COMMUNITY PEDIATRICS Community Pediatrics is the largest division in the Department of Pediatrics, consisting of 234 providers in practices throughout southern New England. The academic activities of the division are centered on pediatric education. Practices serve as teaching sites for the core clinical experience of medical students in ambulatory pediatrics. Many physicians also precept students and pediatric residents in continuity practice experiences.s Clinically, community pediatric practices can be thought of as the place where the rubber hits the road. Community pediatricians provide medical care to children of all ages, and offer the continuity that children can only find in a medical home. Clinicians
in this division provide the bulk of preventive care for children in the region, including physical examinations, immunizations and behavior screening. Most referrals to specialty divisions in the department are initiated by community pediatricians, and much of the follow-up care is centered in pediatric offices as well. Many of our members have joined the Pediatric Care Network, a joint project with Connecticut Children’s and practices across the region. As this program develops, the interface between generalists and specialists will strengthen, and the goal is to make the care of our sickest children more affordable and more coordinated. By examining and sharing measures that reflect pediatricians’ practices and outcomes, the program hopes to realize and disseminate best practices that will result in better health for the entire pediatric population in our region. The network sponsors
educational programs for practices aimed at meeting these goals. In 2021, the network will be sponsoring a Behavioral Health learning community to assure consistent screening of children for anxiety, depression, and ADHD, and to develop increased capabilities of practices to manage less complex childhood mental health disorders. From a public health perspective, community pediatricians serve as trusted sources of information for families that have built close and lasting relationships with their children’s doctors. These relationships are vitally important today, during a global pandemic. Community pediatricians have been a primary audience for education programs offered by the Department of Pediatrics, including grand rounds and Ask the Experts webinars, thus assuring that consistent messages about health matters are conveyed. PEDIATRICS
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