Alabama Pediatrician: Conversations & Information for Your Practice

In this episode, we are jointed by Elizabeth Schlappi, Nurse Practitioner at UAB and Children's of Alabama in the Division of Childhood Abuse Pediatrics. We discuss the basics of identifying, working up, and reporting potential cases of physical child abuse and neglect. We include some general statistics about child abuse in the United States and Alabama before discussing cutaneous injuries (bruises, bites, burns), concerning fractures, head trauma, and the various forms of neglect. We end by discussing when to report concerns to DHR, how to talk to families about your concerns, and finally, advice for helping prevent child abuse from happing in the first place. (specifics of the discussion, such as a list of fractures and pneumonics will be added here soon)

Our Reach Out and Read coordinators, Amy Crosby and Salina Sowell join us today to share updates on ROR and what awesome things to look forward to at the Grand Pediatric Pentathlon at our AL AAP Spring Meeting (April 18-21)! Also joining us is Sarah Pelkey with All About Books! Be sure to come by the Reach Out and Read exhibition booth at the Spring Meeting! - Don't forget to sign up for the Grand Pediatric Pentathlon, limited extra shirts available on a first come, first serve basis! - Last day to sign up for Sandcastle University is April 10th! To learn more about Reach Out and Read Alabama, click here! Also, check out All About Books! Click here.

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month and this month we are partnering with the Child Abuse experts in Birmingham for a series of episodes related to Child Abuse! Maribeth Thomas is the Executive Director of the Prescott House Child Advocacy Center and shares what it was like as a forensic interviewer, what services the Prescott House provides, and tips on handling victims of child abuse. Stay tuned for more episodes this month! For more information on the Prescott House, click here.

We've decided to start a AL AAP Chapter Quarterly series with Chapter updates throughout the year! Listen to how Legislative Day went, what new updates we have, and also what's in store at the AL Chapter Spring Meeting! For more information and to register for the AL AAP Spring Meeting (April 18-21st at The Lodge in Gulf Shores): click here. - Save the Date! The AL AAP Chapter Annual Meeting in Birmingham will be Sept. 13th-15th! For our Chapter's Firearms Injury/Death Prevention resource page: click here. ** Reach out to your legislation to vote for HB 265, which will update the child passenger safety laws! - For more information on the bill: click here. - If you don't know who your legislative representatives are, you can find them on this site: click here. Career day at Univ of South AL is May 7th!

Ever done a news interview and not known what to say or felt like it could have gone better? WAFF 48 News Anchor Margo Gray joins us and shares tips on how to have a successful news interview! Friend not foe!

Get to know the inspirational Dr. Sue Kressly as she talks about her journey to AAP leadership and what she hopes to accomplish as President next year! Also, learn why the AAP is important at a local and national level and what it can do for you! For AAP resources on Medicaid Unwinding: click here. For AAP resources and support on promoting vaccines: click here. If you have any questions or concerns for Dr. Kressly, let us know!

February 8th is National Black Women Physicians' Day! Our special guests, Dr. Truddie Darden, Dr. Evelyn Evans, and Dr. Nina Ford Johnson share what inspired them to become pediatricians and the journey it took for them to get where they are today! Happy Black Women Physicians' Day and Happy Black History Month!

AL State Legislative Session starts February 6th! Listen in as our AL AAP lobbying consultant Graham Champion, advocate extraordinaire Dr. Marsha Raulerson, and our Chapter Executive Director talk about legislative advocacy! Hear about the bills that are of interest to pediatric providers everywhere, as well as how to talk to a legislator and how to advocate to them! #ForTheKids Check out our Chapter's Legislative Advocacy Tools: click here. Also check out the National AAP's Advocacy Guide: click here. Check out the National AAP Advocacy Conference: click here. Don't forget to keep a look out for AL AAP Legislative Day, March 6, 2024!

Join us as Dr. Mark Sapp and Chris Newlin tell us more about the National Children's Advocacy Center (NCAC), a multi-disciplinary non-profit organization that helps coordinate the investigation and response to child abuse, as well as provides resources to help educate and prevent abuse as well! It's the first Children's Advocacy Center in the country and it started right here in Alabama! To learn more about the National Children's Advocacy Center: click here. For NCAC's Child Abuse Library Online (CALiO): click here. For information on Handle with Care: click here. For AAP Resources on Child Abuse and Neglect: click here.

January 11th is National Human Trafficking Awareness Day. Join us as Dr. Kara Huls and Dr. Ashley Hodges discuss what human trafficking is, signs to alert us, and how to care for victims. AAP Pediatrics in Review on Child Labor and Sex Trafficking: click here. AAP Screening Tools for Child Trafficking: click here. National Human Trafficking Hotline: Call 888-373-7888 or Text INFO to 233733 - The hotline is a great resource to connect victims and survivors of sex and labor trafficking with services and supports to get help and stay safe. There are also resources for providers as well. For more information about Children's of Alabama's Children's Hospital Intervention and Prevention Services (CHIPS) Center, check out this website: CHIPS Center. - To contact the on call provider for the Sunrise Clinic, call 205-638-9100 and ask to speak to the Sunrise Clinic or Human Trafficking On Call Provider.

In part 2 of our two part series on Relational Health, learn about the AL Child Health Improvement Alliance, or ACHIA, and its collaborative this year to improve Relational Health in our state! Joining us are Dr. Cason Benton and Dr. Elizabeth Dawson to tell us how YOU can be a part in improving quality care for pediatric patients in our state! For more information on ACHIA and its resources, click here: www.achia.org - QI Teamspace has Trauma Informed Care and Early Relational Health Resources. Contact information: -Cason Benton, MD, FAAP ACHIA Director: ebenton@uabmc.edu -Rachel Latham, ACHIA Project Manager: rlatham@alaap.org This concludes Season 1 of the AL Pediatrician podcast! Thank you to everyone who has been a part of this project and for everyone listening as well! Looking forward to sharing more with you in Season 2!

Dr. Elizabeth Dawson and Dr. Michael Arenson join us to talk about relational health! This is part one of a two episode series on adverse childhood experiences and toxic stress and how YOU can prevent it and promote relational health! "Instructions for living a life: Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it. " - Mary Oliver Check out the Pediatrics article on Preventing Childhood Toxic Stress: click here. Check out the AAP's Toolkit on Preventing Adverse Childhood Experiences: click here. Check out the CDC's resources on ACEs: click here. As mentioned in the episode, check out the Surgeon General's article on Loneliness: click here. Resources mentioned by Dr. Dawson: - Alabama Network of Family Resource Centers: click here. - Troy Resilience Project: click here. Other resources on Relational Health and Childhood Toxic Stress/Adverse Childhood Experiences worth checking out too! - Reach Out and Read's Early Literacy Research Library (ELRL): click here. - National Children's Advocacy Center's Child Abuse Library Online (CALiO): click here.

Drs. Katrina Skinner, Justin Hovey, and Nola Ernest share highlights from the AAP National Conference and Exhibition, or NCE, and also share why it's worth it to attend! For more highlights from the 2023 NCE, check out this link: 2023 NCE highlights Congratulations to Dr. Morissa Ladinsky on receiving the Ellen Perrin Award for Excellence in LGBTQ+ Health and Wellness! For more information on her award and other awards presented at the 2023 NCE, click here: 2023 NCE Awards The 2024 NCE will be Sept 27-Oct 1 in Orlando! For more info, click here: 2024 NCE The 2024 AAP Advocacy Conference will be April 14-16 in Washington, DC! For more info, click here: 2024 AAP Advocacy Conference

It's a crazy busy season so far with bronchiolitis! Dr. Orr discusses recommendations in bronchiolitis management and care, and reminding us that "Less is More", both inpatient and outpatient settings! Articles discussed: - 2014 Bronchiolitis Clinical Pathway Guideline - Cochrane Review on chest physiotherapy in bronchiolitis - Factors Associated with Non-Adherence to the Guidelines Check out some great bronchiolitis videos recommended by Dr. Orr here! Dr. Orr mentioned the alveolar gas equation: and for those needing a little refresher, check out this StatPearl article!

On this episode, we discuss the wide spectrum of enteroviruses that commonly infect the pediatric population with University of South Alabama infectious disease specialist Dr. Benjamin Estrada. We also discuss the increasingly common use of viral PCR panels and the concept of "Diagnostic Stewardship." CDC Information on Non-Polio Enteroviruses Making Sense of Respiratory Viral Panel Results Increase in Enteroviruses Seen with Decreases in COVID-19 Precautions

Dr. Tyler McDonald, a pediatric orthopedic surgeon at the Univ of South AL, continues his discussion on how obesity has an impact on orthopedic issues. Check out episode 18 for Part 1! If you have any questions, contact Dr. McDonald: tcmcdonald@health.southalabama.edu

UAB pediatric endocrinologist Hussein Abdul-Latif, MD, FAAP, talks about the effects of maternal thyroid disease on newborns, what to look for, how to manage and more! For more information, check out the AAP Pediatrics Article on Congenital Hypothyroidism here!

Join us as Dr. Tyler McDonald, a pediatric orthopedic surgeon at the Univ of South AL, talks about how much obesity has an impact on orthopedic issues. *Side note, this episode was recorded shortly after the Spring Meeting and references Dr. McDonald's awesome lecture he gave at it! If you have any questions, contact Dr. McDonald: tcmcdonald@health.southalabama.edu

Dr. Poole and Dr. Middleton discuss management, work up, and treatment for newborns at risk of congenital syphilis, a topic that affects both inpatient and outpatient pediatric care. Also, you can check out the talk she did with the AL Dept of Public Health through this link! As noted in the lecture, please contact the HIV clinic via fax (205-934-8658) or email (lorimills@uabmc.edu) if you need to refer a patient, whether perinatal exposure or pediatric care. If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Poole at claudette.poole@uabmc.edu.