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Forging Ahead in Exceptional Times
Elizabeth Meade, MD, FAAP
President, WCAAP
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Dear WCAAP Members,
I had hoped this communication from me to you all would be filled with optimism and hopeful perspective as we enter this new year. 2020 was challenging and trying in ways I know that I could not have imagined. While we were all aware that our world would not magically transform on January 1, the first week of the year has certainly brought even more fear, division, and uncertainty than I anticipated. However, I am centering myself by focusing on the good work we are doing, the progress we are making, and the exceptional resource we have in our diverse, passionate membership working every day to keep Washington's children safe and healthy. Thank you for all that you do.
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Board Nominations - Get Involved!
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We are currently seeking pediatricians and pediatric subspecialists who are interested in serving on the WCAAP Board of Trustees. We prioritize racial and ethnic diversity, geographic diversity and diversity in practice-type. The current board of trustees consists of 5 officers, 13 trustees from around the state, and representatives from the state's children's hospitals.
The board meets eight times per year in total; typically three of these meetings occur in person. Trustee terms last 2 years, with the possibility of renewing twice, for a total of 6 years.
Timeline
At our April Board meeting WCAAP's nominating committee will make recommendations to the Board for the slate for 2021-2023 board terms. When passed by the Board, the positions will then be posted to the members in May for electronic election. Elected Trustees will start their terms on July 1, 2021.
To apply
If you are ready to step up into a leadership position and are interested in serving the Chapter as a Trustee, please submit a CV along with a short personal statement (250 words) about 1) why you want to join the board and 2) how you see yourself contributing to the board and WCAAP. Our deadline for applications is Sunday February 7. Email your own submissions to [email protected], or feel free to get in touch to nominate someone else.
Committees
As a reminder, you do not have to be a Trustee to serve on a committee! We encourage you to consider joining one of our committees, including Membership Engagement, Early Childhood, Vaccines, Health Care Transformation and Legislative Affairs, depending on your area of interest. You can learn more about our committees here: https://wcaap.org/committees/
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WCAAP, Kids' Behavioral Health & COVID-19
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We share WCAAP members' concerns about children and teens' behavioral health during the pandemic, and want to assure you that we are bringing your concerns to the table in every available venue at the state level. WCAAP has been actively involved in discussions with the Department of Health, Health Care Authority, Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, and other partners and we are in continuing conversations with relevant stakeholders and the Northwest Healthcare Response Network (NWHRN).
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Advocacy in 2021
Jennifer Donahue
Communications Manager, WCAAP
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The 2021 Legislative Session started yesterday!
If we've learned nothing else over the past year, we've certainly seen how the each one of us advocating for what we believe in has the power to effect change. This is true at the local, state, and federal level. As we dig in for the 2021 legislative session, which began today, we encourage you to commit to raising your voice for the children and families in our state as a WCAAP Advocate.
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Managing Disordered Eating in Adolescents: FAQ
Claudia Douglas, MD
Yolanda Evans, MD, MPH, FAAP
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The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a significant increase in disordered eating in the United States. The rise in eating disorders is thought to be related to social isolation, increased anxiety and uncertainty, and decreased access to healthcare providers and mental health specialist. As a result, the National Eating Disorder Association has reported an almost 80% increase in the number of calls and online chats compared to a year ago. Amongst adolescent medicine subspecialty clinics, we are also seeing a significant increase among outpatient clinic referrals and patients who are admitted for medical stabilization due to complications of malnutrition from an eating disorder. The purpose of this bulletin is to provide guidance on managing patients with disordered eating in the primary care setting. The following is a general overview of frequently asked questions among referring providers.
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Project Firstline: Pediatric Infection Prevention Meetings
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WCAAP and the Washington State Nurses Association (WSNA) have partnered to bring CDC's Project Firstline infection prevention curriculum to Washington State medical providers who care for children. Our first meeting, in December, covered a baseline on COVID in Washington and infection prevention principles. We intend for our next meetings, on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays in January - March, to allow for responsive content that shares the challenges and successes clinicians in Washington have experienced, as well as some evidence-based approaches from our infectious disease experts.
To enable us to effectively tailor the content for future meetings, please respond to this brief 7-question survey by January 15th.
January meetings: January 13 and January 27, 7:00-7:30am
*Please note, registration is now required to participate! To register for upcoming Project Firstline meetings, please use this link.
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King County: Improve Your Practice's Adolescent Immunization Rates
Ariana Salaiz Program Manager, WCAAP
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Vaccination rates have decreased 37% for 11-12-year-olds and 35% for 13-17 year-olds in our state this year. It is more important than ever to ensure our youth are receiving the preventive care they need.
The Washington Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Seattle Children's Hospital, Public Health Seattle & King County, and the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) have joined forces to help you increase adolescent vaccination rates through our WA-CHIP learning collaborative.
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Spanish Pediatric Otolaryngology Clinic
Juliana Bonilla-Velez, MD
Pediatric otolaryngologist
Seattle Children's Hospital
Assistant Professor, Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery
University of Washington
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Studies have shown that having language-concordant and culture-concordant patient-physician relationships result in improved patient care, patient experience, and most importantly, health outcomes. Strategies to improve patient care are critically important in a vulnerable segment of the population known to have less involvement in care, lower levels of trust in providers, less satisfaction with care and experience greater difficulty with communication. Having providers who are race-concordant and language-concordant with their patients has been linked to increased participatory decision-making, higher physician ratings, better understanding of their disease, greater compliance and greater patient satisfaction. These benefits may be particularly meaningful when providing surgical care.
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Equity and Anti-Racism Resources
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February 18 - Seattle Children's Grand Rounds
An Anti-Racist Imperative for Pediatrics: Challenging Symbolic Diversity
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From WCAAP's Provider Wellness Resources page, here are a few 5-minute options:
Start 2021 on the right foot by making time to care for yourself. Check out our Wellness page for tools, resources and exercises for 1, 5, 10, or 30 minutes.
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COVID-19 vaccine for health care providers: For information on who is eligible for the vaccine in Phase 1A, you can find information at this link. To learn how to get access to the vaccine, DOH is piloting a system for Phase 1A individuals. Read more from the WA State Department of Health here.
Telehealth parity extended: Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler extended his emergency order directing all state-regulated health insurers to make additional coverage changes to aid consumers during the coronavirus pandemic. His order is in effect until Feb. 7. Read more here.
AAP Town Halls: The AAP has launched a bi-weekly series of virtual town halls linking members with leading experts to discuss emerging issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The January 7 session focused on safe return to schools and can be viewed here.
AAP COVID-19 vaccine resources:
Infographic poster update: "When can I be around others again?" Available in multiple languages, this infographic poster from PHSKC (found midway down the Symptoms and Care webpage) demonstrates several scenarios of when to isolate yourself from others in an easy-to-understand calendar format to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
New Ask the Pediatrician-When Can Children Get the COVID-19 Vaccine? This new HealthyChildren.org "Ask the Pediatrician" article contains answers from James D. Campbell, MD, MS, FAAP, Member, Committee on Infectious Diseases, on clinical trials for children and the 2021-22 school year.
Pediatrics On Call: Pathways to Pediatrics. The AAP podcast has released a special series of Pathways to Pediatrics. Listen to the new episodes on the following topics:
- How the Sandy Hook shootings spurred Ruchi Kaushik, MD, MPH, FAAP, to advocate for firearm safety and also led to a valuable lesson about self-care.
- Struggling with the MCAT and med-school application process helped Luis E. Seija, MD, FAAP, become a champion of equity and inclusion.
- A daily walk to school taught Rhea Boyd, MD, MPH, FAAP, about racial inequality and set in motion a lifelong mission to stop structural racism.
- Mentoring Black women in medicine led Omolara T. Uwemedimo, MD, MPH, FAAP, to a second career as an entrepreneur.
Autism COE Certification: Seattle Children's Autism Center experts provide the Autism Center of Excellence (COE) trainings, in partnership with communities, through a contract with the Health Care Authority (HCA). Because of COVID-19 concerns, we have currently moved the COE training to a hybrid online model. The next training will be on Friday, February 12, 2021, 9am-4pm. Learn more here.
New children's book written by pediatric residents: UW/SCH pediatric residents Drs. Michael Arenson, Olivia Gorbatkin, and Kelly Shontell have written a children's book about viruses, infection, and social distancing. From Amazon: "Juniper, a cute kitten, is often babysat by her old neighbor, Basil. However, Juniper and Basil had to social distance when they both caught a virus. The virus affects them differently, but they both weather it and are ultimately able to go back to playing together in person."
Write for us! WCAAP's Developments welcomes member submissions and suggestions. If you have a topic you are passionate about, expertise to share, or a community organization you think others might like to know about, contact us to submit your article or idea!
WCAAP Webinars: View archived WCAAP webinars, on topics like motivational interviewing, brief parent management training, autism screening, and adolescent and maternal depression screening here: https://wcaap.org/webinars.
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Coming Up: WCAAP Committee Meetings
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Join us! Committees are a great way to meet other members and get involved with Chapter work! Watch this space for upcoming meeting dates and times for Chapter committees and interest groups. Most committees meet by phone or Zoom for one hour.
Health Care Transformation Committee
January 19, 8:00-9:00am - contact Ariana Salaiz for meeting details
Meets quarterly by telephone/Zoom
Contact Thatcher Felt or Rick Levine to learn more about the committee.
Legislative Affairs Committee
January 12, 7:00-8:00am
Meets weekly by Zoom during the legislative session & special session
Meets monthly by Zoom during the interim + ad hoc as needed
Early Childhood Committee
Meets periodically by phone/Zoom, 2x/year in person
Membership Engagement Committee
Meets quarterly by phone/Zoom
Vaccine Committee
Meets periodically by telephone - Contact Ariana Salaiz for meeting info
Contact John Dunn to learn more about the committee.
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What's Happening?
Don't miss WCAAP's upcoming (virtual) events:
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