Kidbits! | Spring 2005

Inside This Issue ...

Huntsville Hospital Welcomes Dr. James Gilbert

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Page Kids lead the way in an adult-sized project.

Start early to boost kids’ confidence.

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Pediatric general surgery is the evaluation and treatment of primarily chest and abdominal conditions in infants, children and adolescents.

Page Dental sealants shield against tooth decay.

Staying safe around pools and trampolines.

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We are pleased to welcome James C. Gilbert, M.D. to Huntsville Hospital for Women & Children.

Dr. Gilbert comes to Huntsville from the Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C., and George Washington University, where he was director of the kidney transplantation program. Dr. Gilbert specializes in general pediatric surgery with focused interest in hepatobiliary surgery, neonatal surgery, pediatric trauma, medical ethics and kidney

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transplantation. Dr. Gilbert received his medical degree from Harvard Medical School and then completed his residency training in general surgery at Emory University. He went on to complete a fellowship in liver transplantation at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation and a fellowship in pediatric surgery at Children’s National Medical Center.

Pediatric general surgery is the evaluation and treatment of primarily chest and abdominal conditions in infants, children and adolescents. Common problems treated include groin hernias, appendicitis, pyloric stenosis, umbilical hernia and gastroesophageal reflux. Less common problems routinely treated include intestinal atresias, abdominal wall defects, Hirschsprung’s disease, imperforate anus, cancer in children, abnormalities of the female reproductive system, chest problems and many others.

Some of these problems are diagnosed during pregnancy so that preparations for care can be

James Gilbert, M.D., specializes in general pediatric surgery with focused interest in hepatobiliary surgery, neonatal surgery, pediatric trauma, medical ethics and kidney transplantation. made before the baby is born. Most frequently, the problems are diagnosed after the child is born.

Dr. Gilbert’s office is adjacent to Huntsville Hospital for Women & Children at Tennessee Valley Pediatric Surgery at 420 Lowell.

Farrell Robinson, left, and Sam Robinson, kneeling in front, with members of Pocket Change for Peds.

Kids Lead the Way in Adult-Sized Project Remember these names — Sam Robinson and Farrell Robinson. They’re not related, but they have been best friends since the first grade.

They are now seventh graders at Holy Spirit School in Huntsville. They are active in sports, dance, math team and a whole lot of other things that 12-year-olds enjoy. What makes these young people so memorable is not how they are similar to their peers, but how they are different. This pair not only believes that they can make a difference in their community, they are doing it.

Sam and Farrell are the president and vice president of a project called Pocket Change for Peds, a student-led effort to raise $75,000 to build a rooftop garden and play area at Huntsville Hospital for Women & Children.

“Our parents and our schoolteachers have always taught us to give back to our community,” Farrell Robinson and Sam Robinson say. “We’ve tried to do what we could.”

According to Sam’s parents, Mark and Kim Robinson, their son learned the lesson early in life by donating many of his toys to the pediatric unit at the hospital. Last year Sam enlisted his friend Farrell, daughter of Carter and Peggy Robinson, to help him establish Pocket Change 2 kidbits

for Peds in partnership with Huntsville Hospital Foundation. The program started at Holy Spirit School to help raise money to buy new toys for the pediatric patients at the hospital. What began with piggy banks in 18 classrooms at the school is now reaching 17 schools across Huntsville and Madison County. Their goal is to raise $75,000 by the spring of 2006 in order to build the rooftop play area at the women and children’s hospital.

“Our parents and our schoolteachers have always taught us to give back to our community.”

— Farrell Robinson and Sam Robinson

Neither of the two dynamos seems fazed by the task. Early last summer, Sam and Farrell raised $1,200 in one day as part of “national lemonade day” for cancer patient Alex Scott.

For their Huntsville project, they have personally written and designed a brochure, a logo, and a mascot (Penny the Pig), and have developed a network of friends at other schools who are assisting them. They are convinced that local stores, restaurants and companies will

also want their piggy banks in their establishments. Special events are planned as well by these enterprising young people. Sam and Farrell have regular office hours at the Foundation each week to work on the project.

“If you have ever been a child in the hospital, you know why this is important,” says Farrell.

“Our program is about kids helping kids,” she says. And Sam quickly adds, “But we will take adults’ money, too.”

Sam and Farrell are confident that their dream of a rooftop garden and play area will come true for the children who are hospitalized at Huntsville Hospital for Woman & Children. In fact, it almost seems like a foregone conclusion to them ... so much so that they already are helping design the play area. With their track record, enthusiasm and community spirit, it would not be wise to bet against these remarkable young people.

Schools, companies, stores or individuals interested in joining Pocket Change for Peds may call 256-265-8077 for more information. All donations to Huntsville Hospital Foundation are tax-deductible.

Building Kids’ Confidence What do children need most to grow into healthy, successful adults? Self-confidence, say the experts.

What can parents do to bolster their children’s self-confidence? Here are a few suggestions: Accentuate the positive Stop at least once a day to look for something you really like about your child, and then mention it to the youngster. “Most kids love to hear Mom and Dad bragging about them — even if they won’t admit it to their friends!” says Beth Daniel, certified child life specialist at Huntsville Hospital for Women & Children.

Start early Building a child’s self-esteem starts from birth. The key is “unconditional love.” If a child feels a parent’s affection, confidence will develop naturally.

Respect your child’s rights Remember that kids deserve the same respectful treatment that you would automatically extend to other adults. Some examples: ♦ Don’t interrupt your child when he or she is trying to tell you something. ♦ Don’t “borrow” a child’s belongings without asking. ♦ Never belittle your children in front of their peers.

“Most kids love to hear Mom and Dad bragging about them — even if they won’t admit it to their friends!”

—Beth Daniel, certified child life specialist at Huntsville Hospital for Women & Children

Family Fitness Equals Summer Fun Turn off the TV and take the kids outside Summertime, and the living is ... a lot different than it was when you were a kid. Back then, swimming, bike riding and outdoor games were daily warm-weather pastimes for kids and parents. Today, more families unwind with televisions, computer games and junk food after a busy day indoors.

Summer is the season to take a break from that routine. When you gather the kids and get moving outdoors, you’ll build not only strength and fitness but also lasting memories. You’ll also help children make an active lifestyle a habit they’ll carry into their adult years.

Many studies have linked physical inactivity to a sharp increase in childhood weight and medical problems. Regular exercise burns calories, controls weight, improves cardiovascular fitness and strengthens muscles, says New York orthopedic surgeon Andrew K. Sands, M.D. “Kids need fresh air every day,” he adds. “A tired kid is a happy kid — they sleep better, eat better and grow more.”

When the family exercises together in a supportive way, children feel more accepted, their self-esteem increases and they view physical activity as positive, says Beth Passehl, coordinator of Fit Kids, an Atlanta program that teaches parents and youngsters to make healthy lifestyle changes.

“If an activity has been fun for them once,” she says, “they will probably want to do it again.”

Here are some outdoor activities that work for family members of all ages and need little special equipment or training: ♦ Take a brisk walk. Walking is easy to ♦ Play games. Summer evenings are do as a group and can be done almost great for tag, badminton and volleyball. anywhere, anytime.

Organized team sports such as soccer teach sportsmanship. But even without ♦ Hike and camp. Trekking up hills, over rocks and on rugged paths provides a team, kids can sharpen their skills by more cardiovascular benefits than catching balls or shooting baskets. walking on flat ground. ♦ Ride bikes. Cycling is a great cardiovas♦ Get in the water. Swimming in a pool, cular exercise, strengthening lowerlake or ocean provides a cooling aerobic body muscles and increasing flexibility workout without stressing bones or and balance. Make sure all riders wear joints. helmets and obey the rules of the road.

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From left to right: Suzi Brown, RRT; Andrea Drake, RRT; Nancy Higley, CRT-NPS; Sharon Randesi, RRT; Linda Patterson, RRT Middle row: Josh Voss, RRT-NPS (Supervisor); Ben Claborn, RRT; Tommy Lee, RRT (Supervisor) Top: Jim Webb, RRT-NPS (Pediatric Coordinator)

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Pediatric Respiratory Therapy ★

Includes 17 pediatric respiratory therapists.

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Children’s services include Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Regional Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Pediatric ER and Pediatric Inpatient Unit.

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Treats numerous respiratory diseases, including asthma, cystic fibrosis and respiratory syncytial virus.

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Provides comprehensive asthma education and discharge teaching.

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Administers medication and therapy specific to respiratory diseases.

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Sets up and manages mechanical ventilation, including high frequency ventilation.

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Is part of Kids Care Critical Care Transport Team.

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Participates in community outreach programs, providing continuing education.

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Participates in community fund raisers, such as “Great Strides” cystic fibrosis walk.

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Dental Sealants Shield Against Tooth Decay A dentist can protect your child’s teeth with an invisible plastic coating called a dental sealant.

The American Dental Association and American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) recommend sealants as powerful weapons in our arsenal against decay.

Dentists began using sealants in the 1970s, and long-term studies have confirmed their success. The studies show the number of school-age children without cavities in their permanent teeth has doubled since then as the use of dental sealants doubled.

Children with sealants have 50 percent less tooth decay than children without sealants, according to the AAPD. “Dental decay was a normal part of growing up years ago,” according to Todd L. Lackey, DDS, of

Alabama Pediatric Dental Associates and a member of the Huntsville Hospital medical staff. “Now, tooth decay is becoming old school, and we are seeing more and more children without dental decay.”

Dentists apply sealants to the chewing surface of back teeth, filling the tiny grooves and pits where bacteria can accumulate. If bacteria

“Dental decay was a normal part of growing up years ago. Now, tooth decay is becoming old school, and we are seeing more and more children without dental decay.”

Tips for Tip-Top Teeth

Todd L. Lackey, DDS, of Alabama Pediatric Dental Associates

You Can Get Help With Dental Care Kids miss more than 51 million hours of school a year due to dental illness, says the Academy of General Dentistry (AGD). Yet nearly half of tooth decay isn’t treated in low-income children. “Dental diseases grow progressively worse without treatment,” says AGD spokesman Mark Ritz, DDS. Your child’s health could suffer — and the cost of fixing the problem will only get worse. “However, most oral health problems can be prevented,” says Dr. Ritz. Routine dental exams and oral health education can help. You can get help if you can’t afford dental care for your child, the AGD says. Among the options: Medicaid (http://cms.hhs.gov), state children’s health insurance programs (www.insurekidsnow.gov) and dental school clinics.

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can’t penetrate the enamel, they can’t multiply and cause decay.

The teeth most at risk of decay are the molars that come in around the ages of 6 and 12. Sealants work best if applied soon after these molars emerge, meaning children between 5 and 15 years old benefit most from sealants, Dr. Lackey says.

Dental sealants can’t protect teeth by themselves, so these other steps are vital: ♦ Insist children brush twice and floss once every day. Better yet, get them to brush after every meal and snack, if you can. ♦ Don’t let infants fall asleep with a bottle of milk, juice or soda. That can cause devastating decay. Don’t fill bottles with sweet drinks. Limit the infant’s bottle content to water and formula or milk, depending on the child’s age. Also limit the amount of time the child sucks on the bottle to about five minutes, unless the bottle is filled with plain water.

Prolonged exposure to milk or sweet drinks, as happens when the toddler carries a bottle around all day long, can lead to rapid tooth decay. ♦ Drink fluoridated water. If you don’t have access to fluoridated water, ask your dentist or health care provider about other sources of fluoride. ♦ Offer kids nutritious snacks such as cheese, vegetables, yogurt and milk to build strong teeth. Avoid all sweets, sticky or gooey candies, fruit leathers or long-lasting hard candies. ♦ Arrange regular dental checkups starting in the first year of life, shortly after the first tooth emerges.

Keep Kids Safe Around Pools and Trampolines A lot of children don’t even have to leave their backyards to have fun and stay fit. Nearly 8 million Americans have built swimming pools, the insurance industry says, and about 3 million have purchased backyard trampolines.

But keeping youngsters safe and sound around them requires vigilance and good sense, according to Juan Carlos Abanses, M.D., Pediatric Emergency Room Physician at Huntsville Hospital for Women & Children. These guidelines can help keep your kids out of harm’s way: Pool safety Small children can drown easily in water they can stand in. No pool — not even a 1-foot-deep plastic kiddie pool — is drown-proof. To help protect children: ♦ Never leave a child to play in a pool of any size without a responsible adult in attendance at all times. A child can drown in the minutes it takes for an adult to run inside

and answer the door or use the bathroom. ♦ Make a child who can’t swim wear a life jacket at all times in or near a swimming pool. Flotation rings, inflatable rafts or plastic foam “noodles” aren’t safe substitutes for life jackets. ♦ Have an adult in the pool at all times with a child, even one wearing a life jacket. ♦ Surround a home pool with a fence that has a self-locking gate. ♦ Empty portable kiddie pools after each use and turn them on their sides so they can’t collect water.

Trampoline safety The Consumer Products Safety Commission says hospital emergency rooms treat an estimated 95,000 children with trampoline injuries each year. Those injuries include broken bones, concussions, head injuries, neck and spinal injuries,

sprains, cuts and scrapes.

If you allow your children to jump on a trampoline, these precautions may help head off injuries: ♦ Don’t let any child younger than 6 use a full-size trampoline. Adults should supervise all children. ♦ Install shock-absorbing pads to cover the steel frame, springs and hooks. ♦ Place the trampoline in a hole in the ground, so the jumping surface is near to ground level. ♦ Cover the surface under and around the trampoline with wood chips, sand or the type of rubber matting found on playgrounds. ♦ Consider getting safety fencing to reduce the risk a jumper will fall off. ♦ Let only one child at a time use a trampoline. ♦ Don’t let anyone do somersaults or other high-risk maneuvers on a home trampoline.

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Emergency Information Form Can Help Families Save a Life NACHRI encourages use of tool for children with special needs For all families, a child’s health care emergency can be a frightening experience. For children with chronic health conditions, a health care emergency can magnify their special needs.

The Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMSC) program encourages families to maintain a written plan of care for their child with special health care needs and keep it in plain sight, ready to go. This vital information can be used by family members, emergency medical services providers, emergency room doctors, nurses and others to initiate care without delay and possibly save a life.

EMSC funded the development of the Emergency Information Form to give families and health care providers a simple, standardized, two-page form containing the information most commonly needed in a health care emergency involving a child, especially

children with special health care needs. The form includes contact information for the child’s family and doctors, a brief health history

of the child including current medications, and suggested medical treatments based on the child’s health history.

The National Association of Children’s Hospitals and Related Institutions is working with EMSC, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) and others to encourage use of the Emergency Information Form.

Families should work with their child’s doctors and other health care providers to complete the form.

To Learn More To learn more about the Emergency Information Form, contact the EMSC National Resource Center at 202-884-4927 or www.ems-c.org. The form can be downloaded from the Web sites of the AAP (www.aap.org) and ACEP (www.acep.org).

NACHRI National Association of Children’s Hospitals and Related Institutions

Articles in this newsletter are written by professional journalists or physicians who strive to present reliable, up-to-date information. But no publication can replace the care and advice of medical professionals, and readers are cautioned to seek such help for personal problems. ©2005 Health Ink Communications, 780 Township Line Road, Yardley, PA 19067, 267-685-2800. Some images in this publication may be provided by ©2005 PhotoDisc, Inc. All models used for illustrative purposes only. Some illustrations in this publication may be provided by ©2005 The Staywell Company; all rights reserved. (205)

Quick Phone Reference Administration ..............256-265-7061 Angels for Women & Children ......256-265-8077 Class registration ..........256-265-7440 Main number ................256-265-1000 RN4U ................................256-265-7648 Pediatric surgery tours information ....................256-265-7969 Wellness Center ............256-265-WELL

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