Ramadan is right around the corner and Seattle Children’s would like to share some considerations to keep in mind for your Muslim patients and families.
Ramadan this year will begin on Tuesday, May 15, and will last for 30 days. Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and is a time of fasting, special prayer, worship and contemplation. Fasting is one of the five pillars of Islam and a major part of Ramadan. Muslims abstain from food, fluids and smoking from sunrise to sundown during this holy month.
There are physiological changes that occur during Ramadan due to fasting and it is important to keep this in mind while caring for Muslim patients and families. If you are a provider, please consider discussing medication and meal management with your patients who plan to fast. A plan to manage dehydration and headaches is beneficial. It is widely believed within the Islamic faith that fasting should only be attempted by those who are mentally and physically able to do so.
Exemptions are made for pregnant women, nursing mothers, those traveling long distances and any individuals whose mental or physical condition could be adversely affected due to dehydration or lack of medication.
When it comes to scheduling, please keep in mind that there may be some parents fasting who will need to break the fast at sunset.
Thank you, and Happy Ramadan to those observing this year! Read full post »
Seattle Children’s adolescent medicine specialist Dr. Yolanda Evans writes about important conversations parents should have with their teens about intimacy:
Parents often ask me for advice regarding sex and reproductive health. Many times this involves speaking with me separately from their teen and informing me they found a condom in a pocket or their teen has been in a long term relationship and they think they may be sexually active. Most parents are worried about pregnancy, some are concerned about sexually transmitted infections. For all, I also bring up some topics that aren’t always as obvious, but are just as important. In this post, we’ll discuss important conversations to have with teens about sex and relationships in addition preventing pregnancy and STD’s.
With the #metoo movement that is sweeping social media and the convictions of sexual assault by prominent men in Hollywood, the medical community, and other areas, people who have experienced sexual harassment and assault are beginning to have a voice. Unwanted sexual contact by anyone (regardless of gender) is criminal. Unfortunately, our culture is full of examples where (mainly) female bodies are objectified as sexual objects in movies, commercials, music lyrics, and music videos. The message this sends to youth (and adults) is that the body of whomever we’re attracted to is there for our pleasure. It also sends a message that those who experience harassment and/or assault are at fault or should keep quiet. This needs to change!
Read more on Seattle Children’s blog Teenology 101. Read full post »
Seattle Children’s is now offering same-day appointment scheduling online and by phone (206-987-2211) for our urgent care locations in Bellevue, Federal Way, Mill Creek and Seattle.
Limited walk-in appointments are also available. If families do not schedule in advance, and we do not have appointments when they arrive, we will do our best to provide them with information about other locations that can care for their child.
Families should arrive 15 minutes before their appointment time to check in. If families are more than 15 minutes late for their appointment, we may need to reschedule.
Additionally, Children’s Urgent Care clinics no longer offer unique holiday hours. Our Urgent Care locations are open seven days a week, including holidays. Our regular hours, including holidays, are:
- Weekdays: 5 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
- Weekends: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
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The following CME Events are being held this month:
On May 15, Julia Mitzel, ARNP will be presenting on “Cerebral Palsy” in Everett. For more information, please contact Physician Liaison Jen Mueller at Jen.Mueller@seattlechildrens.org.
On June 14, Dr. Thomas Jinguji will be presenting on “Concussion and SCAT Survey” in Olympia. For more information, please contact Physician Liaison Patti Kilburn at Patricia.Kilburn@seattlechildrens.org.
A Q&A with Dr. Ben Danielson, Mark Fadool and Dr. Nat Jungblut
The majority of children will experience a potentially traumatic event during childhood, but only some of them will develop clinically significant distress.
Identifying and supporting children who have been negatively affected by trauma is crucial to their emotional and physical health.
Primary care providers have a unique opportunity to recognize families experiencing post-traumatic stress and offer them support. We’ve brought together three experts to help: Dr. Ben Danielson, senior medical director of the Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic (OBCC); Mark Fadool, clinical director of Mental Health Services at OBCC; and Dr. Nat Jungbluth, a clinical psychologist working on a Washington state-funded pilot program to offer behavioral health services to youth and families in the Tri-Cities.
How does trauma affect a child’s health?
Dr. Danielson: The CDC-Kaiser Permanente Adverse Childhood Experiences Study, published in 1998, recognized a direct correlation between 10 stressful experiences – termed Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) – and health outcomes. These experiences include: physical, verbal or sexual abuse; substance abuse by family members; parent separation or divorce; witnessing domestic violence; depression in a family; and a family member in prison, among others.
The study demonstrated that the more ACEs a person experiences during childhood, the more severe and the more frequent illnesses they are likely to suffer as a child and into adulthood.
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Dr. Jeff Sperring.
Seattle Children’s has published its 2017 Academic Annual Report, featuring some of the organization’s accomplishments this past year. Included in this years report are the following articles:
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Seattle Children’s doctors and researchers are leading efforts to better treat cancer in children, adolescents and young adults by boosting the immune system with T-cell immunotherapy. Patients who cannot be cured with standard therapies are benefiting from clinical trials developed at the Ben Towne Center for Childhood Cancer Research, and supported by the Strong Against Cancer initiative.
One of these patients is Aaron. When he feared he might be out of treatment options, Aaron found hope at Seattle Children’s.
Read Aaron’s story on Seattle Children’s blog On The Pulse.
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Medical Providers
