|
|
I hope that everyone is having a wonderful time during this holiday season.
The CalVaxGrant application cycle has been extended to December 17, 2021 at 11:59 p.m. (PT) to allow more time for applicants to begin and/or complete the myCAvax process. If you need help completing the myCAvax process, email your practice and contact information to [email protected].
|
|
To obtain American Board of Pediatrics MOC part 4 credits, it is now possible to use data from your local managed care Medi-Cal health plan P4P measures, instead of starting another QI project. You may contact the ABP for more details by emailing Keith J. Mann, MD, Vice President, Continuing Certification, at [email protected]
Together we need to defeat the 2022 MICRA initiative called FIPA (Fairness for Injured Patients Act). FIPA, if it passes, will increase the cost of healthcare in California. It will also increase frivolous lawsuits, increase health insurance premiums for patients, and increase malpractice insurance premiums for physicians and hospitals. We can’t let that happen. Support CMA and CALPAC to defeat FIPA. You may read the Fact Sheet and FAQs as prepared by CMA.
I would like to welcome our new chapter members and encourage them to make use of the resources available on our website, aapca2.org
Also, I would like to congratulate Dr. Albert Arteaga for signing up LaSalle Medical Group as a new partner in our Reach Out and Read Inland Empire program. We will be providing free books to hand out at every well child visit, at no cost! Please see the details below on how practices in Riverside and San Bernardino can do the same.
Have you joined our Open Office Hours? The LA County Department of Public Health, in colaboration with AAP-CA2, has been hosting the COVID-19 Vaccine, Pediatrician and Family Medicine Info Hours every Tuesday at 5 PM.
All members are invited to participate in these sessions. The Reach Out and Read office hours for members in the Inland Empire are on Thursdays at noon and at 6:30 PM.
Are you interested in improving e-cigarette/vaping screening? Please consider signing up for UCLA's QI project, lead by Dr. Denise Nuñez. The project will require a minimum of three PDSA cycles and will offer CME and MOC part 4. Please see below for details.
Our Member Spotlight features one of our board members, Anagha Suresh, MD, FAAP of Oxnard, in Ventura County, who has been in practice for 10 years. I hope to see more of you participate and make this part of the newsletter interesting, by submitting your personal narratives to be published.
Our Advances in Pediatrics Symposium is set for February 26, 2022 at UCLA. This will be an in-person event. We will have eleven speakers covering topics of wellness, immigrant children, COVID vaccines, COVID in schools, plant-based diets, autonomic dysfunction/POTS, implicit bias, legislative updates, and a distinguished panel of AAP presidents discussing threats to children and culturing change. Please save the date! Residents and medical students, the abstract submission deadline is December 15th.
The last webinar of the Aces Aware Ventura County lecture series is this Wednesday, December 15th. Please see the details to register in the upcoming events section, below.
If you missed any of the most recent webinars, you may watch the recordings by following the links provided in the Recent Events section below.
Best wishes,
D. Rajasekhar, MD, FAAP
|
|
|
|
Screen Tip
Are you reading this on your mobile device?
If so, turn your phone or tablet sideways to view in landscape mode.
|
|
COVID-19 Dashboards by County |
|
AAP-CA2 Advances in Pediatrics 2022 Symposium
|
|
Please Save The Date for this Hybrid event.
We hope to see you there, in person!
|
|
Presidents Panel
Threats to Children - Culturing Change
|
|
Call for Abstracts
AAP-CA2 Advances in Pediatrics Symposium
Abstract Submission Deadline: December 15, 2021 at 11:59PM PST
General Information:
The AAP California Chapter 2 will accept abstracts on scholarly projects by pediatric and medicine-pediatric residents from CHLA, Harbor-UCLA, Kaiser LA, Loma Linda, UCLA, and USC.
Students from medical schools in the Southern California counties of Kern, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura are also invited to submit their abstracts.
|
|
The Quorum
December 2021: An Update on School Based Vaccines
By Karinne Van Groningen, MD, MPH - Legislative and Policy Analyst
Chapter Advocacy
First off, a huge THANK YOU to all our members who have spoken at schools regarding the newly approved COVID-19 vaccine for children. Your advocacy efforts are so appreciated. We will continue to need pediatrician speakers at schools throughout our communities, so please consider volunteering.
School Based Mandates Through the Years
1827: Boston became the first city in the US to instate a school-based vaccine mandate.
1882: The Anti-Vaccination League of America held its first meeting in New York.
1922: The Supreme Court upheld school vaccine mandates... Read more
|
|
AAP Committee on Medical Liability and Risk Management
|
|
Committee on Medical Liability and Risk Management (COMLRM)
Robert Turbo, MD, JD, FAAP
AAP District IX, Chapter 2 Representative
COMLRM is uniquely qualified to serve as the Academy’s experts on
|
|
Community Advocacy Opportunity - Los Angeles
|
|
Opportunity with the Los Angeles Department of Public Health:
LA DPH is looking for pediatricians to speak at school events, such as parent info sessions, regarding the COVID vaccine for children and quickly approaching LAUSD vaccine mandate deadline. Speaking opportunities are mostly virtual, with some in-person opportunities. Prior to any speaking engagement you will be provided with prepared presentations and parent FAQs. If you're interested in this community engagement effort please fill out the form [HERE]
|
|
Advertisement - Employment Opportunity
|
|
I am a PERMANENTE PHYSICIAN.
A skilled practitioner who seeks to create high-quality outcomes through integrated care.
At the Southern California Permanente Medical Group (SCPMG), a physician-led partnership organization with a patient-centered and evidence-based approach to medicine, we believe in giving every member of our community the opportunity to live a happy, healthy life. From the physicians we employ to the patients we serve, our mission is to provide a level of care and support that enables each of us to achieve our best.
PEDIATRICIANS
Full-Time and Per Diem opportunities in Southern California
SCPMG is an organization with strong values, which provides our physicians with the resources and support systems to ensure they can focus on practicing medicine, connecting with one another, and providing the best possible care to their patients. In Southern California, you'll enjoy amazing recreational activities, spectacular natural sceneries, and an exceptional climate.
SCPMG is proud to offer its physicians:
- An organization that has served the communities of Southern California for more than 65 years
- A physician-led practice that equally emphasizes professional autonomy and cross-specialty collaboration
- Comprehensive administrative support
- An environment that promotes excellent service to patients
- A fully implemented electronic medical record system
Full-time Opportunities: partnership eligibility after 3 years, malpractice insurance and tail coverage provided, comprehensive benefits package, and excellent salary. For questions or additional information, please contact Glenn Gallo at 866-439-5771 or [email protected].
Per Diem Opportunities: flexible schedule, malpractice insurance and tail coverage provided, and non-benefitted. Must have CA medical license and paid DEA certificate. For questions or additional information, please contact Alejandro Camacho at 866-439-5771 or [email protected].
We are an AAP/EEO employer.
The Answer to Health Care in America.
|
|
Chapter Immunizations Champion Report
|
|
Candace M. Gragnani, MD, MPH, FAAP
Associate Program Director, UCLA Preventive Medicine Training Program. Co-Director, UCLA Center of Excellence in Maternal and Child Health. Director, UCLA Pathways for Students into Health Professions (PSHP) Program. AAP-CA2 Immunizations Champion
|
|
Many of you have continued to ask and wonder when COVID-19 immunization boosters may be approved or recommended for patients 16 and 17 years of age. This week, on December 9, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration amended the emergency use authorization for Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine use to authorize use of a single booster dose for administration to those 16 and 17 years of age who are at least 6 months out from completion of their primary vaccination with the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.
|
|
As recommendations and available information are frequently updated, please frequently check the CDC's Interim Clinical Considerations for Use of COVID-19 Vaccines for information on groups currently approved or authorized to receive COVID-19 vaccines; important distinctions and considerations based on the type of vaccine administered; interim clinical considerations for specific populations and situations; best practices for co-administration of COVID-19 vaccine with other vaccines; and the latest guidance regarding COVID-19 vaccine contraindications, precautions, and special additional clinical considerations. Healthcare professionals in the US can also request a consultation from the Clinical Immunization Safety Assessment COVIDvax project for guidance on a complex COVID-19 vaccine safety question regarding an individual patient residing in the United States that is not readily addressed by the current CDC guidance.
|
|
COVID-19 Vaccine Clinical Trial (6mo - 4yo)
|
|
The office of Dr. Carey Chronis, in Ventura County, is involved in the Moderna Clinical Trial for ages 6 months to 4 years and is looking for families who may be interested in having their child participate. Their office still has a need for this age group. Please share the following with families who may be interested:
“Local Ventura Pediatrician Dr. Carey Chronis is participating in a clinical trial involving the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for patients aged 6 months to 4 years. If you are a parent interested in such a study for your child, please visit: www.VKCStudy.com.”
|
|
QI PROJECT - UCLA Anti-Vaping Task Force
|
|
Participate in QI - Get MOC Part 4 - Improve Outcomes
The UCLA Health Preventive Medicine education team is interested in collaborating with clinics on quality improvement work to incorporate tobacco use/vaping treatment and screening in pediatrics practices. The goal is to improve screening, identification, treatment, and referral policies of pediatric patients using tobacco/vaping products during clinic visits. In addition, training will be developed to provide local providers with resources on implementing cessation referral policies. The funded project is a collaboration between the California Department of Health and UCLA to reduce the impact of vaping among youth and young adults in our community. Our team will ensure to support your team throughout the process, including sourcing up-to-date information to provide clinic staff with resources for screening, identification, treatment, and referral protocols.
Project activities:
- A contract will be signed to adopt and implement the voluntary cessation, assessment, and referral policy
- A team of administrators/providers will meet to plan the design and integration of the project into the practice group
- Representatives from the clinics will be interviewed about the current state of the protocols and potential barriers to adopting a voluntary policy
- A pre-and post-policy screening survey will be administered to staff at clinics which adopted the voluntary policy
- Pediatric clinics will apply and participate in quality improvement (QI) work to increase screening, identification and treatment of pediatric patients using tobacco/vaping products with a minimum of 3 Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles
Other opportunities include:
- Joining our interprofessional task force, UCLA AntiVaping Champions, to collaborate with the community on reducing the impact of vaping.
- Health professionals and trainee's educational curriculum support on screening, identification and treatment of pediatric patients using tobacco/vaping products.
Please contact Denise Nunez, MD at [email protected] for an application form or further information.
|
|
 |
Anagha Suresh, M.D.
Practice location: Oxnard, Ventura County, CA
Number of years in practice: 10
I was born and raised in Bengaluru, south India. I always wanted to practice medicine and naturally navigated towards pediatrics in medical school. I completed my pediatric residency at White Memorial Medical Center in Los Angeles and have been practicing in an FQHC (Clinicas del Camino Real, Inc), a busy practice serving a large underserved population. I live in Camarillo with my husband and 2 beautiful, lively daughters who keep me on my toes. My focus in recent years has been improving breastfeeding rates and nutrition in the community. I am certified as an IBCLC (International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners) and am currently pursuing a functional medicine education. I finally fulfilled my childhood dream of becoming a black belt in karate 2 years ago. Read more...
|
|
|
|
The Member Spotlight is written to highlight our chapter membership. Chapter members can submit personal narratives about themselves with a focus on how they maintain their physician wellness in the face of everyday struggles and challenges. Authors may also choose to highlight a practice, volunteer activities, QI projects, etc. The purpose of the spotlight series is to encourage and foster unity and support within the chapter. |
|
Please Share Your Story
Are you currently enrolled in a pediatric or medicine-pediatrics residency in our Chapter region? Are you involved in a project that you would like to showcase? Do you practice a sport, or have an artistic talent that you would like to share? We want to showcase YOU in the Residency Corner of our Chapter Newsletter. Please find the submission guidelines HERE.
|
|
Reach Out and Read - New Providers
|
|
Welcome to the latest addition to our Reach Out and Read Network of providers.
LaSalle Pediatric Medical Group in Fontana
LaSalle Neighborhood Medical Center in San Bernardino (17th Street)
LaSalle Medical Associates in San Bernardino (Mt. Vernon)
LaSalle Medical Neighborhood Medical Center in Rialto
LaSalle Medical Clinic in Hesperia
LaSalle Medical Clinic in Victorville
The Reach Out and Read Inland Empire is funded by First 5 Riverside and First 5 San Bernardino to bring free books at no cost to practices in the Inland Empire. Join us. Become a ROR provider and help improve child literacy now.
|
|
Community Access to Child Health (CATCH) Program Call for Proposals is open!
The Community Access To Child Health (CATCH) program is a national initiative of the AAP that supports pediatricians to collaborate within their communities to plan and/or implement projects that advance the health of all children. The CATCH Call for Proposals is open through January 24, 2022 at 11:59 pm CT. Pediatricians and pediatric residents in the United States, Puerto Rico and Canadian AAP chapters, with innovative ideas to plan or implement initiatives that address critical child health issues in their local communities may apply for $10,000 and $2,000, respectively.
The Resident Call for Proposals guidelines include targeted funding opportunities on more than 10 topics including oral health, community pediatrics, environmental health, developmental and behavioral pediatrics, emergency medicine, school health, obesity prevention, and child abuse/neglect.
|
|
|
|
TUESDAYS @ 5 PM
Join us every Tuesday at 5 PM during the "COVID Open Info Hours". New COVID-19 vaccine topics every week, plus Q&A.
Specialists from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health will be there to provide details and answer questions.
|
|
Recent Topics/Slides
Links
|
|
THURSDAYS @ Noon, and @ 6:30 PM
RORIE Open Office Hours
Want to learn how to become a Reach Out and Read provider, and how to get age-appropriate books to your patients? Join us every Thursday for our ROR Open Office Hours from 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM (PT), and also from 6:30 PM - 7:30 PM (PT)!
|
|
December 15 | ACEs Aware Ventura County
|
|
December 16 - Funding Opportunity
|
|
Funding Opportunity in Los Angeles County
ZERO TO THREE’s HealthySteps program is expanding in California, and you might be interested in joining them. HealthySteps adds early childhood development experts to the primary care team to make sure all babies and toddlers have a strong start in life.
Pediatric primary care practices and health systems can apply for grant funding to become HealthySteps sites in Los Angeles County, California, thanks to the generosity of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.
Interested? Join HealthySteps to learn more information about this funding opportunity and what’s needed to apply, including what’s involved in becoming a HealthySteps site.
Please register to join us on:
|
|
January 20 | Section on Early Career Physicians (SOECP)
|
|
Leadership, Equity, and Advancement in Pediatrics (LEAP) Webinar Series
Webinar series presented by the AAP Section on Early Career Physicians
Join us for our Leadership, Equity, and Advancement in Pediatrics (LEAP) webinar series designed to educate, empower, and equip our early career members so that they have the tools to lead with confidence.
- Graceful Self-Promotion | Thursday, January 20, 2022 | 7-8pm CT
|
|
January 25 - CHOC Children's Lecture Series
|
|
CHOC Children’s Virtual Pediatric Lecture Series provides online CME lectures at no cost. |
|
- January 25, 2022 at 12:30 PM - Pediatric Otolaryngology
|
|
January 27 - Pediatric Cardiology Lecture
|
|
January 27, 2022 @ 6:30 PM
Please join us on January 27, 2022 for a lecture via Zoom with guest speaker, Dr. Saar Danon.
Registration required. Join early for a virtual mixer.
Chest Pain, Palpitations, and Syncope:
Preventing Sudden Cardiac Death
- 6:15 PM Virtual Mixer
- 6:30 PM Lecture
Saar Danon, MD
Medical Director, Pediatric Cardiology and Congenital Cardiac Catheterization, MemorialCare Miller Children's & Women's Hospital Long Beach
|
|
May 20-21, 2022 - Inflammatory Brain Disorders
|
|
|
|
Inflammatory Brain Disorders Conference 2022 – Fee Waivers
Hosted by Neuroimmune Foundation
Fee waivers available for 500 providers to attend the 2022 conference free of charge. Waivers to be processed the first week of January.
|
|
Welcome New Chapter Members |
|
Welcome the following NEW members who joined the Chapter in November.
Thank you for your support!
|
|
Carmen Briones, MD, FAAP – Ridgecrest
Daniel Bruckner, MD, FAAP – Encino
Annamari Cabrera, MD, FAAP – Claremont
Millie Chang, MD, FAAP – Yorba Linda
Sabrina Derrington, MD, FAAP – La Cañada Flintridge
Dana Fiszbein, DO, FAAP – Toluca Lake
Candace Gragnani, MD, FAAP – El Segundo
Powen Hsueh, DO, FAAP – Rancho Cucamonga
Soha Idriss, MD, FAAP – La Cañada
Nithya Kona, DO, FAAP – West Covina
Aditi Mhaskar, MD, FAAP – Los Angeles
Joseph Sison, MD, FAAP - Temecula
|
|
Enterprise Membership - Did you know? |
|
Signing up your entire practice (clinical and non-clinical staff) qualifies for a 20% discount on Chapter membership dues. Contact us for details.
|
|
Did you miss a lecture? Click on any image to watch. Please subscribe
|
|
Support your AAP Chapter This Holiday Season |
|
AmazonSmile is a simple way for you to support your favorite charitable organization every time you shop, at no cost to you. AmazonSmile is available at https://smile.amazon.com/ch/23-7311839 on your web browser and can be activated in the Amazon Shopping app for iOS and Android phones. When you shop AmazonSmile, you’ll find the exact same low prices, vast selection and convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com, with the added benefit that AmazonSmile will donate 0.5% of your eligible purchases to the AAP-CA2 in support of Chapter programs such as Reach Out and Read.
Use this link to select us as your charitable organization at AmazonSmile.
|
|
|
|
Reach Out and Read IE
Are you a pediatrician in Riverside or San Bernardino County? Through a generous grant from First 5 Riverside and First 5 San Bernardino, the AAP Chapter 2 can provide free books and support to start a Reach Out and Read program at your clinic. Learn more ...
|
|
Latest Podcast Episode
The First Chapter: A Conversation with Dr. Robert Needlman
How in the world did anyone have the idea to not only talk about shared book reading in regular medical checkups for kids, but to bring in a book and use it as part of the visit? Dr Robert Needlman, co-founder of Reach Out and Read did back in 1989, and he joins us to share the origins of this program — which has blossomed into the national program it is today.
|
|
Los Angeles County Immigrant Youth Resource Toolkit |
|
|
|
The Immigrant Youth Task Force (IYTF) at UCLA and the American Academy of Pediatrics California Chapter 2 (AAP-CA2) invite you to visit The Los Angeles County Immigrant Youth Resource Toolkit, a website consolidating community resources in the greater LA area for immigrant youth and families. Our goal is to help professionals from all disciplines address the needs of their immigrant youth patients/clients with regards to health care, legal services, education, social services, and more. As our toolkit continues to evolve, we encourage you to explore and use it in your practice going forward.
|
|
Chapter Committees and Sections |
|
Chapter committees are great opportunities to get involved in areas that interest you the most. Furthermore, if you are a Fellow member (FAAP), local involvement could position you for leadership opportunities at National AAP. To learn more about our various Committees and Sections, and to sign up, please visit aapca2.org/committees.
|
|
Advertise in Our Newsletter |
|
AAP-CA2 invites you to advertise in our newsletter
AAP-CA2 publishes its electronic newsletter, Peds@CA2, which is emailed to its 1,500+ members on the second weekend every month. Chapter members and non-profit organizations receive a 50% discount. Please follow the link below for more information.
For advertisement rates and guidelines, please click here.
|
|
Article submissions will be reviewed on a rolling basis. The newsletter is published the second Sunday of each month.
You may direct questions and article submissions to the "American Academy of Pediatrics - CA Chapter 2" <[email protected]>.
|
The AAP-CA2 Newsletter Editorial Review Board |
Established in July 2020 to highlight educational content and resources of value to chapter members, and to showcase our chapter membership. |
|
AAP-CA2 Chapter Excellence Award
|
|
|
|
For the ninth year in a row, the AAP-CA2 is a recipient of the 2020 AAP Award of Chapter Excellence in recognition for its accomplishments during the 2020 calendar year. We would like to thank you, our members, for your loyalty as we advocate for children, pediatricians and pediatric subspecialists, bringing you opportunities for engagement and professional development. |
|
Thank you to the 1,251 who follow us on Twitter! @AAPCA2
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
