Division of Community Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics
University of Colorado School of Medicine
Mission
Develop, implement and evaluate new programs and new models of healthcare to improve the health of Colorado’s children, to assist community providers to provide high quality, cost-effective pediatric health care and to educate and prepare pediatric trainees to provide comprehensive health care to the increasingly diverse and underserved children of Colorado.
Objectives
To develop, implement and evaluate new models of healthcare that enable:
- All children to receive comprehensive healthcare within a quality pediatric medical home.
- All pediatric practices in Colorado to provide a quality pediatric medical home for low income children (Medicaid, Child Health Plan, and uninsured).
The Section of Community Pediatrics shares this mission and has a close working relationship with the Denver Foundation and the Section of Epidemiology to pilot these new models of care and evaluate the financial and clinical outcomes. It also seeks to develop, provide and evaluate programs that:
- Assist community providers of pediatric care to provide efficient, cost effective care.
- Assist community providers of pediatric care to provide health care that embodies best clinical practices.
- Support the needs of rural pediatric practices and small (one and two person) pediatric practices.
- Carefully coordinate these efforts with those of public clinics in order to insure all children are served and that public clinics are not adversely affected.
- Track and evaluate the health care status of low income children in Colorado and provide insight and recommendations for public and private sector strategies.
- Teach primary care providers and health care trainees the skills needed to provide comprehensive, effective and cost-efficient care for Medicaid and uninsured patients.
- Develop clinical programs and guidelines to improve clinical care and reduce the cost of health care for all children.
- Share what is learned from outcome studies through publication in professional journals and by developing manuals and brief guides describing effective models and strategies.
Programs
Colorado Children’s Healthcare Access Program – Has a five year grant to address all of the barriers that discourage community pediatricians and family physicians from providing primary healthcare for low income, under-served children in Colorado and develop resources and supports that enable all Colorado pediatricians and family physicians to devote at least 10% of their practice to the health care of these children.
Socio-Cultural Training Program - Has a five year grant to provide training for the providers and staff in all Colorado pediatric practices and for all Colorado pediatric trainees to develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes that will enable them to provide culturally sensitive and responsive health care for low income and racially and ethnically diverse families.
The Pediatric Locum Tenens Service - Section physicians provide practice coverage for community pediatricians throughout Colorado and Wyoming . The coverage emphasizes coverage for rural or small practices. Over the past 10 years, our physicians have covered for nearly two-thirds of the pediatric practices in Colorado. This program is supported by The Children's Hospital and the Department of Pediatrics at UCHSC.
Mini-sabbatical Program - This grant-supported program provides a week long training opportunity of The Children’s Hospital campus for pediatricians in rural or small practices. Section physicians cover the community pediatrician’s practice while the pediatrician obtains a self-directed learning experience with various specialties and programs. This program is supported by The Children's Hospital and the Department of Pediatrics at UCHSC.
Pediatric Residency Continuity Experience - The Section oversees the continuity practice experience for pediatric residents. Residents spend an average of ½ day per week over their three years of residency in a community-based general pediatric practice. Half of the residents have their continuity experience in the general pediatric clinic on the Children’s Hospital campus, ¼ are in the Denver Health Authority Neighborhood Health Centers, and ¼ are in private practices.
Pediatric Residency Rural Healthcare Experience - The Section oversees the rural healthcare experience, assisting residents in selecting appropriate sites for this experience, recruiting and evaluating appropriate sites.
Medical Direction for Children’s Hospital After-Hours Telephone Care Program - The section provides medical direction for the Children’s Hospital After-Hours Telephone Care Program which was originally developed by Steve Poole and Barton Schmitt as the first pediatric telephone care call center in the country.
Community Pediatrics Curriculum - The Section has developed a curriculum for pediatric trainees regarding 1) care in community settings, 2) care of underserved children, 3) care that spans the artificial division between ambulatory care and inpatient care and (4) culturally sensitive and responsive healthcare for low income children and racially and ethnically diverse families.
Homeless Children's Clinic Project - Community Pediatrics is developing a volunteer experience for interested residents to provide care for homeless children in Denver. At this point, we are identifying interested residents and working out details on the practice site. Interested people should contact Steve Poole (303-861-6004 or poole.steven@tchden.org).
Grants
2004 – 2009 - Community Child Health Foundation Grant – To develop pediatric care models for under-served children in Colorado - $280,000
2004- 2009 – Piton Foundation – To develop the Colorado Children’s Healthcare Access Program - $275,000
2006-2010 – Colorado Trust – Socio-Cultural Training Program - $350,000 over 5 years to develop and implement a learning community/ training programs for all Colorado private pediatric practices (providers and staff) and all pediatric residents (UCSOM) to develop knowledge and skills relevant to providing culturally responsive healthcare for ethnically, racially and socio- economically diverse families.
2006- 2007 – Health One Alliance Foundation - support for the Colorado Children’s Healthcare Access Program - $86,000
2006- 2007 – Rose Community Foundation - support for the Colorado Children’s Healthcare
Access Foundation - $98,000
2006-2007 – Caring For Colorado - support for the Colorado Children’s Healthcare Access Foundation - $37,000
2006-2008 – Remick Family Foundation – support for the Mini-sabbatical Program - $55,000
1995-2005 - Center For Research in Pediatric Demand Management - Grant from private corporations to start center and fund 5 research projects in pediatric telephone care - $400,000.
Research
The mission of the Section is to develop and implement new models of healthcare to enable all pediatric practices in Colorado to provide a cost-effective, high quality pediatric medical home for all children, especially low income children (Medicaid, Child Health Plan, and uninsured). The Section of Community Pediatrics shares this mission with the Section of Epidemiology and the Colorado Health Outcomes Program, with whom studies are under way to evaluate the Colorado Healthcare Access Program and the Socio-Cultural Training Program.
The Section of Community Pediatrics is working the Sections of Pediatric Emergency Medicine and Epidemiology to develop and evaluate clinical pathways for the management of common acute pediatric illnesses that span the continuum of care to include ambulatory care, hospital care and follow-up care.
Faculty
- Steven R. Poole, MD*
Professor of Pediatrics
Section Head, Community Pediatrics and Vice Chair of Pediatrics for Ambulatory - Tracy Johnson, PhD
Assistant Clinical Professor
Principle Investigator - Socio-Cultural training Program - Barton Schmitt, MD*
Professor of Pediatrics
Medical Director – After-Hours telephone Care Program - James K. Todd, MD
Professor of Pediatrics
Jules Amer Chair in Community Pediatrics
also Head of Section of Infectious Diseases - Tom Wera, MD Assistant Clinical Professor
Pediatric Locum Tenens Program
Several part-time clinical faculty providing locum tenens coverage
*Also members of the Section of General Pediatrics
Staff
- Section Administrator and Programs Manager - Christina Ells
- Social Worker - Erlinda Diaz
- Care coordination - Lorena Reyes
- Director of Cross-cultural Communication - Marcia Carteret
- Director of Continuous Quality Improvement
- Administrative assistance - Miranda Meadow
- Webmaster Director of I.T. - Jeff Poole
