Children's National Health System

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Kurt Newman, MD PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Mark Batshaw, MD EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT AND PHYSICIAN-IN-CHIEF Lauren Fisher VICE PRESIDENT OF COMMUNICATIONS, PUBLIC RELATIONS, AND MARKETING Susan Muma MARKETING AND PHYSICIAN RELATIONS DIRECTOR IN PARTNERSHIP WITH TRUE NORTH Ashley Cavin ACCOUNT MANAGER Eric Jackson CREATIVE DIRECTOR Angela Williams EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Thomas Crocker, Valerie Lauer, Katy Mena-Berkley, Melissa Moore, Tiffany Parnell, Colin Stayton, Hannah Stuart CONTRIBUTING WRITERS 2 HEALTHY COMMUNITIES NEED healthy kids, and healthy kids need healthy communities. The articles in this summer's issue of Advancing Pediatrics highlight how the work being done by Children's National Health System strengthens communities and the health of children in particular. In concert with our many community partners across the Washington, DC, area, we are determined to effect positive change. Improving children's access to mental healthcare services is an area of increasing importance. Children's National is proud and eager to implement and administer the DC Mental Health Access in Pediatrics (DC MAP) program. Through DC MAP, Children's National will build relationships among families and primary and mental healthcare professionals to allow efficient and effective treatment of all levels of disorders. With the provision of additional support to primary care physicians treating low-level disorders, psychiatrists can dedicate more time to patients with severe and complex conditions, giving children and their families the benefit of early diagnosis and intervention. When it comes to community health, prevention is the best intervention, and there is always room for improvement in the administration of vaccinations. Researchers at Children's National have learned that 82.4 percent of children had at least one missed opportunity to receive one or more standard vaccinations at the recommended age. Their study, published in The Journal of Pediatrics, suggests that providers can make better use of sick visits to ensure undervaccinated or unvaccinated children receive timely, complete immunizations. In this issue, we also examine pediatricians' opportunities to evaluate the cardiac health of some of their fittest patients—athletes. Although uncommon, cardiac events among young athletes can have devastating consequences. Together, general pediatricians and pediatric cardiologists can ensure healthy hearts are on playing fields and put an end to the tragedies that unfortunately occur on a regular basis. Making complex procedures readily available is another important part of what Children's National brings to the community. Take, for example, the outstanding progress we have made in the surgical treatment of tracheoesophageal fistula (TEF), a rare genetic defect. Children's National is one of a small handful of children's hospitals offering minimally invasive thoracoscopic TEF repair as a potential treatment. Thanks in large part to the leadership of Timothy Kane, MD, surgeons at Children's National now perform the highly-complex operation that reduces the pain and scarring of conventional surgery and virtually eliminates the risk of long- term vertebral spine complications. On the front lines of pediatric healthcare, we all believe in preserving and improving the health of the communities and patients we share. Thank you for your trust in Children's National as we work together toward that goal. Kurt Newman, MD VACCINATION A new study is shedding light on how missed opportunities for immunization impact rates of vaccination. ORTHOPAEDICS Orthopaedic surgery and sports medicine clinicians at Children's National can provide appropriate, individualized treatment for the full spectrum of orthopaedic conditions. 11 10 NEUROLOGY Children's National hosted the 25th annual Pediatric Neurology Update, allowing physicians to reflect on the past, present, and future of pediatric neurologic care. 15 Children's National and area partners seek to bridge the gap between primary care providers and mental health professionals. 7 MENTAL HEALTH EMAIL PHONE VIDEO RESEARCH WEB RESOURCES Interested in receiving Advancing Pediatrics digitally? Visit www.ChildrensNational.org/ advancingpediatrics or call 202-476-4500 to be added to our email list. TABLE OF CONTENTS

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