This will be a great way for us to keep abreast of developments at UC Davis Children’s Hospital and the Department of Pediatrics. Some items I’m excited to share:

n We are proud to announce two faculty member awards. Lavjay Butani is the recipient of the 2016 Distinguished Award for Graduate and Professional Teaching at the Academic Senate Awards. Mark Underwood has received the Dean’s Excellence in Mentoring Award in the area of Clinical Care. Both are richly deserving of this recognition.

n The intern selection committee, under the direction of Su Ting Li, has completed the ranking of applicants for next year’s intern class. We are excited to discover who will be joining our residency in the upcoming year.

n The search for a new chair for the Department of Pediatrics has also been underway. Four highly qualified candidates from around the country recently visited UC Davis Medical Center for two-day interviews. We look forward to a successful completion of this very important recruitment.

n Finally, the children’s hospital has been very busy during this winter season. My sincere thanks to all our medical staff for their dedicated and expert care of children from our city and region.

Children’s hospitals are dedicated exclusively to caring for children. In the United States, there are fewer than 250 hospitals dedicated to pediatric care.

UC Davis Children’s Hospital has been a children’s hospital for more than 20 years. It is the only institutional member of the National Association of Children’s Hospitals and Related Institutions (NACHRI) in the Sacramento region. To become a member of NACHRI, an application institution must meet specific criteria, usually of a clinical and programmatic nature.

Continued on following page

Kevin Coulter, interim chair of

the Department of Pediatrics

Welcome to the

Pediatric Press!

What it means to be a

children’s hospital

above and beyond

Nurses save young boy through CPRAs newlyweds, Nick and Debbie (Fishenfeld) Meyers, pictured, were focusing on another milestone – buying a house. Both were already nurses – Nick in the NSICU, and Debbie in the PICU at UC Davis Medical Center. They were house hunting and viewing the backyard of one property, when they heard desperate screams of help coming from behind a six-foot wooden fence.

Without a second thought, Nick flew over the fence to see what could be done. Debbie broke through the fence to join her husband.

On the other side of the fence, Nick and Debbie faced a parent’s worst nightmare. Luke Roberti, 3, had been pulled out of a swimming pool by his mother and was pulseless and blue. The couple immediately initiated CPR, with Nick applying compressions and Debbie providing breaths. Minutes into CPR, fluid started coming out of Luke’s mouth. He began coughing and taking some breaths. His pulse returned.

EMS arrived after 10 minutes and Luke was transferred to a local emergency department. Initially, Luke’s parents were told that he had a one in 300,000,000 chance of surviving with no neurologic impairment; miraculously, he was discharged the next day.

“Nick and Debbie are most incredible people I have ever known. They didn’t hesitate for one second. They will forever be our angels,” said Fonsen, Luke’s mother, who invited Debbie and Nick the next day to meet Luke.

During the couple’s first encounter with Luke, he was a lifeless and blue. On this second meeting, he was an energetic toddler who had been given a second chance. A chance that was made possible by two UC Davis staff members going above and beyond in the community.

In recognition of their actions, the nurses received the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses. The award is part of the DAISY Foundation’s program to recognize the extraordinary efforts nurses perform every day.

Carol Robinson, chief nursing

officer for UC Davis Medical Center,

left, Debbie and Nicholas Meyers.

U C d av i s C h i l d r e n ’ s h o s p i ta l n e w s l e t t e r s p r i n g 2 0 1 6

The UC Davis Trauma Prevention and Outreach program and emergency department staff will participate in the annual Every 15 Minutes program on April 7.

Every 15 Minutes is a two-day program targeting high school juniors and seniors to think about the risks of driving while distracted or intoxicated. The name is derived from the assertion that “every 15 minutes someone in the United States dies in an alcohol-related vehicle collision.”

The teens witness the consequences of a staged drunk driving crash and are challenged to think about high-risk driving behavior and the impact their decisions have on family, friends and others.

“The Every 15 Minutes program is an impactful awareness campaign for students and health-care professionals alike,” said Christy

NACHRI has merged with the National Association of Children’s Hospitals (NACH) and the Child Health Corporation of America (CHCA) to form the Children’s Hospital Association (CHA), an organization that advances child health through innovation in quality, cost and delivery of care.

UC Davis Children’s Hospital is the Sacramento region’s only nationally ranked, comprehensive hospital for children, offering children and their families the highest level of care for virtually every pediatric health condition. The 129-bed hospital has more than 120 board-certified physicians in more than 30 subspecialties, offering families a comprehensive range of pediatric services.

Continued from previous page

“It’s a powerful demonstration of how a single decision can affect so many lives.”Christy adams UC Davis Trauma Prevention and Outreach Program Coordinator

For the Miracle Month of May, Costco stores throughout Northern California will be selling paper Miracle Balloons in exchange for donations to UC Davis Children’s Hospital as part of the national Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals campaign.

UC Davis Children’s Hospital received nearly $970,000 in 2015 from donations made last May. Money is raised one dollar at a time, with Costco employees asking customers for donations. To spread the love and gratitude, Children’s Miracle Network at UC Davis is asking all UC Davis Health System and UC Davis employees to thank cashiers for their support when they are shopping at Costco in May.

“These cashiers are on the front lines and are making miracles happen for our patients with every ask that they make,” said Jacquelyn Mills, director of development at Children’s Miracle Network at UC Davis. “Our employees can let these cashiers know that they are making a difference. We are thankful for all of their efforts.”

Adams, coordinator of the UC Davis Trauma Prevention and Outreach Program. “It’s a powerful demonstration of how a single decision can affect so many lives.”

The trauma prevention program and the emergency department have been actively involved with Every 15 Minutes since 1997. The hospital staff performs

a mock resuscitation of the teens that are transported to the emergency department from the staged drunk driving crash.

Organized by the California Highway Patrol (CHP), Every 15 Minutes is a collaboration between

local hospitals, the CHP and local high schools. It is supported nationwide by funding from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Car accidents are the leading cause of death and non-fatal injury hospitalizations among 14-18 year olds in Sacramento County.

Uc davis health system participates in

Every 15 Minutes Program

miracle month of may Thank you, Costco cashiers!

child life + radiology

Building Partnerships

Child Life provides support to children and families in different areas of the hospital. And last winter the Department of Radiology added a Child Life fellow to its team.

Before adding Child Life services, many of the tests and procedures for children in radiology were scheduled with general anesthesia. Now that Child Life fellow Carla Andalis has been working in radiology, 18 pediatric patients, ages 5 to 14, have successfully completed magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) without general anesthesia or sedation.

“Giving a child a positive and successful experience in which they are able to master completing a test/procedure on their own is valuable and increases the child’s effective coping abilities and decreasing their fears of medical experiences,” said Andalis.

Carla’s process for assisting families with MRI is as follows:

1. Carla contacts the family before their procedure to do a phone assessment and send preparation materials so the child can practice at home.

2. On the day of the scheduled MRI, Carla meets with the family and talks with the child about the procedure in developmentally appropriate language. She reviews the equipment and process by sharing images on her iPad.

3. She spends time developing rapport and trust with the child and then introduces the family to the MRI team.

4. The MRI team works with the child and family to help the child get positioned properly on the scanner and settle in. They, too, reinforce the information Carla has shared.

5. During the scan Carla is present and the MRI team verbally guides the child through the procedure.

This preparation process has also been used in other areas such as computed tomography (CT) and voiding cystourethrogram (VCUG).

“The partnership between Child Life and Radiology continues to grow, fostering a supportive environment and creating the opportunity for success with our pediatric patients and their families,” said Diana Sundberg, Child Life and Creative Arts Therapy Department manager.

When Abbey was born with

hypoplastic left heart syndrome

(HLHS), the diagnosis turned her

family’s life upside down. Gary Raff,

chief of pediatric cardiothoracic

surgery, performed a highly-

specialized three-step surgical

process, which was a success. Now

the 7-year-old Sacramento resident

is living the life of a typical little girl.

She’s interested in theater, excels in

school and went snowboarding for

the first time this winter.

When Abbey was hospitalized

at UC Davis Children’s Hospital,

her parents didn’t know how she

would feel in a week or a month,

let alone years later. Abbey has

exceeded her parents’ hopes and

expectations.

“We are so fortunate to live in an

area that has a hospital and staff

like UC Davis,” said Abbey’s mom

Katie. “I can’t imagine how we could

have gone through this without their

support.”

patient milestone

UC davis Children’s hospital to sponsor sacramento republic FC’s third season!

We’re looking for volunteers to help staff our booth at their games. All home games are held at Bonney Field at Cal Expo. Free parking.

Click here to volunteer!

Registered dietitian Alex Nella was featured on ABC10 last month (click to see video) offering heart-healthy snack suggestions for kids.

Follow his tips:

n Use clear containers for snacks and put them at kids’ eye level in the refrigerator.

n Try tasty dips like hummus or natural peanut butter to encourage kids to eat fruits and veggies.

n Shop in the perimeter of the grocery store. It’s where you will find fresh, unprocessed foods.

ingredients

8 oz. silken tofu

1 banana

1 cup spinach

12 oz. frozen pineapple chunks

6 oz. frozen pineapple juice

2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves

directions

1. Add juice concentrate and tofu, then the spinach and mint to the blender and blend until smooth.

2. Add banana and pineapple chunks and blend completely.

Gluten free, serves 4

april 2: davis dance Marathon – Live music, dancing, food and fun, raising money for Children’s Miracle Network at UC Davis. 7 p.m.-3 a.m. ARC Ballroom on Davis campus. http://bit.ly/1OqMqex

april 3: run saCtown – 5th annual Credit Union event, benefiting Children’s Miracle Network at UC Davis. 10-mile, 5K races and kids fun run and fitness walk. State Capitol. runsactown.org

april 17: CMn Friendship sunday FUnday. Hosted cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and live auction. $95. All proceeds benefit UC Davis Children’s Hospital. 4:30-7:30 p.m. Granite Bay Golf Club. cmnfriendshipinvitational.com

april 18: CMn Friendship invitational golf tournament. Lunch, golf and awards reception. $295 per golfer. All proceeds benefit UC Davis Children’s Hospital. 11 a.m. shotgun start. Granite Bay Golf Club. cmnfriendshipinvitational.com

april 30: March for Babies. Join the UC Davis Children’s Hospital Hands of Hope team, led by Mary Petrella. 7:30 a.m. registration. 9 a.m. walk. West steps of the Capital. http://bit.ly/1XiR84e

May 20: oak park has heart – Free community health fair and CPR/AED training, hosted by UC Davis Children’s Hospital and Project ADAM Sacramento. 5-8 p.m. Sacramento Charter High School, 2315 34th Street. children.ucdavis.edu/clinical_services/ProjectADAM

UC Davis Fetal Care and

Treatment Center

don’t miss this!Two stories featuring UC Davis Children’s Hospital appeared in

the Winter 2015 issue of UC Davis

Medicine Magazine.

Q&A with David Kawatu, Chief

of Pediatric Gastroenterology

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