

The American Academy of Pediatrics, which represents more than 60,000 pediatricians, announced new recommendations Wednesday that would screen patients for poverty in hopes of fighting health problems.

Dr. Bernard Dryer, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics and head of Bellevue Hospital's pediatric division, is hopeful the recommendation will make it easier for doctors to address a sometimes uncomfortable subject by making it part of their well-visit interview.

"We expect that this is going to reach many, may families," he told WCBS 880.

The recommendation also provides guidelines to help pediatricians connect families to the resources they are entitled to, but may not be getting.

More than 16 million children in the United States live in families with incomes below the poverty level, which is $23,550 a year for a family of four, according to The National Center for Children in Poverty.