We’re very excited to announce that this year Residents Day at the State House will take place on Thursday, April 15th 2010.  We’re currently working on contacting speakers and getting the word out.  Stay tuned for more information in the upcoming months.

Residents and fellows of MassGeneral Hospital for Children devote most of their time to treating sick children in a hospital setting, but this June they devoted a day to preventing and curing illness outside of the hospital wards.

This year’s fourth-annual Pediatric Residents and Fellows Day at the State House (RFDASH) brought out about 80 residents, fellows and faculty from various hospitals to advocate for legislation that affects children’s health.

“We got a great response from many senators and representatives who didn’t know much about our bills before the meetings, but were very positive afterwards about supporting them,” says Alenka Zeman, MD, who organized the event with fellow MassGeneral Hospital for Children resident adovcate Catherine Aftandilian, MD. “It is very rejuvenating for us to step outside the hospital walls and to let our voices be heard,” Zeman adds.

Hosted by the Massachusetts Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the day began with inspirational speakers who prompted the audience to advocate for the legislation later.

Capitol reform

James Perrin, MD, kicked off the morning with an impromptu but effective talk on healthcare reform in our nation.

“It’s an incredibly vibrant, complex, amazingly fast time in Washington,” Perrin says. “You should stay tuned and get involved where you can.”

Perrin explained that this is a particularly important year in Washington, DC, as it represents an important opportunity for change before midterm elections next year. Perrin also noted the critical role of Senator Ted Kennedy, who had been a strong advocate for healthcare reform, but whose health was expected to affect his participation.

One bill, many lives

Trauma surgeon Peter Masiakos, MD, switched gears to explain how one bill (S.366) to regulate the use of off-highway and recreation vehicles can save many lives.

Masiakos became passionate about regulating the use of all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) and the like after caring for Sean Kearney, an 8-year-old boy who died after an ATV accident in late 2006.

“He was a little boy we couldn’t make better,” Masiakos said.

The Kearneys, who spoke after Masiakos, told the story of their son, who they left for a play-date with a trusted family, only to receive a call that Sean had been involved in an accident with an ATV, something the family had no familiarity with. Sean was flown to Mass General Hospital after the accident, but the injuries he sustained under the weight of the 500-lb ATV were too great, and he died five days later.

“We had four children, but we put three to bed every night,” said Katie Kearney, Sean’s mother. She added, “We couldn’t prevent it [from] happening to Sean, but we can prevent it from happening to another family.”

The Kearney’s expressed gratitude for Dr. Masiakos, who stayed with them through the five days Sean was in the hospital, and who became one of the ATV bill’s strongest proponents.

“Passing this law will protect children from the risks that ATVs expose them to,” Masiakos says.

Coordinated health

Following the Kearney family’s discussion, David DeMaso, MD, chairman of psychiatry at Children’s Hospital Boston, spoke about the bill for coordination of children’s mental health care services. The bill (H. 3586/S.757) aims to form a link between care providers, for example in the hypothetical case of a 14-year-old girl with asthma who is also being treated by a psychiatrist for depression and anxiety.

From the perspective of the psychiatrist looking to prescribe the patient depression medication, DeMaso asked his audience a seemingly obvious question: whether it would be a good idea for him to talk with the girl’s pediatrician. That is the essence of the bill.

Immunizations

The final bill in question (H.3453/S.859) would establish the Massachusetts Childhood Vaccines Program and the Massachusetts Immunization Registry. The subject is a particular sore spot for many, as the state has fallen in terms of immunization distribution.

“Massachusetts was number one for immunization and we no longer are and that’s not acceptable,” said State Representative Alice Wolfe.

Sean Palfrey, MD, and professor of general pediatrics at Boston Medical Center, spoke with Ed Brennan, Esq., legal counsel and lobbyist for the MCAAP, on the topic.

“We as pediatricians are known to be not just knowledgeable, but advocates for children,” Palfrey said.

The day culminated with visits to senators and representatives, with the hope that these three bills would soon become laws.

For event organizer and resident Zeman, the event has grown considerably since she first became involved as an intern a few years ago.

It’s exciting because this day just keeps expanding and expanding,” she says. “You realize we can have an impact.”

8:30          Registration and breakfast

9:00          Welcome and introductions

9:15          Lauren Smith MD, MPH – Medical Director of the Mass Dept of Public Health

“Public Health and Health Disparities:  The Social Becomes Biologic”

9:45          Peter Masiakos MS, MD – Pediatric Surgeon, Mass General Hospital

“The Needs of the Many Outweigh the Needs of the Few:  How Meaningful Legislation Impacts Children’s Health”

Focus on the Issues:  S366: An Act to Regulate the Use of Off Highway and Recreation Vehicles

10:15        The Kearney Family: A family’s perspective on the ATV bill

10:30        Short break and snack

10:45        David DeMaso MD- Chairman of Psychiatry, Children’s Hosp of Boston

Focus on the Issues:  S757 & H3586: An Act for Coordination of Children’s Mental Health Care Services

11:00        Sean Palfrey MD- Prof of General Pediatrics, Boston Medical Center

With a visit from Alice Wolf- State Representative 25^th Middlesex District

Focus on the Issues: S859 & H3453: An Act Establishing the Massachusetts Childhood Vaccines Program and    the Massachusetts Immunization Registry

11:45        Visit from Senate President Therese Murray

12:00        Sean Palfrey MD & Ed Brennan, Esq. – Legal Counsel & Lobbyist, MCAAP – Workshop: “How to be an Effective Lobbyist” & Question & Answer Session

12:30        Lunch

1:00          Meetings with individual legislators

2:00 –       Feedback and Wrap-up

8:30                 Registration and breakfast

9:00                 Welcome and introductions

9:15                 Lauren Smith – Director of the Mass Dept of Public Health

9:45                 Peter Masiakos- Professor of Pediatric Surgery, Mass Gen Hospital

10:00               The Kearney Family: Discussing Impact of the ATV Bill

10:15               Short break and snack

10:45               David DeMaso MD- Chair of Psychiatry, Children’s Hospital Boston, Mental Health Bill

11:00              Alex Calcagno – Lobbyist for the Mass Med Society, How to be an Effective Lobbyist

12:00               Sean Palfrey-Prof of Pediatrics, Boston Medical Center & Ed Brennan- Lobbyist for the MCAAP, Immunization Bill                     

12:20               Questions & Answers

12:30               Lunch

1:30                 Meetings with individual legislators

Mental health coverage for the young is critically important.  I am faced with patients regularly who struggle to get the healthcare they need.  For those with insurance, the waits are tremendous and for those without (or with coverage that limits mental health benefits) they often go without or their parents take on significant financial risks to get them care. 

The MCPAP-Massachusetts Child Psychiatry Access Project (http://mcpap.typepad.com/) has offered some much needed relief but it is not enough.  We must get more coverage for childhood mental health and increase reimbursement in order to encourage more mental health providers to train to take care of children.

Once again, this year’s Resident Day at the State House event is shaping up to be a phenomenal combination of education and advocacy. I remain extremely proud of the tireless work the MGHfC residents put into this event. Every year is better than the last. I am really excited to be coming this year and we’re all hoping that this may be the extra push that the ATV age restriction legislation needs to pass!

We just had a recent meeting of our pediatric advocacy group!

We are ready to send out the final information for our RDASH 2009 event. We are so excited to have two amazing keynote speakers this year: Dr. Lauren Smith who is the medical director of the Department of Public Health and Dr. Peter Masiakos who is one of our pediatric surgeons at MassGeneral Hospital for Children. We are still working on settling our active issues from this year but will definitely be learning about the ATV bill and talking to legislators about it. We are also hoping to discuss the Mental Health Bill this year and funding for immunizations.

Here is the info for our event ! Please RSVP if you are interested in attending.                                   – Alenka Zeman MD PGY-3 Senior Resident

Pediatric Residents and Fellows Day at the State House                                                                                                                                       

Monday June 1, 2009 

8:30am- 3:00pm Great Hall- Massachusetts State House

RSVP by April 1st to Catherine Aftandilian    caftandilian@partners.org

Please include in your reply:

Name, Institution, Home address, T-Shirt Size & whether or not you will participate in the morning only or full-day session.

We hope to see you there!
Resident Advocacy Group, Massachusetts General Hospital for Children

After a good deal of soul searching and numerous email exchanges, we finally have a date for RDASH 2009!  This year, we will be visiting the Massachusetts State House to advocate for pediatric health issues on Monday, June 1st, 2009.  The event is from 9 am to 4 pm and is free to all participants.  We’re already working hard to come up with a great set of speakers.

RDASH 2008 Organizers

Dr. Katie Zuckerman greeting RDASH attendee
Dr. Katie Brigham

Drs. Anna Rosenquist (left) and Alenka Zeman
(right) welcome the RDASH attendees and
explain the schedule of events

RDASH was attended by nearly 70
residents and fellows

Practice 101: Prearing to Meet the Legislators

Meeting with Donna, a staffer for Senator
Petrucelli