UPHS-Marquette Family Medicine Clinic promotes literacy during regular wellness checkups

It is said that learning to read at a young age helps a child stay ahead of the developmental curve. That's why the U.P. Health System's Marquette Family Medicine Clinic is helping promote literacy as a part of the “Reach Out and Read program.”

The clinic recently received a grant of $1,000 from the Literacy Legacy Fund of Michigan. That money went towards more than 750 books that will now be distributed to children during their regular wellness checkups.

“Giving kids exposure to books early on boosts their vocabulary, boosts their social skills, their ability to cope with stress that is a normal part of life,” said Dr. Patrick Huffer, MD, the assistant program director for the Marquette Family Medicine Residency program. “So by the time they reach a school age, they're much more set up for success in the classroom.”

A child has ten regular wellness checkups, giving them an opportunity to build their libraries up.