News:


Continuing Medical Education News
Pediatric Grand Rounds
November 19: Prevention of Medical Errors – Pediatrics
Special Two-Hour Grand Rounds Meets CME Requirement

Linda M. Blythe, RN, CPHRM, LHRM

Risk Management Consultant, First Professionals Insurance, Jacksonville

Please Note: There will be no Pediatric Grand Rounds on Friday, November 26. Happy Thanksgiving!

Pediatric Grand Rounds can be viewed live at www.allkids.org/cme (presentations are also archived on the web). Follow the instructions to receive CME credit.

Outreach Grand Rounds
Please Note: The Outreach Grand Rounds that was originally scheduled for Thursday, November 18 at Sarasota Memorial Hospital has been postponed due to a scheduling conflict at SMH.


Be Part of All Children's Vaccine Survey
The All Children's Specialty Physicians Pediatric Infectious Disease Program encourages all physicians to take part in a brief online survey about childhood vaccinations. Please visit www.allkids.org/vaccinesurvey.

All Children's and Kohl's Cares have teamed up for two events this weekend that put the focus on fitness, food and fun. Visit www.allkids.org/fit4allkids for more information on both these events:

Fall Into Fitness at the Greater St. Petersburg YMCA
Friday, November 12, 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
This fun and active family night includes Family Zumba, Nutrition 101, healthy snacks and door prizes. Amanda Arlauskas, a past Biggest Loser finalist, joins YMCA & Fit4Allkids™ nutrition and fitness experts for these activities.

Food and Fun Fall Festival at Gateway Organic Farm
Saturday, November 13, 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Gateway Organic Farm, 6000 150th Avenue North, Clearwater, FL 33760

Activities will include a Farm to Table Kids Cook-Off, pumpkin decorating, make-and-take healthy snacks, an appearance by Amanda Arlauskas (see above), and tours of the farm. The Festival marks the debut of the new Cookbook made possible by the Kohl's Cooks for Kids culinary program and events sponsored by Fit4Allkids™ and Kohl's Department Stores. Copies of the new cookbook, YUM! YUM! Let's Make Some! will be distributed at this event.



The next session of the Fit4Allkids™: Weight Management & Fitness for Families group program begins in January 2011. Fit4Allkids leads to many positive outcomes among participants, including:

Decreased blood pressure
Decreased consumption of high-caloric and high-fat foods
Willingness to try new healthy food options and make better nutritional choices
Increased levels of fitness and activity

The 8-week group program for children ages 8 through 12 and their families is offered at these locations:
� Greater St. Petersburg YMCA (1st Avenue South)
� Suncoast YMCA Clearwater
� Suncoast YMCA New Port Richey

The 10-week program for teens ages 13 through 18 is held at the Suncoast YMCA in Largo.

Call Fit4Allkids™ Coordinator Kellie Gilmore at 727-767-9623 or email [email protected] for more information.




The medical staff of All Children's Hospital held its annual meeting on November 9 and honored four physicians with the Councill C. Rudolph Award for Excellence in Pediatric Care. Congratulations to:



The Award was established in memory of Councill C. Rudolph, M.D., who was Pinellas County’s first pediatrician.



Pertussis deaths among infants have been reported in many parts of the country in 2010, including at least 10 deaths in California. Here in Pinellas County, a young infant died of pertussis earlier this year.

Between 87% and 100% of all deaths from pertussis occur in infants under 6 months of age. When not fatal, pertussis may still cause serious complications, including pneumonia, seizures and brain damage.

The majority of cases of infantile pertussis are transmitted in the home via close family contacts, including parents, siblings and caregivers—many of whom are not aware of their diagnosis.

The best ways to protect young infants is with the "cocooning strategy"—making a cocoon around the newborn baby by making sure that new mothers, older siblings and other household contacts have received Tdap vaccine. To fight the epidemic in California, Tdap is recommended for post-partum mothers who have not yet had a Tdap vaccine, children ages 7 to 10 that are not fully immunized against pertussis, and adults age 65 and older that will have close contact with an infant less than 1 year of age and whose last Td vaccine was more than 2 years ago.

The Pediatric Infectious Disease program at All Children's reminds families and physicians that to provide the greatest protection of newborns, the DTaP vaccine series should begin promptly at 6 to 8 weeks of age.



The practice has relocated its office in the Outpatient Care Center from the second to the fifth floor, occupying a larger clinical area. All Children's Obstetrics & Gynecology Specialists, part of All Children's Specialty Physicians, provides care for adolescents and adults at this location and on 38th Avenue South in St. Petersburg. Please visit www.allkids.org/obgyn for information on these services.



Some toddlers and preschoolers prefer their parent's iPhone to other toys. A growing number of elementary school students have cell phones—and text messaging. Nearly two-thirds of children younger than 2 watch an average of 90 minutes of television daily; a third of teens have a computer with internet access in their bedroom. Electronic media are an overwhelming presence in children's lives, and TV remains the prominent media.

Early this month the American Academy of Pediatrics released a Policy Statement on Media Education early this month affirming that pediatricians can plan an important role in reducing harmful effects of media on children and education.

Extensive television viewing and media usage may be linked to obesity, aggressive behavior, earlier age of first sexual intercourse, greater risk of alcohol and tobacco use, attention-deficit disorder, sleep disorders, eating disorders and decreased academic achievement. The AAP recommends pediatricians ask at least 2 media-related questions as part of anticipatory guidance at each well-child visit:

� How much entertainment media per day is the child or teen watching?

� Is there a TV set or internet access in the patient's bedroom?

For children and teens who are experiencing academic difficulties, showing aggressive behavior, or are overweight or obese, additional history is recommended. The AAP has created a Media History form that parents can fill out before a visit (see http://www.aap.org/healthtopics/mediause.cfm).

The Academy suggests that pediatricians continue to urge parents to avoid TV- and video-viewing for children under the age of 2, noting that multiple studies suggest that infants younger than 18 months who are exposed to TV may suffer from a delay in language development.

The AAP also recommends that pediatricians serve as role models for appropriate media exposure by limiting TV and video use in waiting rooms and patients' rooms and using educational materials and programs such as Reach Out and Read to promote literacy and reading. You can read the report in Pediatrics 126:1012-1017, 2010 or online at aap.org.