Updates from Dr. Shelly Voet
October 22, 2020
Greetings from our Community Practice Advisory Council! October has been a busy month!
COVID-19 Updates:
1. COVID and Flu – Our COVID-19 testing algorithm HERE has been updated to include national (CDC and AAP) and local (ID, CPS, and public health) recommendations. While we hope that our COVID-19 mitigation measures decrease flu transmission this year, pediatric providers are well aware that even a “mild” flu season can result in severe disease in kids. Once there is flu circulation, it is important to note that co-infection is possible and that certain populations (the very young/old and those with chronic health conditions) are at increased risk with either infection. An updated flu testing and treatment summary can be found HERE. Thanks for all of your efforts to vaccinate kids so far!
2. Antibody testing –The COVID-19 IgG Qualitative with reflex to Quant at CCHMC is the recommended test if evaluating a patient for possible MIS-C.
3. Holidays - During this time of high rates of community transmission of COVID-19, this CDC resource may be helpful for families: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/holidays.html
Non-COVID-19 Updates:
1. Psychiatry/PIRC Resource: Due to changes in admission policies at CCHMC for psychiatric conditions (no longer admitting over age 18 years), we asked Linda Richey from PIRC to provide a list of facilities in our region who do admit teens over age 18. This list can be found HERE. We are grateful to the PIRC team for providing this resource. If you have questions, you can contact Linda at: linda.richey@cchmc.org.
2. Mental Health Book Resource for PCPs – developed in response to a need for recommended reading for patients and families to manage mental health issues during Covid-19. Thanks to Dr. Frances Merk and the PHO Integrated Behavioral Health Providers. The list can be found HERE.
3. Congratulations to Paul Bunch MD of Springdale Mason Pediatrics, who was elected as the Community Representative to CCHMC Med Exec for 2020-2022. Paul can be reached via email at paul.bunch@gmail.com.
4. CPAC – Our group met with Todd Ponsky MD from the Division of Surgery. We will be working with Todd and his colleagues to pilot a method of more direct communication with a surgical provider. We also met with members of CCHMC Trauma Services and Neonatology to discuss opportunities for enhanced communication and transition of care between hospital providers and PCPs. We will be following up on interventions in two months with both groups.
5. UC Health and Cincinnati Pediatric Society Presentations – UC Health is presenting a series on health equity. The first one-hour session is recorded and available now HERE. This introductory video with Anjanette Wells PhD and Barb Tobias MD, Vice Chair of Family and Community Medicine at UC, could be viewed with practice team members who want to understand more. The second session in the series is on Thurs Nov 5 and is titled: Exploring Our Patients’ Contexts: A History of Anti-Black Racism in Cincinnati presented by Anna Goroncy MD. Finally, the Cincinnati Pediatric Society will be hosting an evening meeting on Identifying and Addressing Racism in Pediatrics on Nov 10. You can register for this HERE.
6. Physician Outreach will be asking for your input on CCHMC services in November. Our CPAC group had the opportunity to help develop this community survey. We appreciate your feedback.
7. PPC Pantry – CCHMC Med Exec voted to support the CCHMC Primary Care Pantries in the month of November. Prior to COVID-19, 25-30% of the families in PPC, Hopple Street and Fairfield primary care locations experienced food insecurity, and those numbers have increased during the pandemic. For more information on the pantries, click HERE.
8. The Ohio AAP Annual Meeting will be held virtually on Nov 20-21. It is free for Ohio AAP members and includes many relevant topics such as Adolescent Vaping, Teen Suicide prevention, advocacy updates and much more. Congratulations to Chris Peltier MD of Mt. Carmel Pediatrics who is the Ohio AAP President-Elect! For more information visit http://ohioaap.org/.
Thanks again for all you are doing to care for our region’s children, especially during these challenging times. If you have questions or ideas for our CPAC group, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Shelly
Shelly F. Voet MD
Pediatric Associates PSC
CCHMC Executive Community Physician Leader