Increasing Access to Antipoverty Tax Credits Through a Medical Financial Partnership.

Abstract

Child poverty is linked to poor health outcomes during childhood and throughout the life course, including those targeted by the Pediatric Vital Signs project. The Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit are powerful antipoverty tools that provide financial resources to families and lift millions out of poverty each year. Unfortunately, navigating the process for filing taxes is confusing and can be costly, excluding many families from these resources. Developing programs to offer free tax filing services requires the infrastructure to deliver these services but also requires community trust and awareness. A 3-year program was launched by Nationwide Children's Hospital in 2020 to develop a comprehensive marketing campaign, work with community-based organizations to refer clients, and set up free tax filing clinics throughout neighborhoods experiencing high levels of poverty and infant mortality. As a result, the numbers of taxes filed increased from 469 at baseline to 532 in year 3, for a total of more than $3 496 700 in combined federal and state tax return credits across 3 years. The case study describes the experiences and strategies used to increase community awareness and lessons learned about the most effective marketing strategies. Additionally, the study illustrates an opportunity for other pediatric health care institutions to link volunteer tax coalitions present in many communities with initiatives to improve pediatric health outcomes (eg, decrease infant mortality, increase Kindergarten readiness, decrease obesity, and improve mental health) and use scalable digital and community marketing tools to build awareness of and engagement in services.