County Health Center Wins National Literacy Award

The Will County Health Department issued this news release:

The Will County Community Health Center has been awarded the 2013 Richard Robinson Award by Reach Out and Read, an eminently successful national literacy program based in Boston, MA.

The Richard Robinson Award, presented annually since 2002, recognizes pediatric doctors and other health care professionals who promote early literacy and provide medical leadership. The award is named in honor of the president and CEO of Scholastic, Reach Out and Read's longest-standing corporate supporter.

Reach Out and Read is an evidence-based, nonprofit organization of medical providers who promote early literacy and school readiness in pediatric exam rooms nationwide. The program gives new storybooks and advice to parents about the importance of reading aloud to young children.

The Will County Community Health Center, a division of the Will County Health Department located at 1106 Neal Avenue in Joliet, has been a Read Out and Read participant since 2001. The Community Health Center has given more than 61,250 new books to children (ages six months to five years old), during well-check visits. The Will County program is the first and only Illinois early literacy project to receive the prestigious Richard Robinson Award.

Reach Out and Read was founded in 1989. Today, the project partners with nearly 5,000 program sites and distributes 6.5 million books annually. The program serves more than 35 percent of all children living in poverty throughout the U.S.

The Will County Community Health Center serves all residents regardless of age, race, national origin, or ability to pay. Services include: adult medicine, pediatrics, women's services, STD/HIV, immunizations, laboratory, and general dentistry. Services are available six days weekly. Telephone 815-727-8670 for more information, or to schedule an appointment.