PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — It’s a partnership between agencies across Allegheny County to determine the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on children and families.
“We wouldn’t really know what was going on with families unless we asked them, especially with more people staying in their house. We needed to be able to connect with them and know what was going on,” said Dr. Kristin Ray.
Dr. Ray is one of the UPMC doctors at Children’s Hospital spearheading the Family Strengths Survey.
“Even though we’ve moved through the phases of the pandemic and are in green, there are still a lot of needs families are facing as they try to adjust from financial to employment, to what does the world look like right now,” Dr. Ray said.
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Every Friday since the beginning of April, a new survey comes online. While each week’s survey is different, the primary focus is on the impact on children.
“Do you feel like you are able to help your kids be fed? To learn? To have fun? The full range and asking families what types of resources they need in a coming week,” Dr. Ray said.
Ray told KDKA the survey is a partnership with Allegheny County Health Department and the goal wasn’t to just collect the data and sit on it.
Rather each week, the research is published online with contact information for services that surveyors said is needed.
“Only about 40 percent of families felt they were completely able to support their kids in being emotionally and socially adjusted and only about 25 percent felt they could help themselves,” Ray said.
Heading into Week 15, participation can range from 300-3,000 per week. Dr. Ray said as long as there is still a need expressed in the results, the research will still continue.
“Families are dealing with a lot of change and a lot of questions, and it’s OK to not feel OK sometimes and there are a lot of resources out there,” Ray said.
The survey takes about six minutes to complete. The new survey will be published on Friday and the previous week’s results are published with the new survey.
Click here to take the study.
