Why Reading to Kids Is an Important Health Intervention

On the Ed Talks podcast, Jackie Gerhart, a family medicine physician and Chief Medical Officer at Epic, discusses the connection between children’s literacy and lifelong health outcomes. Gerhart shares how something as simple as reading to a child can influence cognitive development, social connection, and long-term wellbeing.

She draws on her experience using the Reach Out and Read program in clinical practice, explaining why it works—not just for families, but for clinicians and health systems as well. The conversation focuses on prevention, community impact, and low-cost interventions that move the needle without another prescription or medication.

Epic community members can find more information about building Reach Out and Read into their providers’ workflows here.

Listen to the full conversation here.

Learn more about the Reach Out and Read program here.