By Salina Sowell, Communication Coordinator
Elizabeth Dawson, M.D., FAAP (founder of the Troy Resilience Project and Medical Director of the Charles Henderson Child Health Center in Troy) reflects upon introducing screening for ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences) into a practice:
“In the previous issue of The Alabama Pediatrician (First Quarter 2019) I laid out how:
• Childhood adversity changes our brains, our bodies, and even our DNA;
• Toxic stress can lead to chronic disease and poor life outcomes due to impacts on the developing brain; and;
•Early intervention is key!
What could be more fundamental to the role of a pediatrician? Yet when I discuss ACEs screening with colleagues I hear, ‘How can I add one more screen to my already busy clinic visit?’ and ‘What do I do when I find something?’ And you know what? I get that. I know adding a screen takes more than the will and interest of one provider. It necessitates practice system change as well as making community connections beyond the clinic walls.
May 2, 2019
The University of Alabama School of Public Health released the 2018 Asthma Collaborative Evaluation. The final evaluation incorporates surveys and interviews with participating providers, QI coaches, and Health and patients. Also available is the one page 360 summary of the collaborative.
By Salina Sowell, Communication Coordinator
Adolescents are among those least likely to have access to health care, and they have the lowest rate of primary care use of any age group in the United States. The #StayWell practices are empowering adolescents to be actively engaged in their preventative health care and equip them with the knowledge and skills for a healthy transition into adulthood.
Physician Champion of the collaborative, Nola Ernest, MD, FAAP, shares why this particular collaborative is important to her as well as to pediatric offices that need to work together to provide excellent adolescent care.
Cason Benton, M.D., was featured in the American Board of Pediatrics 2018 Annual Report, speaking about cultivating a culture of QI. Dr. Benton was awarded the ABP 2018 Paul V. Miles (PVM) Fellowship Award. Read the entire annual report here.
By Cason Benton, MD, FAAP, Medical Director, Alabama Child Health Improvement Alliance
On November 12-13, 2018, the Alabama Child Health Improvement Alliance hosted the National Improvement Partnership Network (NIPN) Annual Meeting at the Elyton Hotel in Birmingham, Alabama to share best ideas for improving outcomes with quality improvement. Children’s of Alabama CEO Mike Warren and Mitch Cohen, M.D., FAAP, UAB Department of Pediatrics Chair, welcomed the attendees. David Gremse, M.D., FAAP, USA Department of Pediatrics Chair, introduced the keynote speaker Cathy Caldwell, Director of ALL Kids, and participated in a panel on how Alabama’s child health improvement partners work together to close care gaps. Also on the panel were Robert Moon, M.D., Alabama Medicaid; Susan Coburn, Family Voices; Melinda Davis, Children’s Rehabilitation Services; Lori Moler, Children’s of Alabama; Katrina Trammell, M.D., FAAP, Gulf Coast Health Care; and Wes Stubblefield, M.D., FAAP, AL-AAP Chapter President. One participant wrote, “We are returning home inspired…the meeting was FABULOUS and we learned so much.”
This article first appeared in the Fourth Quarter 2018 Edition of the Alabama Pediatrician Newsletter. See full newsletter here.