The Bulletin: March 2007

The Bulletin is a monthly newsletter for Children's and community providers.

Del Beccaro Named Pediatrician-in-Chief

Dr. Bruder Stapleton, chief academic officer, and Dr. David Fisher, medical director, jointly announced the appointment of Dr. Mark Del Beccaro as pediatrician-in-chief for Children’s and vice chair for Clinical Affairs in the UW Department of Pediatrics. Del Beccaro will also serve as chief medical information officer in recognition of his past and continued leadership with information systems improvements. He assumed his new positions on Feb. 1.

Dr. Mark Del Beccaro

In his new roles, Del Beccaro will collaborate with providers and staff at all levels of the organization to improve our clinical care and outcomes. His initial focus will be on medication reconciliation and safety.

A faculty member in emergency medicine at Children’s for 18 years, Del Beccaro brings the perspective of an experienced and active physician. He has served as associate chief of the Emergency Medicine Division since 1999 and clinical director of Information Services since 1997.

“We are most fortunate to have Mark’s leadership as we focus on providing the very best pediatric specialty care at Children’s,” says Stapleton. “His background in medical informatics and in practice leadership in Children’s University Medical Group will be important assets.”

Stapleton, who served as Children’s pediatrician-in-chief for 11 years, will now be able to focus on pediatric education and research in his new role of chief academic officer. He continues to serve as the chair of the UW Department of Pediatrics.

Expanded Cardiology Services in Central Washington

Drs. Paul Herndon and Warren Toews have joined the Children’s cardiology team to see patients at the four central Washington outreach locations: Central Washington Hospital in Wenatchee, Kennewick General Hospital in Kennewick and the Children’s Village clinics in Yakima and Sunnyside. Drs. Robert Boucek, Isamu Kawabori, Stanley Stamm and Geoffrey Stevenson continue to have clinic days at these sites.

This expansion of outreach services allows Children’s to increase access to diagnostic evaluations and follow-up visits for children in central Washington. In addition to consultations, the cardiologists perform electrocardiograms, echocardiograms, Holter monitoring and event recording for patients who need long-term monitoring of heart problems.

They work with nurses, sonographers and other providers from these communities with the goal of building local capacity to meet the needs for specialized care. For more information about making appointments in these communities, call the outreach location directly. You can also visit the Heart Center Web site, or call the Heart Center toll free at (888) 543-7478.

Children's Offers Airport Shuttle for Patients

Children’s has created a new Guest Services Program to make visits easier and more comfortable for families and patients traveling from out of the area. As the first initiative of this program, Children’s is providing a free van service to and from the hospital for patients and families traveling through Sea-Tac Airport.

The van accommodates five people, including one person in a wheelchair. Families can schedule pick-ups or drop-offs by calling (206) 987-RIDE or sending an e-mail to airport.shuttle@seattlechildrens.org.

Families are encouraged to schedule the airport shuttle as soon as their flight arrangements are known, but all efforts will be made by the shuttle service to respond to every request.

Therapy Center Database

Children’s has compiled an online database with information about centers that provide physical, occupational and speech therapy in Washington, Alaska, Montana and Idaho. You can use this database when referring patients who live outside the Seattle area or have ongoing therapy needs. Children’s updates the database regularly; call (206) 987-3867 if you would like to suggest a site to include.

Children's Launches 100th Anniversary Web Site

Learn more about Children’s first century on the new 100th Anniversary Web site. The site tells the stories of the providers, board members, guild members and other community members who developed and implemented the Children’s mission of preventing, treating and eliminating pediatric disease.

You can also watch the Children’s Hospital 100th Anniversary Special on KOMO TV (channel 4) on Tuesday, March 6 at 8 p.m. The one-hour program features physicians, nurses, staff, volunteers, patients and families.

As part of the anniversary celebration this year, a medical symposium and alumni reunion for current and former medical and house staff will be held Sept. 28 and 29.

Asthma Power Class for Parents

Children’s offers a class for parents and caregivers of children with asthma on April 17 from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. on the Laurelhurst campus. Children’s nurse practitioners and pharmacists teach participants about medications and inhalers, and provide tips on how to work with schools and day cares. More information is available in the Child Health and Safety section of the Children’s Web site.

Pathways Parent Lecture Series

Children’s and ParentMap are sponsoring the Pathways lecture series for parents again this year. Lecture tickets are $18 in advance and $20 at the door and can be purchased online or by calling (800) 838-3006.

March 13 - How to Behave So Your Children Will, Too!, Sal Severe, PhD, at the Annie Wright School, Tacoma

April 17 - Babies and the Brain: Truths, Myths and Politics, Andrew Meltzoff, PhD, and Patricia Kuhl, PhD, at the Seattle Children’s Theatre, Seattle

April 24 - Overdrive: How Too Much Ambition Can Harm Kids, Suniya Luthar, PhD, at the Lincoln Square Cinema, Bellevue

Childhood Diabetes Event

The second annual Seattle-Sweden Diabetes Awareness Day will be held on March 24 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Benaroya Hall in downtown Seattle. Dr. Catherine Pihoker, division chief, Endocrinology will make a presentation on the increasing incidence of type I and type II diabetes in children. More information is available on the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International Web site.

New Medical Staff

Children’s welcomes these new medical staff members and allied health professionals:

Senait Abraham, MD, Sea Mar Community Health Center
Francine Baran, MD, Ophthalmology, Children’s
Diane Liebe, MD, Children’s Village
Daniel Lin, MD, Urology, UW
Catherine Staunton, MD, Columbia Public Health Center
Leslie Walker, MD, Adolescent Medicine, Children’s

Upcoming CME Courses

Autism, ADHD and Other Developmental-Behavioral Problems, April 14

This seminar will feature lectures discussing critical neuropsychiatric issues and practical diagnostic and management tools. It will be held in the Wright Auditorium at Children’s.

Grand Rounds

View the schedule of upcoming Grand Rounds.

Grand Rounds Online

View online versions of recent Grand Rounds.

On-Call Schedule

The on-call schedule for inpatient services can be found in the secure area of the Medical Staff Web site. It is updated on a daily basis.