Child health care centres: an academic model for comprehensive child health care in the community.

The challenge of the discipline of paediatrics in the 21st century is to promote health and development of children in a way that will enable them to maximize their biological and social potential. The community child health centre (CHC) in Israel is a model of community health care service built to provide comprehensive health care to children and adolescents, as well as an academic setting for under- and postgraduate paediatric training. Today there are 34 CHCs in Israel, serving a population of 220 000 children from birth to 18 years of age. The CHC combines the advantages of group practice with those of an academic medical centre and enables flexibility and mutual learning. Further expansion and development are required to realize the CHC's mission of a true comprehensive academic centre for paediatric community health.