Delaware Primary Care Initiative on Childhood Overweight
A Full Day of Learning and Sharing for Primary Care Providers
In less than six months, through the Delaware Primary Care Initiative on Childhood Overweight, NHPS has catalyzed change among primary care providers in the way they address childhood overweight in their practices. The 15 primary care practices including a total of 37 physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, dieticians, social workers, and office staff reconvened on October 10, 2007 for Learning Session 2, a full day of learning and sharing. Representatives from some of our strategic partnering agencies were also present, including the American Academy of Pediatrics - Delaware Chapter, Division of Medicaid and Medical Assistance and the Division of Public Health.
Dr. Karyl Rattay leads a discussion >>>
Participating teams continue to focus on three significant changes as part of this collaborative:
- measuring and classifying BMI on all well-child visits;
- sharing healthy lifestyle messages at all well-child visits; and
- working with families of overweight or obese children to develop a care plan and family-management goals.
Each team presented a "storyboard" highlighting the work they've accomplished since May, including successes, challenges, and lessons learned. Faculty covered topics that included making changes toward our aims, motivational interviewing, parents as partners, and how to accelerate improvement. All of the teams are, to varying degrees, now measuring and classifying BMI during well-child visits and are providing counseling on adopting the 5-2-1-Almost None healthy lifestyle. In the coming months, many teams plan to improve how they link their patients to community resources and actively engage parents in making lifestyle changes as a family.
Bottom row, left to right: Pat Heinrich, Sonya Davis, Ed Wilson, Dr. Aguida Atkinson, Dr. Sandy Hassink.
Top row, left to right: Jane Taylor, Dr. Karyl Rattay with Amanda Rattay, Judi Feinson, Denise Driscoll, Kathy Schmidt, Mary Trotter, Claudia Kane, Genya Dell'Orefice.
