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Alice Kuo, MD, PhD, MBA, FAAP President, AAP - CA2 2018 - 2020 |
President's Message
I hope you are staying dry in this rainy weather, as we turn towards the winter holiday season. I can't believe how quickly Thanksgiving came and went, and we are now barreling towards the end of the year.
This is traditionally a season of giving, and I am sure you have been bombarded with appeals to donate to your favorite charities. In this month's message, I am making an appeal as well, on behalf of our Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. We are a non-profit organization (separate from the national AAP) and we rely on Chapter dues and philanthropy in order to advocate for children's health issues locally and at the state level. Some of our Chapter accomplishments this year:
- Testified at City Council meetings in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, Culver City, Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach, Long Beach, Burbank and Los Angeles County to ban the sale of flavored tobacco products, vaping products or all tobacco products
- Established an active ACEs Committee to liaise with the statewide office of the Surgeon General to implement screening for ACEs in pediatric office settings
- Continued to support the Immigrant Child Health Committee to assist the Los Angeles Office of Immigrant Affairs in addressing issues at our borders
- Published the guidelines for appropriate medical exemptions for vaccines with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health
Thanks to all of you who support our Chapter with your dues-we could not do this work locally for children's health without you. For those of you who have not paid your Chapter dues, or if you are interested in contributing more so we can do more, please contact Tomas or visit our website (
here) to make a donation. If there are pediatricians you know who would be willing to join the Chapter, please direct them to our membership site (
here).
Our Life After Residency event will be held at the Andaz West Hollywood Hotel on January 30, 2020. It promises to be an amazing job fair for our third-year pediatric residents, recent graduates and mid-career professionals looking for a career change. If you are looking for a job or looking for a new pediatrician in your office or practice setting, please consider coming to this networking extravaganza!!
We are finalizing the agenda for our Annual Symposium on March 28, 2020 at Carnesale Commons at UCLA. We have an outstanding program with three tracks for pediatricians of all types: general pediatrics, hospital pediatrics, and child advocacy. Please come to attend our annual business meeting at lunch, and to hear from experts about immigrant child health, vaping, primary care pediatrics, ACEs and more!!
Also, if you are an Early Career Physician (i.e., less than 10 years out of residency), we are planning a social networking mixer for mid-April, with a special guest (which we hope to confirm very soon). We will provide child care for pediatricians who need to bring young children in order to attend. Stay tuned for more details forthcoming!!
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 with Quality Improvement (QI) projects, 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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ACEs -
Chapter Survey & State Website
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Help Us Address
Adverse Childhood Experiences
Our Chapter needs your help in understanding what you think about ACEs, how they impact your patients, and what you think about how best to address them. Please take just a few minutes to complete the following short survey and make sure your perspective is counted.
Thanks to all who have already taken the survey!
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Did you attend the
ACEs Aware
Initiative Unveiling
webinar on December 4th? Here are a few highlights from Dr. Nadine Burke Harris:
Goal: To decrease ACEs in CA by 50% in one generation.
- Reimbursement: $29 per screening of Medi-Cal patients starting in January 2020. For FQHCs, the reimbursement is in addition to the regular payment. Roll out to private sector? Not at the present time but being considered for the near future.
- Screening tools of choice: PEARLS for children and adolescents (0 - 19); ACEs Assessment Tool for adults ages 18 and older. Either PEARLS or ACEs for ages 18-19. Re-screening is allowed once per year, per provider, per managed care plan for patients under age 21 if medically necessary. Only one adult (Over 21) lifetime screening is reimbursable. Why screen adults? Addressing a toxic stress etiology may improve a chronic condition outcome.
- Training: Training is already available online by creating an account here. Get trained now to be reimbursed for screenings beginning January 1st.
- Billing Codes: G9920 (ACE score 0-3, lower risk); G9919 (ACE score 4 or greater, High risk). Medi-Cal requires the use of the tools recommended by ACEs Aware for reimbursement.
The ACEs Aware initiative is a first-in-the-nation statewide effort to screen for childhood trauma and treat the impacts of toxic stress. The bold goal of this state-wide initiative is to reduce Adverse Childhood Experiences and toxic stress by half in a single generation, and to launch a national movement to ensure everyone is ACEs Aware. For more information, visit
ACEsAware.org
or submit your questions by emailing
info@acesaware.org
.
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Chapter Nominations -
2020 - 2022 Term
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Interested in participating on the 2020-2022 AAP-CA2 Board of Directors?
It's time to develop a slate for the AAP-CA2 Board of Directors. There are several opportunities for involvement. Please take a moment to advise us of your interest in running for the elected positions, as well as the names of others you think may be interested or whose interest should be encouraged. Please note, those candidates selected to run for Executive Board positions will be expected to make a short statement at the Annual Business Luncheon on March 28, 2020 at the 31st Annual Advances in Pediatrics Symposium.
Please complete this Form by January 31, 2020
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Get Involved -
Chapter Committees
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Chapter committees are great opportunities to get involved in areas that interest you the most. Furthermore, if you are a Fellow member (FAAP), local involvement could position you for leadership opportunities at National AAP. To learn more about our various Committees and Sections, and to sign up for any of the Committees/Sections listed below, please visit aapca2.org/committees
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Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Committee
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Anti-Smoking/Vaping Committee |
Immigrant Health Committee |
| Immunizations Committee |
Membership Committee |
Physician Wellness Committee |
| Practice Management Committee |
Section on Early Career Physicians |
Section on Pediatric Trainees |
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Advocacy Against Flavored Tobacco - City of Los Angeles
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The Los Angeles Health, Education, Neighborhoods, Parks , Arts, and River Committee held a special meeting on Thursday, December 5, 2019 at the John Ferraro Council Chamber (LA City Hall) to consider recommendations to draft an ordinance to prohibit the sale of flavored tobacco products.
Tony Kuo, MD, MSHS presents a report to
the Los Angeles Health, Education, Neighborhoods, Parks , Arts, and River Committee
Committee Councilmembers David E Ryu, Mitch O'Farrell, and Curren D. Price Jr. first heard a report by Dr. Tony Kuo, MD, MSHS, Director of the
Division of Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. Dr Kuo stated:
"
Evidence is mounting that e-cigarette use can impact lung function, especially in youth"
Dr. Kuo shared his experience with the LA County Board of Supervisors, reminding Council members that on October 1st the Board of Supervisors adopted an ordinance prohibiting the sale of all flavors including menthol that is marketed to minority communities. Other cities that have adopted similar policies include Culver City, Redondo Beach, Beverly Hills, Burbank and Manhattan Beach.
Following Dr. Kuo's report, City Council members heard public comment during three hours (1 minute assigned to each speaker) from the general public including elementary and high school students, representatives from American Lung Association, American Heart Association, AAP-CA2, Cancer Action Network, and Breathe California, to name a few.
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Pediatrician Cambria Garell, MD, Associate Program Director for the UCLA Pediatric Residency Program urged Councilmembers to "Please take bold action to protect our children from a life of nicotine addiction by ending the sale of candy flavor tobacco products". |
Mallory Taylor, MD, a 3rd year pediatric resident at UCLA
stated that "One third of High School students in Los Angeles have tried e-cigarettes, 97% of which have used flavors"
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Finally,
Los Angeles City Attorney Michael N. Feuer presented report number R19-Q305, Re: Policy Options for Banning or Restricting the Sale of Flavored Tobacco Products to Youth; Survey of Legislative Regulations in Other Jurisdictions. Mr. Feuer stated "The health and well-being of an entire generation of our youth will be affected by the City's leadership during this current vaping crisis" and concluded by recommending "nothing short of a Citywide ban on the sale of all flavored tobacco products, without exception, as the best option to protect our current generation of youth and the generations to follow from the negative health consequences associated with use of tobacco products".
Less Than the Anticipated Outcome
While the Committee agreed to end the sale of flavored tobacco products, they included two exemptions:
- Hookah would still be allowed for onsite consumption at lounges.
- Menthol cigarettes would continue to be sold at 21 and over tobacco shops.
Christian Garcia from the office of Larry Tramutola stated "This is not the comprehensive measure we were promised.
The City Clerk is in the process of preparing a report to City Council reflective of the recommendations provided during the Committee hearing. We have time until the first of the year to ask the Committee members to get rid of these exemptions and pass the most comprehensive measure that protects L.A. youth and families".
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The outcome of the December 4th City of Los Angeles Special Health Committee meeting was bittersweet. While the Committee agreed to end the sale of flavored tobacco products, exempting Hookah and Menthol is not the comprehensive measure that was expected based on prior meetings with Councilmembers.
Since the last City Council meeting of the year is scheduled for Wednesday December 11, this item will not return to City Council until after the first of the year.
Starting Monday morning (December 9th) you have an opportunity to start making calls and emailing the
Committee members (Ryu, Price and O'Farell) to encourage them to pass a comprehensive flavor ban that does not include exemptions.
Thank you for your support!
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January 29 in Camarillo - Financial Wellness for Physicians
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Melissa Ruiz, MD, FAAP
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Pallavi Kamra, MD, FAAP
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Please join AAP-CA2 Members-At-Large Pallavi Kamra, MD, FAAP and Melissa Ruiz, MD, FAAP for a an evening of Financial Wellness and Planning in Ventura County.
Dinner will be served. Please RSVP as soon as possible so we can arrange the venue accordingly.
Date: Wednesday, January 29, 2020
Location:
Ottavio's Italian Restaurant. 1620 Ventura Blvd, Camarillo, CA 93010
Time: 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
AGENDA
6:30p - 6:45p: Social/ Dinner
7:15p - 7:45p: Q&A for the financial planner
7:45p - 8:15p: Jornay PM
TM drug presentation - Derek Ott, MD
Long acting ADHD medication for ages 6 and older
8:15p - 8:30p: Q&A for Dr Ott
Sponsored by Justyna Huovinen, Ironshore Pharmaceuticals
Please RSVP and send any questions and topics for the financial planner or pediatric discussion to
pallavikamra@gmail.com
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Life After Residency &
Pediatric Career Fair 2020
January 30, 2020
6 PM - 9 PM
The Event of the Year in Southern California
for Pediatric Residents, Fellows, and Pediatricians looking for new opportunities
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Pediatric Residents/Fellowship Trainees/Pediatricians
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EMPLOYERS
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- If you're finishing your pediatric residency soon...
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- If you're in need of a new pediatrician...
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- If you're looking for potential employers...
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- If you're 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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This Event is For You!
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February 5, 2020 in
Woodland Hills - Town Hall/Dinner Lecture
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Kenneth Saul, MD, FAAP |
Attention Los Angeles County pediatricians who serve children with Medi-Cal!
We invite you to attend our upcoming training at the upcoming AAP Chapter 2 Town Hall Dinner, presented by Ken Saul, MD, FAAP.
Overview of Pediatric Caries Risk-Prevention and Disease Management
Wednesday, February 5, 2020
At Maggiano's in Woodland Hills
We Will Cover:
- A review of Medi-Cal 2020 Dental Transformation Initiative and More LA Smiles;
- The prevalence and severity of caries in infants, children and adolescents;
- Understanding dental caries;
- Risk-based assessments and population-based approaches;
- Preventive and disease management practices;
- Systems-based approaches to improving children's oral health
Who:
Los Angeles County pediatricians who serve children with Medi-Cal.
What:
Learn about preventive oral health services you can incorporate into well-child visits.
When:
February 5, 2020 at 6:30PM
Where:
Maggiano's Little Italy 6100 Topanga Canyon Boulevard, Promenade, Westfield, CA 91367
Why:
February is National Children's Dental Health Month! To commemorate, join us for an evening about the importance of oral health for your patients. Dental caries is the most prevalent childhood disease, more than asthma or obesity.
RSVP:
training@morelasmiles.org
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March 28, 2020
ADVANCES IN PEDIATRICS
31st Annual AAP-CA2 Pediatric Symposium
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Mobeen H. Rathore, MD, FAAP
of Jacksonville, Florida.
Moira A. Szilagyi, MD, PhD, FAAP, of Marina Del Rey, California.
Both candidates for AAP president-elect, will be guest faculty at the 31st Annual Advances in Pediatrics Symposium at UCLA on March 28.
Also, as candidates for AAP President-Elect, they will both speak during our Annual Business Luncheon.
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Dr. Rathore will speak on infectious diseases.
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| Moira A. Szilagyi, MD, PhD, FAAP |
Dr. Szilagyi will speak on
Childhood Trauma and Resilience
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Planning, Implementation and Resident Grants
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Christine Thang, MD, FAAP
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If you have an idea to make a difference in
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Melissa Ruiz, MD, FAAP
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your community,
consider applying for a CATCH grant! The CATCH Program is a national initiative of the AAP that supports pediatricians to collaborate within their communities to advance the health of all children. Through the CATCH Program, pediatricians are empowered to identify promising solutions that work in their individual communities.
The Call for Proposals ends on January 15, 2020. The application can be found here. If you have questions, please reach out to your CATCH Chapter Facilitators Christine Thang (
cthang@mednet.ucla.edu
) or Melissa Ruiz (
ruizmj@gmail.com
), or contact the general CATCH staff at
CATCH@aap.org
. Thank you for what you do on behalf of children!
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QI Opportunities -
CME and MOC Part 4
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More LA Smiles
CME and MOC Part 4 Opportunities
In a state-funded effort to improve the oral health of Los Angeles County children on Medi-Cal, UCLA's More LA Smiles Dental Transformation Initiative invites medical providers and their staff to participate in clinical trainings and improvement opportunities.
Oral Health Integration in Primary Care
Primary Care Practice Quality Improvement is a program led by UCLA More LA Smiles focused on integrating oral health preventative services in well-child visits. Participating providers receive up to 30-50 CME and 20-25 MOC Part IV credits at no cost upon meaningful participation in the program. Participation includes the implementation of oral health assessments and fluoride varnish applications during primary care with the help of a quality improvement specialist.
Overview Training: This 1-hour training explains the Medi-Cal 2020 Dental Transformation Initiative and provides contemporary understanding of dental caries and systems-based approaches to improving children's oral health. Participating providers may earn 1 CME credit online by visiting
https://morelasmiles.org/medicaloverview or can request an in-person training for their office by emailing
training@morelasmiles.org.
Advanced Training: The 3-hour training includes in-depth instruction on performing caries risk assessments, applying fluoride varnish, utilizing self-management goals and contemporary approaches for prevention and management of dental caries as a chronic infectious disease. Participating providers earn 3 CME credits. We welcome the opportunity to provide an in-person training for your organization; please email
training@morelasmiles.org to coordinate.
Stay Connected!    @moreLAsmiles
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Do you follow us on Twitter?
Thank you to the 605 who follow us on Twitter.
If you haven't yet, follow the Chapter, and please tag us when posting child health matters.
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Previous Issues -
Peds@CA2 e-News
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Visit us on Facebook / Follow us on Twitter
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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Please contact Tomás Torices, MD (Chapter executive director) for all Chapter 2 related matters.
Mailing Address:
AAP-CA2
PO Box 94127
Pasadena, CA 91109
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