News from UC Davis Children’s Hospital| UC Davis Health

When Nike unveiled a very limited release of new sneakers last month, PLA Skateboarding store used it as an opportunity to raise funds for UC Davis Children’s Hospital. More than $1,900 was donated by 190 customers in two days.

Celeste and Alexia Madrigal have 22q, a rare genetic syndrome linked to 180 different physical, developmental and behavioral conditions. During 22q Awareness Month, they’re sharing their story to encourage hope.

Dean Blumberg, chief of pediatric infectious diseases at UC Davis Children’s Hospital, and general pediatrician Rachel Heidt, will be participating in a virtual Q&A session, “COVID-19 and Vaccines for Children 5-11 years old,” on Thursday, Dec. 2 from 5:30-6:30 p.m.

The UC Davis Child Life and Creative Arts Therapy Department is hosting a Coping Together virtual support group for children and adolescents ages 6 to 17 who have a parent or caregiver with a serious illness. The four-session series will start in January.  

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has granted a total of $1 million to UC Davis Health’s PC-CARE program, a parenting intervention for children ages 1-10, through two different projects.

The annual Children’s Miracle Network campaign took place in July 2021. Team members in stores across Northern California raised critical funds to continue quality care for area children treated at UC Davis Children’s Hospital.

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Costco’s 2021 fundraising efforts paid off in a big way for Children’s Miracle Network. This long-time partner’s focus on helping kids propelled fundraising efforts and provided hope for local pediatric patients.

The Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control have approved COVID-19 vaccinations for kids ages 5-11. A UC Davis Health pediatrician and epidemiologist share their insights about the illness and the vaccine for this age group.

Typically dominated by the Los Angeles market, Spanish radio stations in the Sacramento area did not let past performance stand in the way raising money for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals like UC Davis Children’s Hospital. Even with the pandemic, fundraising exceeded expectations.

Fourth-year medical student Ross Perry is an advocate for wellness at the UC Davis School of Medicine. He’s also the top prize winner in a national essay contest hosted by the Arnold P. Gold Foundation for writing a poignant story about his bond with an oncology patient.

When it comes to keeping kids safe, parents may not think about household dust as a potential hazard. A $1.35 million grant from the Environmental Protection Agency will track which chemicals kids might accidentally ingest to determine health risks.

A program developed at the UC Davis CAARE Center for caregivers of children with behavioral problems showed better parent retention and increased improvements in child behavior than an established parent intervention.

Love to play video games? Then sign up today for Extra Life today and participate in the annual Game Day on Nov. 6, when you can do what you enjoy while raising funds for UC Davis Children’s Hospital.

There’s a Blizzard in the forecast. Visit any DQ in the Greater Sacramento area on Thursday, Oct. 28 and a portion of your Blizzard purchase will support pediatric patients treated at UC Davis Children’s Hospital.

Ulfat Shaikh, medical director of health care quality and professor of pediatrics at UC Davis Health, has been elected chairperson of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Council on Quality Improvement and Patient Safety (COQIPS). 

STARS, a school-based telehealth program serving children with physical disabilities living in rural Northern California, provides an experience and quality of care that is similar to in-person patient visits. It may also save an average of $100 per visit.

The Pediatric Press newsletter communicates news and developments within the Children's Hospital. The goal is to connect and unite faculty and staff and provide information to employees at UC Davis Health and the general public.

The intestinal rehabilitation program at UC Davis Health works with young patients like Everley Saelee to ensure they get the nutrition needed for growth and development. The program also helps promote growth and adaptation in the remaining intestine.

A new support group at the UC Davis MIND Institute is designed for neurodivergent girls and nonbinary teens who have autism, ADHD, learning disabilities, obsessive compulsive disorder and more. NeuroTeens is a free, virtual group that offers social connection.

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. That’s just what Kaileia Boudinot of Elk Grove did one summer morning when she decided kids treated at UC Davis Children’s Hospital needed some help … and some hope.

Michelle Linenberger, professional development nurse specialist and nurse educator at UC Davis Children’s Hospital, has been appointed chair of the Association for Nursing Professional Development (ANPD)’s Recognition Committee.

UC Davis Health‘s CIRCLE Clinic has received a $2.55 million gift from longtime foster youth care champions Dale and Katy Carlsen. In partnership with Sacramento County, the first-of-its-kind clinic provides trauma-informed comprehensive health services to Sacramento youth in foster care.

We asked Dean Blumberg, chief of pediatric infectious diseases at UC Davis Children’s Hospital, for his advice on how we can keep ourselves safe and healthy through the impending “twindemic” of COVID and flu season.

The 9th annual Duck Dash will take place virtually on Saturday, Oct. 2 at 9 a.m. Proceeds will benefit the Child Life and Creative Arts Therapy Department at UC Davis Children’s Hospital.

The UC Davis Pediatric Heart Center's Pediatric Echocardiography Laboratory this month has been re-accredited by the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC) in pediatric transthoracic, pediatric transesophageal and fetal echocardiography.

Halloween décor and costume purchases at eight area stores help raise money for UC Davis Children’s Hospital. Spirit Halloween’s Spirit of Children Foundation supports programs that help minimize the anxiety of hospitalization.

Veronica Ahumada joined UC Davis Health this year and brought her expertise in health informatics and human-robot interaction to the UC Davis Center for Health and Technology. She will be growing her research through two exciting grant-funded projects involving robots.

MRI results confirmed that Scarlett Hershey had panhypopituitarism, a rare condition in which the pituitary gland stops producing all or most hormones. Internationally, there are 4.2 cases of panhypopituitarism per 100,000 people per year. 

Last August, Kyle Benton was in a terrible longboarding accident and was transported to the UC Davis Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. His injuries included a traumatic brain injury, broken vertebrae and a blood clot in the brain. He would spend 43 days hospitalized, fighting for survival. This is his story.

In a Q&A, Pediatrician Nicole Glaser discusses the causes, symptoms and treatment of DKA in children with Type I diabetes.

Kids are returning to the classroom after more than a year of remote learning. Pediatric ophthalmologist Marcela Maria Estrada discusses the impact of the pandemic on kids’ eye health and offers tips for healthy eyesight, no matter what your age!

For more than seven years, UC Davis Health experts Travis Tollefson and Christina Roth have partnered with UC Santa Cruz researchers to provide feedback and testing of SpokeIt, a UC Santa Cruz-developed game. SpokeIt provides a tool that incentivizes children to improve their speech. 

UC Davis experts Dean Blumberg and Lena van der List will be answering questions in a virtual Q&A session, “COVID-19 and Children: Vaccines and Back to School,” on Monday, Aug. 30 from 5:30-6:30 p.m.

The UC Davis Hospice Program and UC Davis Children's Hospital will offer a free eight-week Young Adult Bereavement Art Group for individuals ages 17 to 24 who are coping with the recent loss of a loved one.

UC Davis Medical Center has received the Platinum Level ELSO Award for Excellence in Life Support from the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO). UC Davis’ Extracorporeal Life Support Program provides vital support for failing organ systems in infants, children and adults.

Recently reopened to patients, visitors and employees, the gift shop in the Pavilion of UC Davis Medical Center provides more than just flowers and balloons. For people like Samantha Torrence and her son in the PICU, it offers inspiration.

A young entrepreneur was invited to sell her Girls BBQ product at Ace Hardware this month. A portion of sales will benefit UC Davis Children’s Hospital.

The Sacramento area is seeing more cases of COVID-19 and the highly contagious Delta variant. What does this mean for students who are slated to be back on campus, especially those too young to be vaccinated?

The Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine (ABM) has published its latest position statement, affirming its commitment to gender equality and health equity, and providing guidelines on infant feeding, lactation-related language and gender.

U.S. News & World Report named UC Davis Medical Center as one of the nation's Best Hospitals, the #1 hospital in Sacramento and among the top 10 in California.

Visits from UC Davis Children’s Hospital’s CEO and other top hospital staff during the annual event provided a boost for staff. By recognizing the importance and impact of their fundraising efforts, leadership hopes each team member realizes that every dollar makes a difference.

UC Davis Health experts are warning a Sacramento-area COVID-19 surge is likely in the coming weeks. Infections are rising, due largely to the highly transmissible Delta variant and low vaccination rates, which are around 50% in the region.

The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at UC Davis Children’s Hospital is now the 12th in the U.S. to receive a gold-level Beacon Award for Excellence from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses. It is the only hospital in Northern California to receive this honor.

Record hot temperatures are just one reason to visit your local Dairy Queen through July 31. Helping save local kids’ lives is another. The CMN Miracle Balloon campaign is on now, raising money for UC Davis Children’s Hospital.

Born with Nager syndrome, Lily Jones had craniofacial challenges, no ear canals and extremely short forearms at birth. The UC Davis Cleft and Craniofacial team partnered with her and her parents, Nick and Elysia Jones, to help improve her life.

It was obvious one-year-old Piper was sick, but what was wrong? When her parents could not get answers, they turned to UC Davis Children’s Hospital.

UC Davis Department of Neurology Chair Amy Brooks-Kayal has received the prestigious Ambassador for Epilepsy Award. The International Bureau for Epilepsy and the International League Against Epilepsy recognized Brooks-Kayal and 11 others worldwide for outstanding contributions to the cause of epilepsy.

Button cell batteries, the flat, coin-shaped batteries found in many toys, watches and remote controls, can do serious internal damage if accidentally swallowed. UC Davis pediatric emergency physicians warn families to keep these batteries secure and out of children’s reach.

Help kids live better when you shop. All donations to Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals (CMN) stay local to help treat sick and injured kids in UC Davis Children’s Hospital’s 33-county service area.

The UC Davis MIND Institute is offering a new COVID-19 vaccine clinic for individuals with autism and other neurodevelopmental conditions. The clinic will offer a comfortable experience for families, including sensory support and specially trained staff.

A seven-year telemedicine partnership between the UC Davis MIND Institute and Dignity Health ensures that more children with genetic disorders receive quick, convenient specialty care. The success is due to high-quality robots and a commitment to improving access to genomic medicine. 

From blood pressure monitoring to cellular therapy for neuroblastoma treatment, UC Davis Children’s Hospital continues to be on the cutting edge thanks to generous donations from CMN. This year’s grant winners are the best of the best in pediatric clinical care and research.

UC Davis Children’s Hospital has been recognized as a Best Children’s Hospital for 2021-22 by U.S. News & World Report in four pediatric specialty areas: neonatology, nephrology, orthopedics and urology.

Eighty-five percent of teenagers are affected by acne during their teenage years and more than 50 million people have acne in the U.S. June is acne awareness month and we asked UC Davis pediatric dermatologist Smita Awasthi for her top tips to help teens on the path to clearer skin.

Members of the UC Davis Health Public Affairs and Marketing Department are part teams that won two Northern California Area EMMY® Awards. The work included was coverage of surgery to separate conjoined twins and a collaboration with KVIE about vision loss.

The Pediatric Press, the online newsletter of UC Davis Children's Hospital, has published its summer issue. The summer edition includes stories about hospital awards, research developments, patient milestones, new clinic openings and other successes within the pediatric units.

A study published today outlined the success of Project Baby Bear, a real-world quality improvement program designed to test the clinical and economic value of using rapid Whole Genome Sequencing to diagnose and guide treatment for infants with unexplained rare disease.

Claudio Alvarado, an assistant nurse manager in the pediatric emergency department, appeared on stage with California Gov. Gavin Newsom to promote the state’s new Vax for the Win vaccine incentive program.

CPR/AED Awareness Week is a solemn reminder of cardiac arrest statistics. The good news? UC Davis has free education and training available so you can provide lifesaving assistance through a program called project ADAM.

The newest employee at UC Davis Children’s Hospital has a wet nose and a wagging tail! Facility Dog Daniels works in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) to help calm, comfort and motivate young patients going through medical procedures and long hospital stays.

Heather Siefkes, assistant professor in the UC Davis Department of Pediatrics, received the 2021 Eli Gold Prize. Siefkes works in the Pediatric and Cardiac Intensive Care Unit at UC Davis Children’s Hospital and is the medical director of Project ADAM Sacramento.

Jersey Mike’s Sacramento-area franchises raised more than $80,000 for UC Davis Children’s hospital in March, setting a new record during the chain’s annual Month of Giving fundraiser. Sick and injured kids across 33 local counties benefit from Jersey Mike’s efforts.

A patient since before he was born, Casey Dyke has lived his best life, thanks to UC Davis Children’s Hospital donors. He’s now the Children’s Miracle Network Champion representing UC Davis for 2021.

Ulfat Shaikh, medical director for health care quality and professor of pediatrics at UC Davis Health, has been appointed to the Children’s Hospitals Association’s Next Generation of Quality Steering Committee. The committee includes 11 members representing children’s hospitals across the country.

The Society for Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology this week  announced that UC Davis Medical Center has attained its prestigious Center of Excellence designation. The medical center was one of 17 institutions and programs globally to earn the designation this year.

UC Davis Health will soon launch a stage 3 clinical trial for a new coronavirus vaccine for children ages 12-17 with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Novavax. The two-year study aims to enroll 100 participants.

The word mitzvah means “good deed,” and Sacramento resident Meredith Bluth celebrated her Bat Mitzvah last month with a very good deed indeed: she invited her friends and family to donate to the UC Davis Facility Dog program.

When Antelope resident Martel Calabretta was pregnant with her sixth baby, she was a seasoned veteran. But early on, she realized that baby number six was a very different pregnancy and required the specialty care that UC Davis Health provides.

They are colorful, bite-size, fun to play with, and capable of punching holes in your intestines if swallowed. UC Davis experts warn parents to steer clear of neodymium magnets. Often called rare-earth magnets, these are the strongest magnets available commercially.

Since veins are harder to see in children, ultrasound guided assistance is a game changer for kids and medical staff. Thanks to a Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals grant, placing a needle is now much easier.

COVID-19 safety precautions are prompting a virtual version of this year’s Sacramento St. Baldrick’s Shave Party to raise money for childhood cancer research. So far, more than $23,000 has been raised to help fight pediatric cancer.

Costco members and employees are not letting the pandemic stand in the way of making a difference for sick and injured kids. Shop online or in-store during Miracle Month and donations stay local to help kids treated at UC Davis Children’s Hospital.

UC Davis Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) clinical nurse specialist Christa Bedford-Mu has been announced as the individual award recipient at this year’s 2021 DAISY Awards for Extraordinary Nurses in Patient Safety, presented in collaboration with the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI). Children’s Hospital nurse educator Michelle Linenberger also received an Honorable Mention from the DAISY Foundation and IHI.

Having a sick or injured child is stressful for the whole family, including brothers and sisters. Enter Sib Sacks, a Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals-funded Child Life program designed to address siblings’ unique needs.

Off-duty Adventist Health Lodi Memorial labor and delivery nurse came to the rescue when Madison Fritter gave birth in the UC Davis Medical Center parking garage.

Isolation and distancing are amplifying challenges that children and teens already experience. Experts are worried that studies being conducted now will show a continued increase in suicide rates, which have been going up over the last decade.

Down syndrome remains a strong risk factor for childhood leukemia, a new study led by UC Davis and UC San Francisco researchers has found.

In the past, UC Davis Pediatric and Cardiac Intensive Care Unit patients were dependent on in-room monitors to provide critical vitals to staff. But now, a CMN-funded monitor conversion will give kids some freedom while hospitalized.

Six-year-old Santiago came down with chills that quickly progressed to a rash, high fever, headaches, vomiting and diarrhea. This is his journey with MIS-C, the condition that is associated with COVID-19 that affects children.

Emily Love‘s journey with leukemia is memorialized in beads. Every poke, every procedure, every hospitalization, measured in colorful little treasures. It’s a visual story that could span the length of a room. Find out how the Beads of Courage program has supported our patients for more than 12 years.

Jersey Mike’s restaurant’s 11th annual ‘Day of Giving’ caps off month-long fundraiser for charity. Local franchisees to give all proceeds to help kids treated at UC Davis Children’s Hospital.

More than a year ago, 14-year-old Aija Hall and her mother Angela Lasseter received the devastating news that she had focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), a disease in which scar tissue develops on the parts of the kidneys that filter waste from the blood.

The UC Davis Child Life and Creative Arts Therapy Department held their third annual Creative Arts Festival safely at the West Wind Drive-In Theater in Sacramento. A virtual art gallery highlighted 19 pieces of patient-made art and 17 patient-made films were screened.

Launched in 2016, the outpatient peritoneal dialysis program at UC Davis Children’s Hospital provides pediatric patients and their families with training on home-based peritoneal dialysis, while patients await a kidney transplant. It has been a lifeline for parents like Aija Hall.

When children are discharged from the hospital and go into foster care, they typically leave with all of their possessions in a plastic bag. Now, thanks to pediatric social workers at UC Davis Children’s Hospital, these children receive a MAARY bag to help during this difficult transition. MAARY is an acronym for Marginalized and At Risk Youth.

New study evaluates maternal and hospital factors possibly linked to risk of brachial plexus birth injury, the leading cause of infants’ upper extremity paralysis.

Since the pandemic started, many parents have wondered how to help their child(ren) cope with their fears and anxiety. In many cases, they’re also helping children handle the illness or loss of a loved one due to COVID-19 as. Certified Child Life Specialist Marisa Martinez answers some frequently asked questions and provides tips and resources for parents and families.

What parents need to know about potty training: What age should you start? Do boys really take longer? Why are kids learning at later ages? Here’s the breakdown.

A UC Davis Health team today announced the launch of the world’s first FDA-approved human clinical trial to treat the most serious form of spina bifida. The trial involves the use of stem cells, applied during a surgery before birth.

Casey Dyke has been told he is a mended little miracle. With 12 surgeries for tricuspid atresia and cholesteatoma under his belt, he is now 16 years old and living his best life.

Twelve-year-old Dane Gaffney had an extremely rare case that many pediatric cardiologists may see once in their career or not at all. Coarctation of the aorta is usually caught early in infancy and if left untreated as an infant, is fatal.

Shortly after birth, Thea experienced trouble breathing. She was transferred to UC Davis Children’s Hospital, where she was diagnosed with Stickler Syndrome with Pierre Robin Sequence, two genetic disorders that can cause vision, hearing and joint problems, as well as a U-shaped cleft palate and breathing difficulties.

 The UC Davis Children’s Hospital Transport Team specializes in bringing an advanced level of care to infants and children at surrounding community hospitals, where appropriate resources may not be available.

The latest edition of the UC Davis Children’s Hospital Annual Report is now available. The publication covers2019-2020, an historic year that included the coronavirus and the separation of craniopagus twins.

UC Davis Medical Center is proud to be recognized by Blue Shield of California with a Blue Distinction Centers (BDC) for Maternity Care designation, as part of the Blue Distinction Specialty Care program.

Masks, face shields and other personal protective gear that health care providers must wear during the pandemic can intimidate some pediatric patients. Hoping to change that, Veronica Tuss, a child life specialist at the UC Davis MIND Institute, creates colorful photo buttons so that providers can share a smile with their patients while staying safe.

Pediatric gastroenterology services are now offered at the UC Davis Health Carmichael/Citrus Heights Clinic. UC Davis pediatric gastroenterologists Arthur de Lorimier and Kelly Haas will provide service at this clinic twice a month.

A paper was recently published in Pediatric Emergency Care highlighting the success of a simulation activity focused on helping health professions students and trainees identify and report patient safety hazards in the emergency department.

Panda Express' annual fundraising efforts positively impact local patients and families. The restaurant chain donated nearly $450,000 raised in 2020 to Children’s Miracle Network at UC Davis Children’s Hospital.

UC Davis Children's Hospital's Child Life and Creative Arts Therapy department gets a big boost from local specialty store.

Judie Boehmer, a nursing executive at UC Davis Health, has been appointed board president for Sacramento’s Ronald McDonald House. 

UC Davis Children’s Hospital has created a new tradition to help families mark a special milestone when leaving the neonatal intensive care unit: A NICU graduation.

The UC Davis MIND Institute is now offering its interactive autism teleconferencing program, known as ECHO, in Spanish. The goal is to reach more health care providers, particularly Spanish-speaking professionals and those in Latin America.

UC Davis Health pediatric endocrinologists are having success using telehealth to provide care to children and teens with diabetes. They’ve teamed up with other experts in the field to create a guide for colleagues around the country who want to do the same.

Maheen Hassan brings new expertise to the Sacramento region, offering motility testing for pediatric gastroenterology patients. Tests now available include esophageal manometry and anorectal manometry.

Two-year-old Leo Woo has already had two successful heart surgeries, thanks to UC Davis pediatric cardiothoracic surgeon Gary Raff. Leo’s parents Sarah Ehrman and Chris Woo have entered Leo in this year’s Rock Your Scar, a national contest hosted by Mended Little Hearts to raise awareness about congenital heart defects.

The public can receive free, virtual car seat education and inspections, as well as socially distant car seat installations in English and Spanish, thanks to the UC Davis Trauma Prevention and Outreach Department.

A new study finds that young children in the foster care system demonstrated fewer behavior problems after participating in an innovative seven-week intervention. The program is called PC-CARE, and was pioneered at UC Davis CAARE Center.

For many children, taking medicine is literally a tough pill to swallow. At UC Davis Children’s Hospital, child life specialists teach kids this new skill of swallowing pills, when liquid medicine and chewable tablets are not options. The team shares six tips.

The surgical team that separated conjoined twins Abigail and Micaela had access to equipment and technology that did not exist 10 years ago, including mixed reality imaging goggles that map out the brain and blood vessels and 3D printed models of the twins’ skulls as they prepared to successfully separate the two girls.

Christmas came early for the Bachinskiy family today: formerly conjoined twins Abigail and Micaela were discharged from UC Davis Children’s Hospital and will be spending their first Christmas together at home. The 11-month-old craniopagus conjoined twins, born connected at the head, were separated in a 24-hour separation surgery.

Closing out 2020 on a very positive note, Deftones have completed their ‘Adopt-a-Dot’ fundraiser and made a donation of $52,500 to UC Davis Children’s Hospital. The Grammy Award-winning band Deftones launched their philanthropic campaign in September called ‘Adopt-a-Dot’ based on their album, “Ohms.” The cover art, created by Frank Maddocks, features thousands of pixelated dots, and fans could make a charitable donation for one or more dots. Donors uploaded photos to Deftones.com/Adopt, adding yet another dimension to the artwork and claiming a spot of their own.

Diana Estrada-Arauza was the picture of health. She was 33 years old. No preexisting conditions. But when she was seven months pregnant, she became sick with the coronavirus and was admitted to the ICU to get the acute care that she and her unborn baby needed.

Long-time Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals media partner comes through in 2020, raising much needed funds for UC Davis Children’s Hospital.

Shop for the holidays and sick and injured kids get a gift, too. Ace Hardware encourages customers to round up their change this holiday season to help pediatric patients in Northern California.

UC Davis Health experts have identified factors that make children with diabetic ketoacidosis more likely to experience acute kidney injury. The results may eventually lead to new options and better treatments for the dangerous condition. 

The UC Davis Pediatric Heart Center hosted an international pediatric cardiology conference via Zoom this fall with the pediatric cardiology team from Sejong Cardiac Hospital in Seoul, South Korea.

The UC Davis pediatric emergency department today unveiled a brand new waiting room, specially designed for kids. Boasting bright colors and a child-friendly design, this new 500-square-foot area provides a comfortable space for young patients and their families that is private and separate from the adult emergency waiting area.