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Alice Kuo, MD, PhD, MBA, FAAP President, AAP-CA2 2018 - 2020 |
Happy New Year! A new year signifies an opportunity for new things to happen, and we've already seen some changes in the environment that can mean better conditions for children in 2019. In Washington, DC, the 116
th Congress started on January 3
rd, with more women and diversity than ever. In California, we have a new governor who thus far has promised to focus and put more resources to children in the areas of education and health.
As you can see below in the newsletter, Tomas and I attended a meeting with the Tobacco Control folks at the LA County Department of Public Health. At the state level, two bills related to tobacco were introduced last month. SB 38 bans the sale of flavored tobacco products in the entire state, and SB 39 imposes stricter age verification requirements for all types of tobacco products sold online. Last summer, the Board of Supervisors for LA County introduced an ordinance to ban the sale of flavored tobacco products in the entire county. As you can imagine, the tobacco companies are concerned and gearing up to fight these efforts. We've been asked to represent the health interests of children and adolescents, in light of the alarming increases in teenage vaping rates that have been reported in the last few months. The Town Hall meeting on March 21 is an opportunity to bring pediatricians, students, parents, school administrators and policy makers together to learn about the impact of nicotine addiction on adolescent brain development and to increase awareness about the need for support for families and schools.
We have also been busy moving forward on improving developmental services for children with First 5 LA. As you know, the Chapter has worked with First 5 LA over the past two years to increase awareness among pediatricians of screening for development during well-child visits and referring for additional services when delays are suspected. Our conversations with First 5 LA have led specifically to the screening and referrals for young children with suspected autism spectrum disorder. As many of you know first-hand, the wait lists and challenges that parents face when their child has a suspected diagnosis of autism can be extremely frustrating and difficult to navigate. Our Chapter and First 5 LA are planning to co-sponsor a Town Hall specifically on this issue at the end of May-stay tuned for more information. We are also involved in looking at these issues in San Bernardino and Riverside counties and will be attending a meeting next month with both of the First 5 entities from those counties.
Finally, our work with immigrant children continues. After the sobering news in December of two more children dying in detention centers at the border, many child advocates including those in the AAP have been advocating for inspections of the detention center to ensure that they are safe for children, as well as demanding an end to the practice of housing children in the detention centers altogether. Our Immigrant Health Committee continues to be active addressing these issues in our chapter.
Our first "Life After Residency" event continues to be shaping up and promises to be fun and exciting for our trainees and those looking to hiring them (details below). Time is running out. If your practice, clinic or hospital is looking for a locum tenens, part-time or full-time pediatrician for the summer-please contact Tomas ASAP if you are interested in having information at the event.
I am pleased to announce that our Chapter was one of six selected from around the country to participate in the AAP Chapter Quality Network (CQN) on its Improving Pediatric Immunization Care Learning Network. The other chapters that were selected were Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and California Chapter 4. It was great to be recognized for the strength of the quality improvement efforts in our chapter!
Please check out the rest of our newsletter for information on our Town Hall meetings and other CME opportunities, ways to get Maintenance of Certification (MOC) points, and statewide advocacy priorities that the AAP is working on behalf of children.
Thanks for all that you do on behalf of children in our communities!
Alice Kuo, MD, PhD, MBA, FAAP
Chapter President
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30th Annual
AAP-CA2 Symposium
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Saturday, March 2, 2019 at the Sheraton Universal Hotel
Early Bird Ends February 2, 2019
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On behalf of the AAP-CA2 Board of Directors and Staff, we would like to thank you for your support in 2018. As a non-for-profit membership organization, your dues make our efforts possible, from local advocacy and educational activities to statewide legislative policy. Below is a summary of our most consequential accomplishments for 2018.
Early Learning and Developmental Screening
Funded by First 5 LA, we held six Town Halls on "Best Practices in Developmental Screening", bringing together Pediatricians, Speech Language Pathologists, Physical Therapists, Occupational Therapists, and staff from Regional Centers. This series of events became a segue to a new approach under development to empower pediatricians who see children with developmental delay. Furthermore, we also partnered with First 5 San Bernardino and First 5 San Luis Obispo in early learning Town Halls that
examined the milestones and quality health of children to thrive in early education stages and beyond.
Educational Opportunities; QI
We held two MOC Part 4 Quality Improvement projects (HPV and All Vaccinations) and the 29th Annual Advances in Pediatrics Symposium offering CME and MOC Part 2 (during which eleven residents and medical students displayed their research at the 2nd Annual Pediatric Trainees Poster Presentation). We also held several Town Halls in Woodland Hills, Victorville, Santa Barbara and Riverside with lectures on clinical topics and physician wellness.
We founded the Immigrant Health Initiative in May in response to growing concern regarding the current treatment of immigrant children and their families with the goal of empowering its 57 members to engage in and influence community and county-level efforts to better meet the needs of these children.
(From left) Amy Shekarchi, MD, FAAP; Lisa Gantz, MD; Raymen Assaf, MD; Nneka Edwards-Jackson, MD, FAAP; Committee Chair Sural Shah, MD, FAAP; Alexa Monroy, MD; and Dina Brent, MD, FAAP
Sural Shah, MD, FAAP, Chair of the AAP-CA2 Immigrant Hea
lth
Initiative C
ommittee, delivered a powerful message during a live press conference with LA Mayor Eric Garcetti on October 11, emphasizing the primary needs of children.
The AAP-CA2 Immigrant Health Initiative group and the Los Angeles County Office of Immigrant Affairs held a half-day Town Hall at East Los Angeles College (ELAC), bringing pediatricians and lawyers together to address the needs of immigrant children. In this partnership, AAP-CA2 became a major stakeholder in the development of a
formalized Countywide intake system to monitor and process pediatric asylum cases.
Addressing the Threat of Vaping Products/E-Cigarettes
 AAP-CA2 President Alice Kuo, MD, PhD, MBA, FAAP and Chapter ExecutiveDirector, Tomás Torices, MD met with County of Los Angeles Public Health Deputy Director, Tony Kuo, MD, MSHS and his staff in the Tobacco Control and Prevention Department - Division of Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention to discuss the risk of tobacco use in youth as a result of unregulated e-cigarette flavored vaping products. As LA County is planning to update its tobacco retailer license as well as outdoor dining/facilities tobacco control ordinances, these updates will include flavored products, e-cigarettes/e-devices, and cannabis.
Through this partnership, there will be an open Town Hall on March 21 at El Camino College in Torrance to provide awareness about the use of vaping products in teens and the projected long term effects.
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2018
State Legislative Advocacy
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Overview
Through collaborative work at the state level (District IX), we made historic progress in 2018 on the AAP advocacy agenda, including in the areas of child poverty, child food insecurity and obesity, youth exposure to nicotine and tobacco products, gun violence prevention, addressing the opioid epidemic and quality assurance and support for services for children with special health care needs.
117 AAP-CA supported bills were signed by the governor into law, and 14 AAP-CA opposed bills were defeated.
T
hrough grass-roots advocacy and coalition work, we successfully demonstrated that low Medicaid payment rates were having a negative impact on access to care, resulting in a state budget investment of over $1 billion in Medicaid payment to pediatricians and other physicians! California Medicaid payment for evaluation and management (E/M) services will rise to a minimum of 85% of Medicare payment, and preventive services will be paid at 100% of Medicare payment for the same services for the next fiscal year. California will be using funds from Proposition 56 - a state ballot initiative enacted in 2016 to raise the state's tobacco tax by $2 per pack-to fund this increase in Medicaid physician payment, despite significant calls for these funds to be used elsewhere.
Another $40 million from Proposition 56 has been allocated to graduate medical education, targeting specialties that include pediatrics.
We would like to recognize AAP-CA2's State Government Affairs (SGA) Representatives for their work and dedication:
- Marti Baum, MD, FAAP / AAP-CA2 SGA Representative
- Susan Wu, MD, FAAP / AAP-CA2 SGA Representative
- Mona Patel, MD, FAAP / District IX SGA Committee Co-Chair
Supported Bills
- SB 1192: Children's meals: "no more soda" in children's fast food meals!
Requires restaurants selling children's meals to include non-sugar sweetened beverages (water and low-fat milk) as the default beverage option.
- SB 1346: Firearms: multi-burst trigger activators.
Adds "bump stocks" and "bump stock attachments" like those used in the Las Vegas mass shooting to the list of multi-burst trigger activator banned in California.
- SB 1109: Opioids: physician education and school forms
There were several bills introduced in the CA legislature this year to restrict opioid prescribing to youth in a way that was not consistent with permitting physician judgment in consultation with the family to make prescribing decisions in the best interest of the child. In contrast, SB 1009, as amended and enacted, was the result of intensive advocacy to seek appropriate solutions to the opioid crisis. It includes new California requirements that (1) existing trainings for prescribers related to pain management include addiction risks associated with Schedule II drugs; and (2) that school districts, charter schools, and private schools that offer athletics programs, as well as youth sports organizations, provide an information sheet to participants about the risk of opioid addiction that parents have to sign and return.
- AB2668: Pupil immunizations: relaxation of requirements
This bill would have exempted private institutions, including private elementary and secondary schools, child care centers, day nurseries, nursery schools, family day care homes, and development centers, from current California's stringent school entry immunization requirements. It would also have required the State Department of Education to award a grant to a parent or guardian of a child who would otherwise be eligible to attend a public elementary or secondary school, child care center, day nursery, nursery school, family day care home, or development center, except for the child not meeting those immunization requirements, to fund the child's attendance at a private elementary or secondary school, child care center, day nursery, nursery school, family day care home, or development center.
- AB1394: Firearms: Expanded concealed carry licenses
This bill would have expanded the ability of individuals to carry concealed firearms by deleting the current requirement in California that an individual applying for a concealed carry permit must demonstrate "good cause" for issuance of the license. This bill would also have permitted a concealed carry license in one California locale to be exempt from prosecution under state law or other local regulation that prohibits the possession of a firearm within any specified location.
- AB2067: School Safety: Armed security guards
This bill would have required each California school district to hire or contract with at least one armed security guard, authorized to carry a loaded firearm, at each school of the school district.
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2018
Federal Legislative Advocacy
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In this infographic, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) assesses the status of federal child  health policy and the AAP's work to realize the vision laid out in the Blueprint for Children (First released in September 2016).
This update outlines the ways in which the Academy's expertise has helped to
protect foundational elements of child health policy and advance new initiatives in the interest of children.
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DO YOU HAVE PATIENTS THAT CAN'T ATTEND HIGH SCHOOL REGULARLY DUE TO ILLNESS?
At Clear Passage students learn online! Anywhere. Anytime.
Clear Passage Educational Center (CPEC) is an accredited, tuition-free independent study charter high school that serves students ages 14-19 years old. We offer high school diploma completion, credit recovery, college guidance and career preparation and one on one support to students who may need a more flexible learning environment, including students who may be recovering from illness. Courses are taken
online and can be completed at home or at school.
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The Event of the Year for Residents and Employers!
"AAP-CA2 Life After Residency"
January 29, 2019
Sheraton Universal Hotel
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Residents...
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Hospitals, Clinics, Practices
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- If you are finishing your pediatric residency soon...
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- If you are in need of a new pediatrician...
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- If you are looking for potential employers...
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- If you are looking for Full-Time, Part-Time, or Locum Tenens...
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- If you want to have a fantastic time while learning about your options...
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- If you want to meet the graduating class from seven pediatric programs...
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... Then This Event is for You!
6 - 7 PM Social & Network with Potential Employers - Hors d'oeuvres - Bar
7 - 8 PM Panel Presentations: (Career Paths, Your first year of practice, and more)
8 - 9 PM Q&A
Residents from all pediatric residency programs in Chapter 2 are encouraged to attend.
Sponsored by Abbott Nutrition
Date: January 29, 2019 from 6 to 9 PM
Location: Sheraton Universal Hotel - Poolside Terrace
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January 31, 2019
in Santa Barbara
- Town Hall / Dinner
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Brian Santacrose, MD, FAAP
Santa Barbara Area Rep.
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Please join AAP-CA2 Santa Barbara Area Representative Brian Santacrose, MD, FAAP for
a lecture/Town Hall on January 31, 2019.
Date:January 31, 2019
Time: 6:30 PM
Location: Wine Cask Restaurant - 813 Anacapa St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101
Kabrita
USA delivers nourishment and comfort to children and their parents through our naturally easy to digest Goat Milk-based formula. Kabrita USA is a division of Ausnutria, a company with over 100 years of dairy expertise. Our goat milk formula is made with high quality, pasteurized, non-GMO Dutch goat milk, and fortified with 22 vitamins and minerals including folic acid, iron and vitamin B12. Our mission is to help healthcare professionals support families so that they can make informed choices and nourish their child with confidence. We strive to add value to our community through education, transparency and supportive communication.
This event is sponsored by Kabrita USA.
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February 6, 2019
in Woodland Hills
- Town Hall / Dinner
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Ken Saul, MD FAAP Member-At-Large
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Join AAP-CA2 Member-At-Large Ken Saul, MD, FAAP for a Town Hall at Maggiano's, in Woodland Hills on February 6, 2019. Please save the date!
TOPIC: Food Allergy
SPEAKER: Anup Patel, MD - Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, CHOC
Date: 2/6/2019
Time: 6:30 PM
Location: Maggiano Woodland Hills
6100 Topanga Canyon Blvd, Woodland Hills, CA 91367
Sponsored by Mead Johnson
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February 28, 2019
in Hesperia
- Town Hall / Dinner
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Damodara Rajasekhar, MD, FAAP Vice President, AAP-CA2 |
Join AAP-CA2 Vice President Damodara Rajasekhar, MD, FAAP for a Town Hall in the High Desert on February 28, 2019.
AAP High Desert Area Townhall meeting
Topic #1:
"Diagnosis and Management of Autism in Children"
Speaker: Teresa Frausto, MD
Chief Psychiatric Officer, County of San Bernardino Behavioral Health Department.
Topic #2: AAP, CMA, SBCMS Updates.
Speaker: Damodara Rajasekhar, MD, FAAP
Vice President, AAP-CA2
President, San Bernardino County Medical Society
Date: 2/28/2019
Time: 6:30 PM
Location:
Bangkok Cuisine
15800 Main Street, Unit 200,
Hesperia, CA 92345
Tel: 760-998-2898
RSVP directly to Dr. Rajasekhar at drajasekharmd@gmail.com
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New Partnership: Ready, Set, Food! Now Available at
The Pump Station and Nurtury!
The Pump Station has been expecting and new parent's trusted source of education and Support for 30+ years. Ready, Set, Food! early and sustained allergen introduction system is now available at their
Santa Monica and Hollywood stores. Ready, Set, Food! is also now an integral part of their
Class curriculum.
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March 21, 2019
in Torrance
- Town Hall
Join AAP-CA2 President Alice Kuo, MD, PhD, MBA, FAAP, and County of Los Angeles Public Health Deputy Director Tony Kuo, MD, MSHS at El Camino College for a community-wide Town Hall addressing Flavored Liquid Vaping Products/E-Cigarettes use in youth. This event is in co-partnership with the C
ounty of Los Angeles Public Health Tobacco Control and Prevention Department - Division of Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention. This event is open to everyone!
Topic: Flavored Liquid Vaping Products/E-Cigarettes use in youth
Speakers TBA
Date: 3/21/2019
Location: El Camino College
16007 Crenshaw Blvd, Torrance, CA 90506
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March 21, 2019
in Hesperia
- Town Hall / Dinner
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Damodara Rajasekhar, MD, FAAP Vice President, AAP-CA2 |
Join AAP-CA2 Vice President Damodara Rajasekhar, MD, FAAP for a Town Hall in the High Desert on March 21, 2019.
AAP High Desert Area Townhall meeting
Topic #1:
"Evaluation and Management of Dysmorphic Infant"
Speaker: Robin Clark, MD - Genetics Specialist, LLUMC
Topic #2: AAP, CMA, SBCMS Updates.
Speaker: Damodara Rajasekhar, MD, FAAP
Vice President, AAP-CA2
President, San Bernardino County Medical Society
Date: 3/21/2019
Time: 6:30 PM
Location:
Bangkok Cuisine
15800 Main Street, Unit 200,
Hesperia, CA 92345
Tel: 760-998-2898
RSVP directly to Dr. Rajasekhar at drajasekharmd@gmail.com
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30th Annual
AAP-CA2 Symposium
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March 2, 2019
6.5 CME / 6 MOC Part 2
Saturday, March 2, 2019 at the Sheraton Universal Hotel
Early Bird Ends February 2, 2019
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Christine Thang, MD
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Call for Abstracts for AAP-CA2 Advances in Pediatrics Symposium
March 2, 2019 at the Universal Sheraton in Los Angeles, CA
Final Abstract Submission Deadline: January 15, 2019 at 11:59PM
- The AAP California Chapter 2 will accept abstracts on scholarly projects by pediatric and medicine-pediatric residents from CHLA, Harbor-UCLA, Kaiser LA, Loma Linda, UCLA, and USC.
- New this year, students from medical schools in the Southern California counties of Kern, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura are also invited to submit their abstracts!
- Abstracts can be on original research, quality improvement, clinical cases, or any other scholarly project conducted during residency training.
- Abstracts will be accepted for poster or oral presentation.
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Other Events -
Community Partners
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April 26, 2019 in Pomona
San Gabriel/Pomona Regional Center
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Immigrant Health Initiative - IHI
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Advocating for Immigrant Children: Join the AAP-CA2 Immigrant Health Initiative!
Join the AAP-CA2 chapter Immigrant Health Initiative (IHI)! The IHI
 will be a dynamic
local network for advocacy, education and mentorship for chapter members caring for our diverse immigrant children. We will also partner with the national AAP Immigrant Health Special Interest Group to engage in national advocacy campaigns and share resources for promoting immigrant health.
Click
here to join the IHI!
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AAP-CA Statewide Advocacy
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Have you visited the AAP-CA website lately?
Advocacy efforts on behalf of the four California Chapters is conducted from the office of AAP-CA CEO, Kris Calvin.
Advocacy Priorities
Universal ACCESS to quality, comprehensive pediatric care in a medical home, including access to vaccines and behavioral and mental health treatment for every child in California, including vulnerable populations such as children with special health care needs, foster children, children of immigrant families, LGBTQ youth and the list goes on.
Please visit
AAP-CA.org/Advocacy
to learn more about the current Advocacy Priorities and the list of High Priority Bills.
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STAY CONNECTED
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CDC Updates & LAHAN Alerts
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Join the CDC Listserv
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is happy to offer a free email subscription service, which allows CDC.gov users to receive alerts by e-mail when new information is available. With a subscription profile, you get the updated information on the items of interest to you automatically without having to return to the Web site and check for changes.
Click to Subscribe
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Join the LAHAN Listserv
To receive communications from the Health Alert Network, Sign-up here. 
It takes less than two minutes to sign up.
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Submitting Articles for Publication in Our Newsletter
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Have you written original clinical work you would like to share? Do you have any news that you would like to publish in our newsletter?
AAP-CA2 invites you to submit your ideas, accomplishments, news, pictures...
For article submission guidelines, please click here.
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Advertise in Our Newsletter
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AAP-CA2 invites you to advertise in our newsletter
AAP-CA2 publishes its electronic newsletter, Peds@CA2, which is emailed to its 1,700+ members on the first weekend every month. Chapter members and non-profit organizations receive a 50% discount. Please follow the link below for more information.
For advertisement rates and guidelines, please
click here.
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AAP-CA2 is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Please consider a tax-deductible charitable donation to one of our many programs.
- The Medicine-Biological Sciences Scholarship Program, which awards scholarships to exceptional high school students each year.
- The Committee on Service, Education, and Mentoring, which awards scholarships to pediatric residents for outstanding research projects.
- The S. Michael Marcy Memorial Lecture, which helps sponsor a portion of our annual Advances in Pediatrics Conference in his honor.
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PO Box 94127 Pasadena, CA 91109
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