In November We Narrate
In November We Narrate
Our board retreat and strategic planning update,
Tips on ACEs screening, pool safety, and member spolights,
State Government Affairs restructuring and some invites!
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President's Column
Nelson Branco, MD, FAAP
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Thanks to vaccination, declining rates of COVID and excellent tech support, we were able to have a hybrid in-person/virtual AAP CA1 Board retreat at the beginning of October. We owe thanks to Partnership Health Plan for lending us the space and their AV support. Without their large state-of-the art meeting rooms and conference equipment, plus the expertise to use it, our meeting would not have been as smooth and productive as it was. Thanks also to Isra and Megan for all of their hard work preparing and presenting, and a special thank you to our North Coastal MAL, Dr. Jeff Ribordy, for helping us secure the space at the Partnership Health Plan offices.
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Gathering in person meant that we were able to present Dr. Richard Pan with his AAP Child Health Advocate 2021 award. As I mentioned in a previous column, Dr. Pan was awarded this honor by the National AAP in recognition of his work as a California State Senator. The award is given annually by the AAP to a state or local advocate or government official for outstanding contributions to children’s health and well-being. We’re all proud of our colleague, Dr. Pan, and grateful to him for his work on behalf of children and pediatricians.
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Our board meets regularly, but once a year we take time to do some strategic planning in addition to all of our other work. It was an informative, fun and productive day spent thinking about how we can better support our members, communities and the kids we care for. I am happy to report that our chapter is doing well financially and our membership is steady. We have diversified our sources of income, and we now rely on grants in addition to membership and meetings to fund the activities of the chapter and the advocacy we do with AAP-CA. We also have a foundation that allows us to accept donations and fund some different projects. We intend to put it to good use in the coming years.
Another important part of our meeting was welcoming our newest board member - Dr. Tashya Jayasuriya Whitehead. Dr. Whitehead will be taking over the position of South Valley Member-at-Large. We are happy to welcome Tashya to the AAP CA1 Board and look forward to working with her. For our members in the South Valley area, please feel free to reach out to her if you have questions about how you can get involved or if there is something that AAP CA1 can do to help you or your patients.
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Tashya Jayasuriya Whitehead, MD, FAAP |
Dr. Tashya Jayasuriya Whitehead is a pediatrician in the heart of California’s Central Valley. Originally from the East Coast, she went to the University of Michigan for undergraduate, where she studied biopsychology and French. She then stayed in Ann Arbor and attended medical school at the University of Michigan, where she was awarded a National Health Service Corps Scholarship. After medical school, she completed her pediatric residency training at the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, where she later became chief resident of the primary care track. Outside of work, she loves traveling, eating good food, sleeping, reading, running, hiking, and being outdoors.
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There are also some vacancies on our board. If you live or work in San Francisco, and would like to get more involved with the chapter, please reach out, as we are recruiting for a San Francisco MAL. We are also recruiting a new MAL for Alameda. We’d like to thank Dr. Reshem Agarwal for her work as Alameda Member at Large, and we wish her well in her new pursuits away from Chapter 1.
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Diane Dooley, MD, MHS, FAAP, Chair of the Mental Health Committee, Interviews with KCBS Radio on Declaration of National Children's Mental Health Emergency |
Top organizations declare a national emergency in children’s mental health. Listen to Dr. Dooley's perspective.
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Tiffani Johnson, MD, MSc, FAAP Receives the Inaugural Section on Minority Health, Equity, and Inclusion Award
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Dr. Johnson is an agitator and abolitionist working to dismantle structures of racism through clinical practice, research, teaching, and advocacy. View her remarks at the SOMHEI Program during the 2021 National Conference. |
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ACEs Screening: Help is on the Way
Renee C. Wachtel, MD, FAAP
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Many pediatricians have expressed the following concerns about ACEs screening:
- What do I actually say to families about the ACEs screening?
- How can I implement universal screening in my practice when only MediCal will pay for the screening?
Good news! We have answers to both of these concerns:
The CA Surgeon General’s initiative “ACEs Aware.org” has just published sample scripts for pediatricians to use when talking to families about ACEs screening. Some sample scripts include the following tips:
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For payment for ACEs screening for patients having private health insurance, Governor Newsom just signed into law SB 428, which mandates health insurers in CA to cover ACEs screening starting 1/1/22. More information will be forthcoming.
In addition, we will be holding Chapter Chats about children and ACEs:
November 30, 7-8:30 PM: Dr. Brad Berman will talk about ACEs in young children.
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6th Annual Pediatric Puzzles CME Conference: REGISTER NOW! |
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What's Up Docs? Blog - View the Latest Submission |
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Missed our Webinar on Supporting the Resettlement and Care of the Afghan Community? View the Recording! |
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The SGA Side
Your Key to State Government Affairs
Nora Pfaff, MD, FAAP and Zarah Iqbal, MD, MPH, CFAAP
SGA Chapter Representatives
Governor Newsom signed 770 new laws at the end of this legislative cycle earlier this month. We hope you were able to take a look at the AAP-CA 2021 legislative session highlights bulletin that was sent out earlier this month, but if you haven’t had a chance, please go to THIS LINK to see the outcomes of 49 different bills supported by AAP-CA this year:
As we look to the next legislative cycle, the SGA committee plans to make our bill-review and advocacy process more inclusive of members throughout our chapters. Moving forward, we plan to create eleven different Special Issues Expert Teams with 1-2 member champions from all AAP-CA chapters representing each topic. The topics are as follows:
- Climate & Environmental Health
- Childhood Immunizations & Vaccines
- Healthcare Access & Coverage
- Tobacco, E-Cigarette & Cannabis Products
- Violence & Injury Prevention
- Mental & Behavioral Health
- Telehealth & Rural Access to Care
- Immigrant Child Health & Safety
- Child Nutrition
- Early Development
- Juvenile Justice
The champions for these Expert Teams will have the opportunity to screen and send bills pertaining to their issue (with a recommendation of action—i.e. support or opposition) to the SGA committee for a final vote. We have been lucky that many of our AAP-CA members, especially here in Chapter 1, are active with legislative advocacy and send us recommendations for bills to review. This would give such members, and others who may be interested, an opportunity for more active involvement in the state-level legislative advocacy process.
If you are interested in any of these issues and would like to be considered for the role of champion, please send us an email at info@aapca1.org.
For latest organizational advocacy updates follow @AAPCADocs on twitter. If you have questions and/or are interested in knowing more about a certain legislation, reach out to our State Government Affairs Chapter Representatives Nora Pfaff, MD, FAAP and Zarah Iqbal, MD, MPH.
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To stay in the loop for the latest updates, complete our survey linked below to join the club! For questions, email info@aapca1.org.
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Opportunities for Your Benefit |
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CalMed Force Representative Sought on Behalf of AAP-CA
CalMedForce dedicates voter-approved, state tobacco tax revenues from Proposition 56 (2016) to train physicians and help California address its growing physician shortage; which, in a 2017 study by the California Future Health Workforce Commission, is estimated to reach a 10,500-clinician shortfall by 2030.
AAP-CA’s current representative to CalMed is Suzanne Stewart MD FAAP. Thank you for representing us! We are seeking another pediatrician to step in this role to represent AAP-CA at the CalMedForce Advisory Council. This is the proposition 56 funding mechanism to support residency programs with the goal of increasing physicians in underserved areas. More Information can be found HERE.
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Calling Pediatricians to Participate in a Happy Health Bladder Focus Group and Receive a $50 Gift Card!
Stanford Bladder Study Group is interested in learning more about how pediatricians in northern and central California understand and approach bladder problems in young children. This information may be used to develop new programs to help families of children with bladder problems. Upon completing participation, you will be compensated with a $50 Amazon gift card!
Eligibility criteria:
- 18 years or older
- Able to speak and understand English
- Currently practicing pediatrician who participates in the care of school children between 4 and 8 years of age
- Have access to an internet connection
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November 18-21: The 42nd Annual Las Vegas Seminars at Caesars Palace - SAVE THE DATE!
November 30: SODBP: Peer-to-Peer Session 3 - ACEs and Young Children - REGISTER HERE!
December 4: 6th Annual Pediatric Puzzles CME Conference - REGISTER HERE!
December 8: ACT 2021 - Legislative Lobbying - SAVE THE DATE!
December 2 and January 20: SOECP:Leadership, Equity, and Advancements in Pediatrics - LEARN MORE!
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Add our social media accounts to get the latest chapter updates!
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Your membership makes a difference for children in California, thank you!
The AAPCA1's ability to advocate on behalf of children is only as strong as the support we receive from our members. Encourage your colleagues to join today by visiting the AAPCA1 website.
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Our mission is to promote the optimal health and development of children and
adolescents of Northern California in partnership with their families and communities, and to support the pediatricians who care for them.
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Executive Committee:
President: Nelson Branco • Vice President: Nicole Webb
• Secretary: Janice Kim • Treasurer: Nivedita More • Past President: Raelene Walker
Executive Director: Isra Uz-Zaman
Board Members:
North Valley MAL: Thiyagu Ganesan • Sacramento Valley MAL: Lena van der List • Central Valley MAL: Deborah Shassetz • South Valley MAL: Vacant • San Francisco MAL: Vacant • Santa Clara MAL: Meera Sankar • San Mateo MAL: Neel Patel • North Coastal MAL: Jeffrey Ribordy • Monterey Bay MAL: Graciela Wilcox • Alameda MAL: Reshem Agarwal
• Contra Costa/Solano MAL: Omoniyi Omotoso
Pediatric Insider News Editors:
• Mika Hiramatsu • Deborah Shassetz • Alyssa Velasco
Staff:
• Project Coordinator: Megan Warner
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