Holy Rosary Healthcare Offers Special Reading Program for Young Patients

1200 x 628 Reach our and Read

Miles City, MT - Holy Rosary Healthcare recently started a reading program for its youngest patients by partnering with the organization Reach Out and Read, a national nonprofit that champions the positive effects of reading daily and engaging in other language-rich activities with young children. According to the organization, reading together promotes healthy brain development, furthers language acquisition, and helps families build meaningful bonds.

Dr. Lisa Yamamoto, a family medicine physician at Holy Rosary Healthcare Clinic, spearheaded the project for Holy Rosary with the financial support of the Holy Rosary Healthcare Foundation and private donors. As part of the program, at routine check-ups, Holy Rosary providers will share knowledge and tools with families to make reading a part of their daily routine, including providing children up to five years old with a supply of books they need to get started.

“I'm an impassioned advocate of early literacy as it addresses ways to improve poverty rates and help our young students be successful,” stated Dr. Yamamoto. “I feel we need to take responsibility for educating our children in fun and enjoyable ways. When we as parents become trusted providers of education, it instills in our children the strong morals, ethics and belief systems that Montanans are known for.”

The Early Literacy book program is for established patients from ages four months to five years old. Reach Out and Read was founded in 1989 to help families make reading a part of their routines. This program is offered in all 50 states, providing 7-million books each year.