New community pediatrician focuses on health equity
Last year we secured the services of pediatrician Mikah Owen. His focus includes preventive care, behavioral health and population health, with a focus on health equity. His goals are to strengthen partnerships between our academic medical center, the community, government and private sectors to ensure all children have an equitable chance to reach their full potential.
New telehealth services for 14 counties
UC Davis Health entered into a new agreement to provide pediatric telehealth services to the 14 Northern California counties that Partnership HealthPlan of California (PHC) serves, from Del Norte to Yolo. The nonprofit, community-based public health organization contracts with the State of California to administer Medi-Cal benefits through local care providers. The new arrangement offers more than 15 subspecialties as part of a goal to create a “virtual children’s hospital” for Northern California children.
CAARE’ing for juvenile trauma survivors
The UC Davis CAARE (Child and Adolescent Abuse Resource and Evaluation) Center, a nationally recognized program for the evaluation and treatment of child maltreatment, recently received a three-year grant from the Sacramento County Public Defender’s Office to provide services for a Juvenile Trauma Response Court in Sacramento County. Children and young adults will now benefit from clinical assessments, case management, psychological testing, consultation and trauma treatment.
Supporting Ladies First
UC Davis Health entered into a new partnership with Street Soccer USA (SSUSA) and the California Storm Women’s Premier Soccer League Club to create the Ladies First Initiative. The initiative provides young girls and women living in Sacramento’s underserved communities a chance to play sports, cultivate positive relationships, build self-confidence, and develop leadership skills. Ladies First currently offers an after-school soccer program in Sacramento’s Oak Park community and a mentorship program run by California Storm and SSUSA.
COVID-19 webinars help community hospitals
The Pediatric Acute Care Education Sessions (PACES) program offers free peer-to-peer virtual webinars and roundtable discussions to support clinicians caring for pediatric patients at rural community hospitals. The sessions provide education and clinical guidelines for a wide range of topics, such as treatment of pediatric patients with COVID-19; multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children; and physician morale and wellness.
First vice-chair of community engagement
Serena Yang joined UC Davis Children’s Hospital this year as chief of general pediatrics and is our first vice-chair of community engagement.
