pediatrics Archives - Medical Association of the State of Alabama

Posts Tagged pediatrics

ROR-AL and ALABAMA 200 Partner for 10th Annual Summer Reading

Posted by admin on June 5, 2019

*Be sure to catch us on Facebook Live today, June 5, beginning at 11:25 a.m. for all the festivities!

MONTGOMERY — ALABAMA 200 and Reach Out and Read-Alabama (ROR-AL) are partnering this summer in celebration of the state’s bicentennial and the 10th Annual Rx for Summer Reading with Alabama, My Home Sweet Home by Charles Ghigna. ROR-AL program sites across the state are providing copies of the books and hosting fun Alabama-themed activities, as well as providing a “prescription” to become involved in the reading program at their local libraries. The statewide Rx for Summer Reading partnership will kick off on Wednesday, June 5, at 11:30 a.m. at Partners in Pediatrics with Jeana Ross, Secretary of Early Childhood Education, reading the book to those in attendance.

“We are proud to support Reach Out and Read–Alabama in providing opportunities for families to promote children’s literacy starting at birth,” said Secretary Ross. “High quality, coordinated early literacy efforts will help us prepare all Alabama children to be successful in school.”

In addition to supporting bicentennial events focused on the state’s rich history, ALABAMA 200 is heavily invested in bolstering education programming initiatives for all citizens. Partnering with ROR-AL speaks to a desire to support future generations, creating a point of pride for all Alabamians.

“As we celebrate the state’s bicentennial, we look back to our past, but we also look to our future,” said Jay Lamar, Executive Director of the Alabama Bicentennial Commission. “We want the next hundred years to be all they can be, which means nurturing a love of learning and achievement in our young people. Reach Out and Read-Alabama certainly does that.”

Charles Ghigna, better known to some as Father Goose, debuted Alabama, My Home Sweet Home, a bicentennial book for young readers at the 2018 Alabama Book Festival. The work features a bear cub named Camellia who accompanies readers as they encounter famous Alabamians like Helen Keller, Rosa Parks and Jesse Owens in their respective time and place in history.

The evidence-based Reach Out and Read program builds on the unique relationship between parents and medical providers to develop critical early reading skills in children, beginning in infancy. During regular visits with the doctor, families grow to understand the powerful role they play in supporting their children’s development, early language and literacy at home.

Currently, 55 of Alabama’s pediatric practices and clinics serve as ROR-AL program sites in 27 counties, impacting 40 percent of the state’s children under the age of five.

Tags: pediatrics, read, RORA

Posted in: Education

Just Call Her “Dr. Fun” with Lynn Batten, M.D.

Posted by admin on June 8, 2018

MOBILE — If you happen to be wandering the halls of the University of South Alabama’s School of Medicine, hear music and someone counting to the beat…5, 6, 7, 8…it’s probably Dr. Fun and her colleagues. Dr. Fun, also known as Associate Professor of Pediatrics Lynn Batten, M.D., earned the nickname about a year ago, but what may seem like all fun and games is truly a mission from the heart to bring joy and better health to her patients and their families.

“We have so much fun doing this, but I will never forget how it all got started,” Dr. Batten explained. “To me, I feel like I’m on a mission from God. I’m just going to say it because that’s exactly what I feel like it is. Dr. Fun’s Dance Party USA may have started out as one video for just one patient, but it’s so much bigger and has touched so many more lives.”

It all began with one patient. A 5-year-old little girl named Synclaire had captured the heart of Dr. Batten and her staff. Synclaire had only one ventricle and had already experienced three surgeries and pretty much every complication possible in her short life by the time Dr. Batten sent her to UAB to be wait-listed for a heart transplant. Eleven weeks later, Sinclair was still waiting. The days grew long and the nights longer.

“Her mother would check in with us every now and then, and we would call her and see how things were going. One day, her mother said she really needed a smile, so I asked what her daughter’s favorite song was because we wanted to make a dance video for her,” Dr. Batten said. Armed with Bruno Mars’ “24K Magic” and her son’s talents at filming for YouTube, Dr. Batten and her staff choreographed their first dance video. It wasn’t very long, perhaps only 90 seconds, but all the staff who had worked with and gotten to know little Synclaire had a chance to dance for her.

As Dr. Batten’s son was working to edit the video to post online, the physicians at UAB called. Synclaire wasn’t doing well, but word spread like wildfire about the video the USA team was putting together for her. Dr. Batten’s mission was to have the video posted that evening. At that point, she said her greatest fear was that little Synclaire would pass away before seeing it.

“I was on my way across the bay to a dinner meeting thinking all these things like I hoped she likes it, I hope it makes her and her family smile, and then something just hit me — what if she doesn’t get to see it? What if she dies before we can get this online for her? That was the most horrible feeling! But, that entire drive made me realize there are so many other kids out there who might like to see their doctors dancing around and having a little fun. We could do videos for kids in the hospital and they could leave comments for us like who they would like to see in our next video. All these thoughts just started pouring out about what we could do next,” Dr. Batten said.

Dr. Batten emailed Synclaire’s mother the link to the video that night. The UAB staff called her at 10 the next morning to let her know Synclaire had coded. She was on life support for about a week before she passed away. She said there was an urgency that night to upload the video that she couldn’t quite understand until she received that phone call.

“Her mother told me later that Synclaire did see it and it ‘made her heart shine.’ I don’t know what that means but this is why I truly feel like this is my mission from God,” Dr. Batten said.

After that first video, Dr. Fun’s Dance Party USA was officially born with an expanded mission to not only help her young patients by lifting their spirits during long hospital stays but to also motivate them to move and exercise to stay healthy. The staff who participate in the videos have had so much fun that they continue dancing on their breaks after they’ve seen what moving during the day can do for their health as well.

“We’re going to keep this going!” Dr. Batten laughed. “There are other kids that might get some joy from watching their physicians and medical staff dance around for a couple of minutes, plus it’s worth it if it brings our patients just a little bit of joy. We want the kids to make requests so we can keep going forward. One of our patients requested ‘Shake It Off’ by Taylor Swift because she wanted something more upbeat to have on her phone so she could stay on her treadmill a little longer each day. That was a lesson for me, too. So now when I tell patients they have to exercise more, I ask what their favorite song is. Two patients have asked to be in the videos with us, and that makes it even more special for us as a staff!”

If you’d like to get your groove on with Dr. Batten, check out her YouTube channel, Dr. Fun’s Dance Party USA. Log in to leave comments or even make a request!

Tags: batten, dance, fun, party, pediatrics, synclaire, USA

Posted in: Physicians Giving Back

Physician Groups Issue Joint Statement in Support of Raising Alabama’s Legal Tobacco Age to 21

Posted by admin on February 8, 2018

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MONTGOMERY — The Medical Association of the State of Alabama, the Alabama Chapter-American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Cardiology-Alabama Chapter, the Alabama Dermatology Society, and the Alabama Academy of Family Physicians have joined in support of legislation that would raise Alabama’s legal tobacco age from 19 to 21.

“Research has shown our children are at the greatest risk of becoming smokers because they begin to experiment with cigarettes around the age of 18,” said Medical Association President Jerry Harrison, M.D. “Smoking remains one of the most preventable causes of heart disease by making the heart work harder and raising the blood pressure, which can trigger a stroke. So, raising Alabama’s legal tobacco age limit by a couple of years in order to add years to our children’s lives only makes sense.”

A study published last year in the journal Pediatrics showed raising the minimum tobacco purchase age to 21 would likely have significant public health benefits, including 249,000 fewer premature deaths and 45,000 fewer lung cancer deaths for those born between 2010 and 2019. The study also showed that younger adolescents were more likely to support the initiative, and past research has shown that up to 75 percent of adults favor the higher purchase age for tobacco products.

“This legislation is one of the most effective actions Alabama can make to ensure the health and safety of our children,” said Susan Walley, M.D., FAAP, member of the AL-AAP Executive Board and the Executive Committee of the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Tobacco Control. “Any tobacco use in children and adolescents is not safe. Adolescents are more likely to become addicted to nicotine, even with experimental use, which has a ‘gateway effect’ to other substances of abuse. Once adolescents start using tobacco products, whether from electronic cigarettes or traditional combustible cigarettes or cigars, they risk a lifelong habit that kills one-in-three smokers from a multitude of diseases.”

According to the Alabama Dermatology Society, smoking is bad for the skin in multiple ways – ill effects that can begin in the teenage years. In addition to causing premature skin aging and wrinkles, smoking nearly doubles one’s risk of developing psoriasis. Even more worrisome, studies show smokers boost their risk for developing squamous cell carcinoma of the skin by 52 percent. Squamous cell carcinoma is the second most common form of skin cancer, and, while often treatable, can have deadly consequences.

A bill sponsored by Rep. Chris Pringle (R-Mobile) – HB 47 – would raise the age from 19 to 21 for anyone in Alabama looking to purchase, use, or possess tobacco products in Alabama. This proposed legislation includes any tobacco, tobacco product or alternative nicotine product. Our organizations fully support the passage of this legislation for the lives of Alabama’s children.