Valley Children's Voice

As pediatricians, we all want what is best for our patients, but are we considering if our decisions are providing high-value care? Hospitalists Dr. Jolie Limon and Dr. Nicole Webb lead a conversation with Dr. Shea Osburn and discuss what is high-quality care, examples of low-value care, and how to teach this concept to learners.

California's Central Valley is approximately 65% Hispanic, but the Valley's physician population doesn't reflect that. How do we help bridge that gap?  Dr. Michael Galvez shares his story of becoming a physician, and joins Dr. Jolie Limon and  Dr. Nicole Webb to discuss why diversity, equity and inclusion is so important in medicine.   

If you've listened to previous episodes of Valley Children's Voice, you'll recognize our hosts, Dr. Jolie Limon and Dr. Nicole Webb. Both Dr. Limon and Dr. Webb serve in leadership roles within Valley Children's Healthcare, but their journey wasn't easy. In this episode, they discuss their own experiences as women in healthcare, the importance of mentorship and the lessons they learned along the way.

This month, we're discussing Somatic Symptom Disorder. Valley Children's hospitalist and Valley Children's Voice host Dr. Nicole Webb meets with pediatric neurologist Dr. Steven Ehrreich and pediatric psychologist Dr. Amanda Suplee to discuss the signs of psychogenic nonepileptic seizures and how to discuss this diagnoses with families. 

We can agree mental health is an important topic to discuss with patients, but how do we start this conversation? And what do we do when a patient, or their families, isn't open to the conversation?

In this episode of Valley Children's Voice, Dr. Nicole Webb speaks with Valley Children's Pediatric Psychologist Dr. Yvette Segura and Valley Children's resident Dr. Pritha Dewanjee on their experiences discussing mental health with patients, and best ways to approach mental health conversations.

Looking for resources to provide patients and families? 360me is a mental health initiative launched by Valley Children's Healthcare to help families, schools and communities safeguard our children’s physical and mental health. Learn more at valleychildrens.org/360me.

Safe sleep might seem like a well-understood topic, but we continue to see sleep related deaths. Why is that, and how can we as medical professionals best have important conversations on safe sleep with families?

In today's episode, Dr. Nicole Webb discusses with Alyssa Webb, neonatal outreach and project coordinator, and Kristina Pasma, Valley Children's trauma nurse liaison and Safe Kids Central California coalition coordinator, what we see here in the Central Valley and how to best discuss safe sleep to families, as well as peers.

**This episode discusses some Safe Sleep resources for families. Here are links to the mentioned resources:
Safe Kids: safekids.org
Cribs for Kids: cribsforkids.org
American Academy of Pediatrics: aap.org/en/patient-care/safe-sleep

When a child comes in experiencing significant weight loss, nutritional deficiency or a lack of interest in food, they may be diagnosed with an eating disorder like anorexia nervosa. However, these symptoms overlap with a newer DSM-5 diagnosis: Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID). Children with ARFID go beyond the phases of a picky eater and while they display similar signs of other eating disorders, there are tell-tale differences, including no evidence of negative thoughts on the child’s body or a desire to lose weight.

Valley Children’s VP of Academic Affairs and board certified in pediatric hospital medicine Dr. Jolie Limon hosts pediatric gastroenterologist Dr. Karla Au Yeung and pediatric psychologist Dr. Amanda Suplee in this episode of Valley Children’s Voice. Listen in as they discuss ARFID, how it differs from other eating disorders and the physical and psychological symptoms and risks.

Children who experience Adverse Childhood Experiences, or ACEs, are more likely to suffer from physical and emotional challenges during childhood, and into their adult life. 

In part two of this discussion, pediatric hospitalist Dr. Jolie Limon meets with complex care pediatrician Dr. Carmela Sosa, Valley Children’s Chief Resident and pediatrician Dr. Keenia Tappin, and Valley Children’s Child Advocacy Coordinator Jerica Ramos discuss the importance for screening for, and the impacts of, ACEs.

Children who experience Adverse Childhood Experiences, or ACEs, are more likely to suffer from physical and emotional challenges during childhood, and into their adult life. But what are ACEs and how do physicians screen for them? In the first part of this two-part discussion, pediatric hospitalist Dr. Jolie Limon meets with complex care pediatrician Dr. Carmela Sosa, Valley Children’s Chief Resident and pediatrician Dr. Keenia Tappin, and Valley Children’s Child Advocacy Coordinator Jerica Ramos to dive into the general understanding of ACEs, how and why one should screen and the impacts of these experiences. 

During the holiday season, you might find yourself stressed, overwhelmed and anxious. You are not alone, and during times like this, it’s more important than ever to consider the importance of taking care of your whole self.

This month, host Dr. Nicole Webb chats with Dr. Merideth Wirstiuk, pediatric psychologist, and Dr. Kimberly Robertello, physician development specialist, on how they acknowledge their own wellness as physicians and parents, ways our own pediatric healthcare network focuses on wellbeing, and tips on focusing on you and your child’s whole self. 

Valley Children’s blog, At The Heart, is a blog for parents and families. Dr. Merideth Wirstiuk recently authored a post on how it’s okay if it’s not the “most wonderful time of the year.” This blog post can be found here.