A message from Shelly Voet, MD

Hello again to my fellow pediatric providers. Thanks for taking the time to review this issue of Synapse. I have a few updates on our work in August. 

Our Community Practice Group met with Dr. Jorge Bezerra, GI Division Director.  Dr. Bezerra updated us on the operational goals of his division. As a Center of Excellence at CCHMC, they provide multiple subspecialty GI services.  However, they are also very focused on ensuring prompt access for patients in need of general GI consultations.  Four new faculty have joined the division. Inpatient GI services will expand to the Liberty location 9/1/20. The division has also recently designated one faculty member as the “GI of the Week” who will provide access to more urgent outpatient consultations requested via PPL.

We also met with Dr. Scott Callahan, the medical director of the Complex Care Center.  The Center now provides care to over 500 of our region’s most medically complex children, with an average of 8 specialists involved in their care.  We discussed future care models for this clinic with Dr. Callahan.

Our group is also finishing up a pilot bidirectional communication system using Epic Link.  Several community providers and multiple divisions paired together to explore this direct messaging model which would provide another method outside of PPL for community providers to connect with a division.  Stay tuned for more information as we work to expand this in early 2021.

On the community level, our group has had the privilege, along with Division of General Peds and hospital leadership, to work with educational professionals as they prepared for in person instruction. While some schools have resumed in person instruction and others are beginning remotely, all of our local educators, school health nurses and administrators have dedicated tremendous energy to provide education safely for our children this fall.  If you have the opportunity to thank a teacher, school nurse, principal, or school administrator, please do so!  If your community school is looking for resources, please share our website with them https://cincinnatichildrens.foleon.com/microsite/coronavirus-covid-19/home/.   Regional county COVID-19 data and presentations by hospital leaders for local schools can be viewed there. https://cincinnatichildrens.foleon.com/microsite/coronavirus-covid-19/back-to-school/

Returning to sports after COVID-19 infection will be discussed in an upcoming Global Cast presentation on August 31.  You can register for this HERE: or view the interim guidance HERE .

Regarding testing for COVID-19, CCHMC will continue to support PCR testing for the pediatric patients in our community.  The lab leadership is grateful for our partnership in communicating results to patients who are tested, and in explaining to families to wait two hours before calling to schedule.  The lab is also working on protocols for patients who may need to have more than one test ordered at a CCHMC site (such as flu and SARS-CoV-2).

Finally, if you see any of the following providers, please thank them for their work at the Ohio AAP.  We have a strong Cincinnati showing in this organization including the following:

Past President:  Mike Gittleman (CCHMC ED); President Elect:  Chris Peltier (Pediatric Associates of Mt. Carmel); Treasurer: Kelsey Logan (CCHMC Sports Medicine)

Delegate at Large – Kate Krueck (private practice in Columbus, did her residency here), Denise Warrick (Trihealth)

Best,
Shelly F. Voet MD

Pediatric Associates PSC
Cincinnati Children’s Executive Community Physician Leader