More than 150 people attended a portion of MNAAP's Hot Topics in Pediatrics Conference on Friday, May 12, 2017.
The event was a great opportunity for Minnesota pediatricians, pediatric providers and child health advocates to collaborate, network and learn alongside each other to strengthen the care of children. We hope to see many of you next year!
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The Senate version of the AHCA could be introduced any day and passed as early as the Fourth of July. Please join AAP members across the country in flooding the phone lines and inboxes of U.S. senators, urging them to vote "no" on any proposal that cuts or caps Medicaid funding.
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Over the past week, hundreds of AAP members, including many from Minnesota, have called or emailed U.S. senators, urging them to protect children from cuts and caps to Medicaid. On social media, AAP joined forces with other organizations to generate a flurry of action with thousands of tweets using #KeepKidsCovered and #DontCapMyCare, prompting senators themselves to join in on the conversation. And across the country, more than two dozen letters to the editor were published, including two in Minnesota:
State's low-income, special needs kids at risk under AHCA - St. Cloud Times (6/22/17)
A Pediatrician's View: Medicaid cuts would be harmful to Northland children - Duluth News Tribune (6/23/17)
A special thanks to those who spoke out against the AHCA this past week. AAP and MNAAP will continue to monitor discussions surrounding the proposed health care bill and inform pediatricians when it's time to take action again.
Upcoming advocacy events:
How will Medicaid cuts impact your community and our children?
Saturday, June 24
2 p.m. - 3:15 p.m.
Diamondhead Education Center in Burnsville
Special guest Senator Al Franken
Minneapolis Senate District 61 Health Care Town Hall
Thursday, June 29
7 p.m. - 9 p.m
Bakken Museum in Minneapolis
Senator Scott Dibble, Representative Frank Hornstein, and Representative Paul Thissen are hosting a Health Care Town Hall for constituents of Senate District 61. Dr. Lindsey Yock, Children's MN pediatrician and hospitalist, will be participating in the health care panel.
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With one new case of measles confirmed in the last week, the chapter, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), over 20 Imams and Mosques, and others have been educating communities about the importance of the MMR vaccine. To date, measles has sickened 74 children in Minnesota, most were unvaccinated Somali American children.
The chapter has coordinated physicians to speak at 20 community events at mosques during Ramadan, which began last month and concludes this weekend. In addition to providing factual information, these physicians answered many Imam and parent questions about measles, vaccine safety, left behind printed information in Somali and English, prepared or edited educational materials and PSA scripts, appeared on Somali TV and answered questions from parents on Somali radio.
A huge thank you to Drs. Andrew Kiragu, Sheldon Berkowitz, Nusheen Ameenuddin, Angela Mattke, Mahad Ururshe, Ahmed Roble Mohamed, Abe Jacob, Karl Chun, Mark Schleiss, Eileen Crespo, Nancy Ott, Osman Ahmed, Saki Ikeda, Heidi Moline, Stacy Romero Wilson, Brooks Donald, Michael Reiff, Dawn Martin, Vijay Chawla, Nancy Mendelsohn, Steve Vincent and to Patsy Stinchfield, Hudah Farah, Nasra Giani, Asli Ashkir, Elham Ashkar, Lynn Bahta, Mohamed Hassan, and Sabah Yusuf.
We especially appreciate our partnership with Imam Hassan Jama and Imam Sharif Mohamed who recruited other Imams to participate in this "Faith and Medicine" outreach effort. Local public health agencies also participated and funding was provided by MDH and an Eliminating Health Disparities grant.
Helpful resources:
Somali parent education on vaccines
Somali parent education on autism
For detailed vaccination recommendations, download MDH's Measles Outbreak Vaccination Guidance. Additionally, you can download MDH's "Think Measles" poster to display in waiting or exam rooms, available in 9 languages.
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Over the past several months, MNAAP has archived a number of trainings and webinars on child health topics. Feel free to watch them at your convenience and share them with colleagues. Topics include:
Teen/Young Adult Suicide Trends and Prevention Resources
Parent Resources for Children, Teens and Families on Mental Health Resources
ADHD and School Performance Issues
Comprehensive Evaluation of Children in Foster Care
Practical Tools to Address Poverty in the Clinic
Long-Acting Reversible Contraceptives (LARC)
Foster Care: Addressing Continuity
Supporting Babies by Screening Mamas
Trauma-Informed Care in Pediatrics
Growing up with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Inflicted Abdominal Trauma in Children
Case-Based Abusive Head Trauma (passcode required)
Advancing Care: Child Abuse & Recognition (passcode required)
Bridge to Benefits: A Tool for Clinics to Refer Low-Income Families to Local Resources
Do you have an idea for a future webinar related to one of MNAAP's child health priorities: mental health, disparities, immunizations and child abuse? If so, contact cairns@mnaap.org
MNAAP members recently voted to fill five positions on the board of the Minnesota Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (MNAAP) and the Minnesota Academy of Pediatrics Foundation (MAPF).
Congratulations to the following members whose terms begin July 1:
* Sheldon Berkowitz, MD, FAAP, (treasurer) clinic medical director and physician advisor with Children's of Minnesota
* Nusheen Ameenuddin, MD, MPH, FAAP, consultant with the Division of Community Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine at Mayo Clinic
* Eileen Crespo, MD, FAAP, chapter oral health advocate and pediatrician at HCMC
* Naomi Goloff, MD, FAAP, medical director of pediatric hospice at U of M Masonic Children's Hospital
* Lindsey Yock, MD, JD, FAAP, pediatric hospitalist at Children's of Minnesota
The MNAAP board is composed of more than 30 pediatricians from rural and urban clinics and hospitals across Minnesota. Together, they represent more than 1,000 members across the state and shape child health advocacy, education, and community initiatives. Current priorities include increasing immunization rates, improving mental health care, addressing poverty and health disparities, and reducing rates of child abuse and maltreatment.
The next election for board members will take place in May of 2018 to replace at least four members who have completed their terms. If you'd like to add your name to the chapter's list of prospects for next year, contact cairns@mnaap.org
One in five Minnesota families with children struggle with food insecurity, preventing many children from eating three square meals a day.
Now there's an app to help kids age 18 and under locate free, healthy meals nearby. Powered by GPS, the Summer Eats Minnesota app shows locations of free summer food sites, menus, and days and hours of operation. Kids 18 & under can show up without prior signup or registration for free meals at locations including parks, recreation and community centers, libraries and schools. The app also shows the distance and directions to the nearest sites.
More info
MNAAP will be partnering with pediatric clinics in Minnesota that would like to better serve their Somali, Karen or American Indian patients with a Community Health Worker (CHW). Funds are available for CHW training scholarships and other strategies to provide outreach services and community education to improve immunization rates (MMR and HPV). With the measles outbreak, we do have some additional funds that must be used in May and June to support Somali CHWs or CHWs in training to assist clinics statewide. Contact cairns@mnaap.org as soon as possible if you or a community partner organization are interested in this opportunity.
