It takes more than check-ups, immunizations, and medication to heal what ails low-income children in families under stress. But it doesn’t always come easily to doctors to take on the role of advocates for such things as better health insurance coverage, improved day care options, and safe, healthy housing.

Dr. George Askew, however, has embraced the challenge. And he’s gone further, setting up a non-profit organization, Docs for Tots, to create a network of doctors interested in advocating for young children, and to provide those doctors with information and support so they can be more effective.

Looking at the Big Picture
Askew started Docs for Tots in his home office in the spring of 2003. Askew, a pediatrician who works with children in Washington, DC and nearby Silver Spring, Maryland knew that many of the factors affecting the lives of his patients were out of his control: poverty, unsafe environments, lack of adequate education. He believed that working to improve policies on these issues should be an integral part of his work as a doctor, and of the work of other pediatricians.

He began talking to funders, explaining his ideas, and in March 2003, with support from the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, Askew incorporated Docs for Tots, attained non-profit status, moved the organization out of his home and into an office on K Street in Washington, DC, and hired three staff.

Docs for Tots is recruiting a network of doctors interested in advocating and promoting community solutions to health-related problems facing young children and their families. Docs for Tots supports these doctors (over 160 in 39 states and the District of Columbia as of July 2004) with materials and individual technical assistance. The organization also finds volunteer doctors to work with child advocacy organizations.

Askew states the mission of Docs For Tots is to “develop, support, and grow a nationwide network of doctors who can respond to the requests of child advocacy organizations and others to participate in advocating for policies and practices that improve the well-being of our youngest children.” Docs for Tots targets children from birth to age five, but is trying to incorporate pre-natal care.

Finding Funds to Grow
Operating on an annual budget of less than $500,000, Docs for Tots receives funding from a wide range of sources. Following the first grant from Kellogg, Docs for Tots has secured gifts from individual donors, ranging up to $5,000, and grants from other organizations up to $19,999 dollars. In spring 2004, Docs for Tots started an aggressive individual donor drive, hoping to build a network of support.

The summer of 2004 has been a time of growth. With the addition of two new staff and a full-time summer intern, Docs for Tots added 50 new doctors to their list in just one month. Docs for Tots is getting the word out to the public by attending conferences and forums held by advocates and doctors. Askew and his staff visit, call and e-mail organizations that might be interested in signing on. Askew describes his technique for getting new doctors and advocate organizations as “shoe-leather marketing.”

For anyone interested in starting an organization like Docs for Tots, Askew has the following tips: pay attention to detail, run the organization as a business first, and make sure your first hire is a good one. Askew spent two months searching for just the right co-worker, all the while paying for an office he wasn’t using, but he said the wait was worth it. His first hire was Kate Irish and Askew credits her with helping Docs for Tots grow.

Learn more about Docs for Tots at www.docsfortots.org [1] or contact them at 1522 K Street NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20005-1202.