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To see a list of current projects in need of member participation, please see the Current Chapter Opportunities list.
Improving Email Communication
If you do NOT have an email account, you may obtain a FREE account through hotmail. An email account will ensure that you are receiving the latest communication from the Chapter. New email account instructions.
Programs
Walking Works (General) Because childhood obesity is the number one health problem in the U.S., the Kentucky Pediatric Society offers a program in cooperation with Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield to encourage exercise for at risk pediatric obese patients. The GENERAL program is available for all patients 11 years or older, whose BMI is in the at-risk or obese categories. Walking Works online order form
NEW! Walking Works-A Path to Fitness (Jefferson, Fayette and Boone/Campbell Counties) The KPS Foundation and the KY Chapter of the AAP has been awarded a 2-year, $95,000 grant from the Anthem Foundation that will expand the Chapter’s General Walking Works program. As part of this expansion, the Chapter has partnered with local YMCA’s in the Lexington, Louisville, and Northern Kentucky areas, allowing pediatricians the opportunity to refer overweight 9-14 year-old patients for free nutrition counseling and fitness coaching sessions. The participating YMCA’s are also offering FREE 6 month family Y memberships to program participants. Additionally, UK and U of L medical students will be actively serving the program participants as Health Coaches. The program will run through April of 2010. For information, please see our program brochure . Further Walking Works-A Path to Fitness program information can be obtained by contacting Delle Blair, program coordinator: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Kentucky Chapter Awarded 2007 Healthy People Grant from the AAP Healthy Teeth For Tots, began in 2007 as a new training program for pediatricians and affiliated health professionals in Kentucky and was launched with the help of a $20,000 AAP Healthy People grant award to the Kentucky Chapter. The training content addresses the role of the pediatrician in assessing oral health in children up to 3 years of age, the pathogenesis of caries and the importance of implementing and identifying prevention strategies for family members. In addition, fluoride varnish clinical sessions targeted to pediatric nurses and other providers who will apply the fluoride varnish in pediatric offices followed the online training. Since access for low income children is extremely limited in Kentucky and because families are having difficulties obtaining dental care due to the fact that there are too few dentists in the state (only eight counties in the state fulfilling the nationally recommended ratio of licensed dentists to people), the Healthy Teeth For Tots program aims to increase access to oral health care for Kentucky’s young children. The risk assessment training was offered 10 times in 2007 as a FREE online 90 minute CME/CEU teleconference course and the content was developed by the AAP. Dr. Tom Ison, our Chapter Oral Health Committee Chair and presenter. Continuing teleconference dates and times will be announced in the near future—check the Chapter website for postings. In addition, the Chapter will continue to work, in partnership with the Department of Public Health’s Oral Health Program Staff, to deliver the live varnish trainings throughout the state. Dr. Julie McKee, DPH Dental Director leads these hands-on varnish training sessions and will provide them on site. P.A.T.H.S. (Prevention and Awareness of Teen Hardships and Suicide)
The Kentucky Chapter was recently awarded a Healthy People 2010 grant from the AAP to provide trainings to providers on youth suicide prevention and awareness. The project consisted of regional trainings in five rural areas of the state during 2006. Although the grant project has concluded, the Chapter continues to work on the issue of suicide prevention. The following resources were developed in conjunction with the PATHS program.
Resources on Teen Suicide
Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration Suicide Prevention Resource Center National Suicide Prevention Resource Center American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Mental Health Trainings-Federal Grant Project
Kentucky Chapter of the AAP in partnership with Kentucky Child Now! has completed its final year of the $900,000 Child Health Practitioner Support Grant: Improving Access to and the Integration of Child and Adolescent Medical and Mental Health Care supported through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This collaborative effort between Kentucky Child Now! and the Kentucky Chapter will continue to provide specialized training for pediatricians and residents as well as other child health providers on diagnoses and treatment of child mental health disorders and substance abuse problems. Diagnosis and treatment of mental illness in children and adolescents has become more challenging in recent years. Skill levels and knowledge among health care professionals are vastly different and several barriers exist within the current referral processes. The free trainings aim to address this and provide participants with:
*An increase in knowledge and improve management of mental health and substance abuse problems and disorders in children and adolescents. *The development of the referral and communication process for children with mental health or substance abuse problems between child health and mental health and substance abuse providers at Community Mental Health Centers.
*Resources to eliminate barriers to mental health services for children covered by private health insurance.
Chapter Pediatric Council
The Chapter's Pediatric Council comprised of practicing pediatricians and managed care medical directors. The goals of the council include: a) reducing inefficiencies and duplicated work resulting from the complexities of the claims process b) jointly exploring cost-effective ways to provide defined services c) discussing the role of preventative care in decreasing both short-term and long-term costs to insurers and cost effective ways to allocate and deliver mental health services to the pediatric population.
Annual Chapter CME Meeting, Office Based Pediatrics
To better meet the needs of the pediatrician “generalists”, the Chapter now offers a FREE, “family friendly” annual CME meeting at a rotating Kentucky State Resort Park. The event focuses on providing practical solutions for the office based pediatrician. The educational meeting is targeted to the general pediatrician and the sub specialist who may be interested in updating his/her pediatric skills.
Young Physician Events - Why Young Physicians?
33% of current AAP Kentucky Chapter members are 41 or younger and they have a large stake in what happens to the profession over the next 30 years. Young physicians are deeply in tune with the issues of pediatric residencies and fellowships. However, they are also in the unique position of establishing themselves in medical practice and in the AAP and other leadership positions while balancing career and families. For all of the above reasons, the Kentucky Chapter has established a Young Physicians committee and has hosted several YP dinner meetings throughout the year.
Career Day for Residents
The Kentucky Pediatric Society has hosted the Annual Pediatric Career Day at Shaker Village of Pleasant Grove since 1988. This program is designed to help residents make informed decisions about their careers as Pediatricians, regardless of future plans to go into private practice or pursue a fellowship in preparation for a career in academic medicine.
Reach Out to DaycaresMost every pediatrician has had the frustrating experience of seeing children in the office for illnesses which could have been dealt with at home, only to learn that the child’s day care had required the visit for readmission. Working parents also struggle with this situation. In 2006, Dr. Rob Revelette worked with Melinda Rowe, MD, director of the Fayette County Health Department (FCHD), to try to standardize how day cares dealt with illnesses in children. The FCHD has directed day care centers in the county to follow AAP guidelines published in the reference guide, “Managing Infectious Diseases in Child Care and Schools”. To help get the books distributed to the more that 180 centers in the county, Dr. Revelette met with the medical director at Bluegrass Family Health who agreed to pay for the books and to mail them out. 2006 will be the first winter of using this guide and I think it has helped limit the frivolous visits and enabled us to ask child care centers to refer to the guide when setting their policies. To extend this program even further, one of Dr. Revelette's partners, Katrina Hood, MD, FAAP, and he have started speaking at day care centers about some of the common infectious diseases in child care settings. They have applied for and received certification as trainers from the Division of Child Care in the Cabinet for Health and Human Services, which means that they can award attendees and hour of CEU credit. This program benefits everyone. It provides day care directors with AAP guidelines to follow. Children are protected from serious infectious diseases. Parents miss less work because their children are not excluded from day care unnecessarily. Pediatricians are viewed as the community experts with respect to children’s health. The application process is relatively simple. You can learn more at http://www.ihdi.uky.edu/tipp/ , or email Kim Townley at
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Columbia University Teen Screen Program National Adolescent Health Information Center American Psychological Association
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