A Message from Shelly Voet, MD
Hello! This has been a busy time for all of us in pediatrics, and I hope you, your families and your healthcare teams are staying healthy and taking care of one another right now. This issue of Synapse has some important updates about services at CCHMC. Thanks for taking the time to review and share with your team.
1. Critical Care Building – The opening of the CCB on the Burnet campus is rapidly approaching on 11/6/21. Care for our most vulnerable kids regionally and worldwide will be expanded in all new PICU, NICU, CICU and Emergency Department. You can read more HERE. There will be a guided ‘virtual’ tour by physician leaders coming soon! Watch for a link in the October Synapse.
2. Radiology – When the new building opens, Radiology services (inpatients/emergency patients) will be embedded in the new Emergency Department, including afterhours care. To ease into this upcoming change, outpatient radiology service hours at Location B at Burnet will be adjusted beginning 10/1/21. The new hours were determined carefully based on the current use of outpatient radiology services. Effective 10/1, radiology services after published hours will only be provided through an Emergency Department encounter. Please share the schedule in this issue with your team.
3. Urgent Text messaging – Coming soon! Next month you will have the opportunity to enroll (Opt-In) to in this new system which is available to community providers and staff. The system will alert you via text if there is a SAME DAY system level disruption which could impact patient flow (such as a patient care site closing).
4. COVID-19
a. Transmission/Testing: Transmission remains at the highest level and regional hospital systems remain stressed. Testing and test positivity at CCHMC is at the highest level it has been throughout the pandemic. Two drive through sites were reopened but the majority of specimen collection is still being done in PCP offices. Schools and practices are incorporating more antigen so our testing algorithm was updated to include this HERE.
b. Vaccines: Pfizer submitted data showing vaccine safety and efficacy for 5-11 year olds at a 10 mcg dose. This CNN article with Dr. Frenck is great to share with families (Covid vaccines are on the way for younger children. Here's why they're different - CNN). mRNA Vaccine THIRD DOSES have been authorized by the FDA for immunocompromised patients since August. As of last week, immunocompetent Pfizer vaccine recipients over 18 years can receive a single booster 6 months after completion of primary series if they are in high risk categories (cdc.gov/media/releases/2021/p0924-booster-recommendations-.html). Several providers have also received questions about the benefits of vaccination for those who have already had COVID-19. In this KY case control study of people infected with COVID-19 in 2020, being unvaccinated was associated with 2.34 times the odds of reinfection in May-June 2021 compared to being vaccinated.
c. Physician Hub resources: In addition to updated testing algorithm, we added the CCHMC algorithm for the use of monoclonal antibody for pediatric patients. It will also include census information and “What’s going around” update from the CCHMC lab.
5. Medical Staff – All community medical staff, active and associate, are asked to submit documentation of their COVID-19 vaccination to medicalstaffservices@cchmc.org. Also, a virtual pediatric medical staff-resident meet and greet has been rescheduled for October 13.
6. AAP Community Pediatrics – Dr. Chris Peltier invites you to attend the AAP Council on Community Pediatrics Town Hall virtually on Monday, October 4 at 8 pm ET. This event will provide an opportunity to learn more about the council’s work and discuss future directions. Register HERE
7. CPS – Save the date for Cincinnati Pediatric Society’s Virtual Resource Fair on 10/14/21 6:30-8:30. Community resource partners will be available to provide information to PCPs and inform them how to make appropriate referrals. You can register at www.cchmc.cloud-cme.com
8. Flu – Flu vaccine is here. A recent update to the medical executive committee by our ID faculty provided a few reminders: 1) Flu vaccine should be offered when available and can be given simultaneously with the COVID-19 vaccine; 2)Patients who have a history of egg allergy with only urticaria can receive any flu vaccine appropriate for their age/health status; 3) Patients with a more severe egg reaction (i.e. angioedema/emergency intervention) may receive the vaccine in a healthcare facility capable of managing a severe allergic reaction; 4) Flu testing, treatment, and high risk guidelines from IDSA can be found HERE
9. Letter from Dr. Cheng – It has been a privilege to work with Dr. Tina Cheng this year. Please take the time to read her letter in this issue.
Thanks again for providing great care for our kids and teens in these most challenging times.
Shelly
Shelly F. Voet MD
Pediatric Associates PSC
CCHMC Executive Community Physician Leader