In This Issue
President's Perspective
Issues and Commentary
KAAP Approved as a CME Provider
KPF Update!
2015 AAP Legislative Conference Summary
Breakfast in the Classroom
KFMC Campaign on Preteen Vaccines
National AAP President-Elect Candidate Responses
Project ECHO Educational Sessions Information

 

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Kansas Chapter of AAP

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

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Officers

 

Robert Wittler, MD, FAAP

President

 

Jennifer Mellick, MD, FAAP

President-Elect

 

Frank Banfield, MD, FAAP

Treasurer

 

Kathy Ellerbeck, MD, MPH, FAAP

Past President

 

Staff

 

Chris Steege

Executive Director   

[email protected]

 

Mel Hudelson

Associate Director 

[email protected]

 

Heather Williams

Staff Accountant

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Shanna Peters

Project Coordinator

[email protected]

 

Board of Directors

 

KAAP Committees

 

Coordinators

 

 May 2015
President's Perspective

 

By Robert Wittler, MD, FAAP

Wittler

 

In the previous President's Perspective I wrote about the KAAP being nominated for the 2014 Outstanding Chapter in the medium chapter size group and anticipating presenting the case for the KAAP to the Outstanding Chapter Selection Committee at the AAP Annual Leadership Forum (ALF).  It is somewhat old news now but due to the great work of the KAAP, and specifically the staff at the KAAP, the Kansas chapter won the Outstanding Chapter Award for medium sized chapters that was announced at the ALF on March 15.  This is tremendous recognition for the work accomplished by the KAAP and its members on behalf of the children of Kansas.

 

Over 550 chapter officers, committee, council and section chairpersons, guests, and staff attended the 2015 ALF March 12-15 at the Renaissance Hotel in Schaumburg, IL.  Voting members cast their votes in favor of or against 117 resolutions covering a broad range of topics.   E-tobacco products and their risks to children along with sugar-sweetened beverages got a great deal of attention.  One hundred ten resolutions were adopted and will be sent to the appropriate AAP committees, councils, sections, divisions or departments.  AAP staff ensures that those resolutions are discussed and responses are received by November 13, 2015.  Adopted resolutions are also ranked by ALF voting members to select the Top Ten resolutions which are felt to be of the greatest importance to the grassroots of the AAP.  Those resolutions can be viewed by clicking HereThe AAP Executive Board reviews the Top Ten resolutions and responses are due by August 3, 2015.

 

Attending the ALF is a humbling experience as you get to meet individuals working tirelessly for our children.  The 2015 ALF was also a very joyous time for those of us (KAAP Executive Director Chris Steege, KAAP President-elect Dr. Jennifer Mellick , Dr. Pam Shaw who is the AAP District VI Chair, and myself) who got to first hear the news of the KAAP being selected as the Outstanding Chapter.  Please congratulate all the KAAP staff on this great honor.

 

Issues and Commentary

  

By Dennis Cooley, MD, FAAP

KAAP Legislative Coordinator

Member COFGA

 

Rather than concentrating on one topic in this issue I thought I would update you on a number of issues pertaining to children and pediatricians in our state. So I apologize in advance for any rambling. First, let me look at the federal level.


Now that CHIP funding has been reauthorized for another 2 years nationally, the AAP is shifting a large portion of our efforts to refunding nutrition programs. Before I launch into a discussion of this I want to remark about the CHIP funding. I read in a recent editorial in the New England Journal of Medicine where the CHIP program was described as the new SGR. I hadn't thought of it in these terms but I think there is some real truth to the statement. I can envision every two years this refunding problem rising to the surface much as the SGR did on a yearly basis. If you are wondering why the program only received two years of funding, it all boiled down to politics. In the current political climate I think the decision to compromise and accept this short extension was correct but it does mean we will be doing it all over again in two years. And I doubt the political climate will be much better then. Will we ever have a solution to CHIP funding as finally happened with the SGR? Let's hope we do and that it won't take as long to occur. Now back to nutrition.


Kansas is in a unique situation of power on the national front concerning nutrition programs. This is because these programs are under the auspices of the Department of Agriculture and reauthorization for funding is due. Chairing the Senate Agriculture Committee is none other than Kansas Senator Pat Roberts. Committee hearings have already occurred and AAP President Sandy Hassick provided excellent testimony before his Committee. Some quick facts about the children of our state and how they are relying on these programs:  Food insecurity in our children runs at 27.5%. We have on average 37,134 children monthly enrolled in WIC and over 340,000 children in the school lunch programs. By the way, if you are wondering about how Kansas schools are doing with the new nutrition requirements, 99% are compliant (despite the initial uproar from schools and students). This doesn't mean there still aren't problems but schools are complying. Finally 132,000 households in the state are in the SNAP (food stamps) program. The majority of these households have children. The next few months will be important as there are efforts to reduce funding in these programs. The bottom line is that many children in our state rely on these programs for food. It is vital that they be funded. 


 
One final note at the federal level. There continue to be efforts to get the Senate to ratify the "Convention of Rights of the Child"  treaty. The AAP hosted the annual meeting for ratification of this treaty. Currently, there are only two countries in the world that have not ratified this treaty- the US and South Sudan. While the fact that we have not ratified this may seem inconsequential in the big picture, I think it actually speaks volumes about the low priority of children that certain groups in our countries hold.


Moving on to the state. Will there ever be a time when I am not writing about a budget crisis? This has been ongoing since 2008 and it seems that it will continue for years to come. So far the state is looking at over a $400 million shortfall for the coming year. The state legislators seem unable to agree on how this should be dealt with. The legislature is going into overtime at a cost of over $40,000 a day to the taxpayers. 



 

KAAP Approved as a CME Provider


 

The Kansas Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics (KAAP) has been approved by the Kansas Medical Society to jointly provide CME with any organization that would like to provide AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)TM for a live conference or webinars. 

 

Why should you consider KAAP

to provide CME for your Activity? 


 

Quick and Simple Process: We have created a quick and simple process with an application that can be approved in 3-5 days once all the required materials are submitted.

 

Reasonable Fees:  KAAP charges a fee of $1,000 plus $50 per credit hour per application.

 

Personal Help with the Entire CME Process:  Shanna Peters, KAAP Project Coordinator, manages all CME applications and programs and will be available to provide help with all aspects of the CME application, evaluations and outcomes data for your educational program. 

 

For more information on providing CME credit for your program or to receive an application, please email Shanna Peters at [email protected].

 

 KPF Update

  

The Turn a Page. Touch a Mind.� (TAP-TAM) program has continued to grow since the beginning of the year with six new sites added to the program that will distribute over 18,000 books to children in Kansas. TAP-TAM has given over 525,000 books to kids ages 6 months to 5 years throughout the state since 2004. The continued growth of TAP-TAM is due to generous contributions from Kansans who believe in giving children a strong start in school.

 

The Kansas KidLink Children's Mental Health endowment fund is growing and all contributions to this fund go toward keeping the online mental health provider directory current and up-to-date.

 

The Kansas Kids Fund was created in the fall of 2014 as a way to fund programs that are important to the health of Kansas kids. This fund will support initiatives including obesity, immunizations, early brain development, smoking cessation, mental health and more.

 

2015 AAP Legislative Conference Summary

 

By T. Ryan Smith, MD, FAAP

 

"You give coffee to babies???!!!" quipped a perplexed staffer from the office of Senator Roy Blunt after Drs. Weatherstone, Hubbard, and myself discussed critical drug shortages such as caffeine for premature neonates with members of the Kansas and Missouri congressional delegations. The three of us represented the Kansas Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics (KAAP) with Dennis Cooley, MD, FAAP, a course instructor, at the National AAP Legislative advocacy training conference. The event was a whirlwind crash course in the art and practice of advocacy. Prepping us with knowledge, skill, and confidence over two days of lectures, workshops, and speakers, our last day found us advocating for children on "The Hill" on the issues of safe packaging for liquid nicotine (used predominantly in vaporizers-e-cigarettes) and renewal of CHIP (Child's Health Insurance Program,) the insurer for the majority of the patients in my general practice at the University of Kansas.


 

Left to right: Dr. Kathleen Weatherstone, Dr. T. Ryan Smith, Senator Roy Blunt, Dr. Dena Hubbard

Speakers at the training included a number of committee and staff members of state and federal government affairs for the AAP, numerous politicians including Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, former Congressman Henry Waxman, and current Congressman Jim McGovern, as well as other child health advocates such as Julie Beckett who shaped home care for children with special health care needs in the 1980's. Workshops included:

  • the simulation of a two-year tenure of a freshman house member,
  • action items on child poverty and hunger by AAP president-elect, Benard Dreyer, MD, FAAP,
  • a thought exercise in collaboration and negotiation (which I failed miserably.)

 

Breakfast in the Classroom

By Grace Brouillette, DO, MBA, FAAP

As a general pediatrician, I find myself multiple times throughout the day asking about my patients' diet. Not just what they eat but where are they eating it. School breakfast and lunch or meals provided by home? It wasn't until recently that I realized I could go one step further and asking what sort of setting school breakfast is consumed. Through the generous invitation and encouragement of the Midwest Dairy Council, I was able to participate in a breakfast in the classroom event in a local school in the Olathe, KS area. This was a particularly exciting day for the students as a local football player was visiting classrooms and sharing in on the breakfast experience to promote National School Breakfast Week.


 

Breakfast in the classroom not only provides breakfast for students, which we know helps them learn, but it takes away the stigma associated with free school meal programs. Data demonstrates that of the roughly 22 million students that participate in free or reduced lunch programs, less than half of these students participate in similar breakfast programs. Lack of participation in the School Breakfast Program is often due to barriers including timing and stigma. Through programs such as breakfast in the classroom, all students in a participating school receive a healthy, nutritionally balanced meal in the classroom setting daily. This is a great way to kick-start their daily nutrition and brings meals to children that need it most.


During my visit at school, almost every kid ate something that was offered for breakfast, many finishing their entire meal. These kids enjoy the opportunity to start their day healthy and share it with their classmates and friends; having a celebrity present on occasion adds in on the fun as well!

 

I encourage you to take the opportunity to learn more about Breakfast in the Classroom, Fuel up to Play 60 and other programs. A few wonderful websites with resources include:

 

http://beyondbreakfast.org/

https://schoolnutrition.org/AboutSchoolMeals/MoreThanJustLunch/

http://www.midwestdairy.com/0t297p333/breakfast-revitalization/

 

I look forward to seeing you at a future breakfast event!

  
KFMC Campaign on Preteen Vaccines

In March, KFMC kicked off its communications campaign to increase public awareness about the three vaccines that are due for preteens ages 11 and 12: HPV, Meningococcal, and Tdap. A variety of strategies are being used to reach teens and their parents. Featured outreach materials include a webpage, Pandora radio ads, digital ads, Facebook ads, and a postcard mailing. Through this outreach we expect to make over 4 million impressions on the population of Kansas. In addition, marketing materials are available for distribution to providers and other stakeholder partners. A complete list of materials is below:

  • Poster for parent audience (English or Spanish)
  • Poster for teen audience (English or Spanish)
  • Digital advertisements & embeddable files
  • Print mailer for parent audience
  • Printed postcards
  • Social media blast

To request materials visit us at public.kfmc.org and click: 3protectkids campaign materials.

 

We expect that healthcare providers and health departments will see an increase in calls for additional information regarding getting their preteen or teen vaccinated.

 

For more information about KFMC's communication campaign including requests for communication materials, please contact our Marketing Manager, Rachel Linn, at [email protected].

 

National AAP President-Elect Candidate Responses

 

Candidates for 2015 AAP President-elect are Dr. Lynda Young of Worcester, MA and Dr. Fernando Stein of Houston, TX.  The candidates were posed the question, "How will you as President help the Academy to provide tools to chapters and local members to promote community investment in children?" and their answers are included below:

 

Fernando Stein, MD, FAAP

 

The formation of imaginative partnerships with commerce, industry, foundations and non-governmental organizations can be fostered and facilitated by the AAP. Individual members and Chapters should be able to partner with the national structure of the AAP to achieve this goal. A variety of services exist within the AAP that are available but not currently easily accessible to the members and Chapters.

 

Promotion of investment in children begins with the illustration of their needs and the eventual embracing of them by their community. Pediatricians have traditionally been the advocates for children and have the logical opportunity to speak to the needs of children. It is one of my central agenda items to facilitate leadership training and access to Academy services for all members. 

 

The Academy has a Chapter Relations Division in place.  I will make better known the skills available in the AAP Staff to help Chapters solve various problems. The AAP should establish a formalized consulting service that is widely publicized and readily accessible to the individual members and chapters. An effective method to support "Best Practices in Chapter Management Concepts" will be to make this service robust in its charge and responsibilities. 

 

For the AAP to adequately represent the reality of its membership, it must gather information about members' needs, attitudes and opinions.  I will work to better manage and strategically utilize the AAP's data and data systems so that current, reliable, and easily accessible information can be leveraged on pediatricians' behalf.

 

Lynda Young, MD, FAAP

 

First, the unified voice of many is louder than many single voices. Building membership in our chapters increases the impact of the voice of advocacy for children.  As President, I would encourage efforts to increase our membership at the local level, particularly through the use of social media and other electronic outlets.   Secondly, many physicians and chapters are committed to advocacy but may not know where to begin. We need to make available the "playbooks" on relevant initiatives, like immunization, gun control, health coverage. Such playbooks can detail who to call, how to build collaboration, what the resources are - along with fact sheets and talking points.  Thirdly, we need to implement a mechanism to share success stories.  I propose that our Academy develop its own version of "Pinterest".  Pinterest is a free website, widely used for people to share ideas.  Our members could post stories of successful promotion of investment in children on such an Academy website - for example, a post "Our Chapter was successful in getting legislation restricting access to tobacco products for children and here's how we did it."  In this way, best practices across the country can be shared for our members to adopt and adapt for their own localities.  The use of social media like this creates the opportunity to learn from others, as well as to engage and energize our members.

 

Eligible AAP members are encouraged to vote in the 2015 AAP elections when the election opens later this year.  The voting will begin on October 23 and run through November 23.  The results will be announced on November 24.  The new person will assume office as President-elect on January 1, 2016.  All FAAPs, except corresponding fellows, are allowed to vote.  Paper ballots will not be sent out, as the election will be conducted online.  Eligible members will get an email with a unique link that will take them to an electronic ballot or they can login to MyAAP on the aap.org site to access the ballot. 

 

Project ECHO Educational Sessions Information

 

We're excited to share information about our region's opportunity to participate in the American Academy of Pediatrics first Project ECHO (Extension of Community Healthcare Outcomes), focused on pediatric epilepsy. Developed in New Mexico, Project ECHO educational sessions support collaborative learning by linking specialist teams and community healthcare professionals. The Pediatric Epilepsy ECHO is an opportunity for providers to participate in "virtual curbside consultation"  and collaborate with other providers in a technology-supported community of practice. Starting May 26, the interactive educational sessions are held every other Tuesday over the lunch hour and healthcare professionals can join by secure video over computers/laptops, tablets, smartphones, as well as by telephone. The no-cost accredited sessions include brief updates about the latest in pediatric epilepsy care, as well as de-identified case presentations.  The project is a collaboration between Children's Mercy Hospitals and the University of Kansas Medical Center. For more information, please contact Dr. Eve-Lynn Nelson, [email protected], or (913) 588-2226.

 

Click here to view the Project ECHO informational flyer.