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Make a Referral
Physician Champion
Newsletter
Educational Events

As a health care provider, you play a significant role in promoting the healthy development of children in Skagit County. Help Me Grow is here to help. The Help Me Grow Family Resource Navigator assesses a family’s needs and connects them to community resources and services that will assist them in raising healthy, happy children. If you recognize a need, please refer the family to Help Me Grow.

How does a referral work?

  1. Complete the referral form online to refer families, prenatal through early childhood, for family resources and navigation services.  There is also an option to print and fax it to Help Me Grow Skagit at (360) 365-8664.
  2. The Skagit Family Resource Navigator will reach out to the family, listen, provide support, and assess the needs of the children and family.
  3. Based on the needs, the family will be referred to the appropriate local services and supports.
  4. Scheduled follow-ups will occur to inquire about previous referrals given and any additional concerns that the family may have.
  5. If indicated on the referral form, the Family Resource Navigator will communicate with the referring health care provider to give an update on the referral.

Help Me Grow Skagit’s Physician Champion

Dr. Francie Chalmers, MD, co-founder of Skagit Pediatrics, has seen our community expand and many children grow up over the past 40 years. Despite retiring from formal practice, she continues to advocate for local families. In her role as Physician Champion for Help Me Grow Skagit, Dr. Chalmers is working with providers on our new Help Me Grow referral system, identifying training needs, convening quarterly Perinatal and Pediatric Health Care Provider Network meetings, and supporting systematic surveillance and screening of young children.  Thank you, Dr. Chalmers, for bringing your voice and expertise to this work and helping all families with young children thrive. If you would like to set up a time for Dr. Chalmers to talk with your clinic providers and/or staff, please email her here: Francie Chalmers, MD

The Perinatal & Pediatric Healthcare Provider Newsletter

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Educational Events

Our sessions from February through June are free and will be held over Zoom on the first Wednesday of the month from 7:00AM – 8:00AM.
Participants may claim up to 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ for each virtual session.
February 5th

Media Use

March 5th

Identifying Child  Abuse

April 2nd

Collaborating with Schools

May 7th

Infant Mental Health

June 4th

Fatherhood

Course Description

Pediatricians and providers often need quick, simple ways to discuss digital media with families. To help, the American Academy of Pediatrics developed The 5 Cs of Media Use.
The 5 Cs is a mnemonic that can be used to talk to parents about infant, toddlers, and preschooler, and screens. They are: Child, Content, Calm, Crowding Out, and Communication. Along with this approach, we’ve created a series of age-based handouts to give to parents at well-child visits.
Based on current research and evidence, the handouts start by informing parents about their children’s developmental stages, how this influences media use, and healthy media habits to strive for at home. This tool includes clear ties to family relational health, early childhood social-emotional development, and teen mental health.
It is not necessary for providers to recite all of the 5 Cs at every visit – the goal is to give media guidance in a smarter and memorable way that connects to what you are already talking about with families. Come learn more about the 5 Cs and how to use.

Event Completed!

Presented by: Yolanda Evans, PhD

Dr. Yolanda Evans is an associate professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Washington. She was born and raised in Anchorage, AK and completed undergraduate studies receiving a BS in Biology at the University of Alaska Anchorage and medical doctorate from Oregon Health Sciences University. After completing residency in Pediatrics at the University of Washington, she went on to complete a fellowship in Adolescent Medicine and MPH at the UW.
Dr. Evans has served a number of roles since joining the faculty in the University of Washington Department of Pediatrics including Director of Telemedicine at Seattle Children’s Hospital, Medical Director of the Adolescent Wellness Clinic (for management of youth with medical complications of obesity), Division of Adolescent Medicine Clinical Director, and most currently Medical Director for the Adolescent Outpatient Eating Disorders Clinic and the Head of the Division of Adolescent Medicine. In 2012, she started a telehealth consultation clinic with Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium and continues to offer clinical care for youth around issues related to reproductive health, contraception, eating disorders, and gender care. She is actively engaged in the local Washington Chapter of the AAP, including being a member of the Board of Trustees and the Equitable Care Committee. In addition, Dr. Evans is a member of the AAP Executive Council on Communications and the Media. Her research includes using technology and social media to improve access to safe, reliable health care for adolescents. In her free time, she enjoys dancing and traveling with her husband and 3 kids.

Course Description

This presentation will increase the Primary Care Provider’s understanding about when to be concerned about possible inflicted trauma and how to proceed when the concern is validated. Utilizing local resources and knowing when to reach out for assistance will be addressed as well.

Event Complete!

Presented by: Joyce Gilbert, PhD

Dr. Joyce Gilbert has been the Medical Director of the Providence Abuse Intervention Center in Olympia WA for the past 10 years.Dr. Gilbert has over 40 years of experience practicing primary care pediatrics and working as a Child Abuse Pediatrician. Her passion is educating about preventing child abuse and the effects of trauma on the child’s brain and body.. She is also employed by Seattle Children’s Hospital as a Pediatric Hospitalist at Providence St. Peter Hospital and provides medcon consultations for the SCAN team from Seattle Children’s. Dr. Gilbert has presented at educational venues locally, statewide, and nationally.

Course Description

Partnerships between medical professionals and school districts and state/federal agency programs can potentially streamline services and support for vulnerable children. In order to properly locate, identify, and evaluate students who are suspected of having a disability, the school and medical fields often interact. Staff from the Northwest Educational Service District will provide helpful information using the regulations set forth in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Part B (ages 3-21) and Part C (birth-3) basics.

Event Complete!

Presented by: Amberly Gregg M.Ed., MIH-E; Michelle Roper PhD, BCBA-D; Emily Bianconi, ARPN

Amberly Gregg has worked in various capacities of Early Childhood Special Education for 20+ years. Her experiences with district Child Find responsibilities as well as undertaking as a Lead Family Resource Coordinator in early intervention have giver her insight into the challenges and benefits of working collaboratively with medical professionals on behalf of young children at risk for developmental delays. This includes coordination of referrals for services and programs under IDEA law. Partnerships have included school district programs, early intervention birth-3, and state/federal programs such as Head Start/ECEAP.

Michelle Roper is a passionate educator with over 27 years of experience in special education. During the early part of her career, she served as a special education teacher and behavior therapist in Virginia, where she spent 12 years supporting students and families. Driven by a commitment to make a meaningful impact, she pursued advanced credentials, becoming a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, earning her administrative endorsement, and earning a doctorate in Special Education and Applied Behavior Analysis from George Mason University.

Emily Bianconi earned her Bachelor’s degree at UC Davis in California and continued on to earn a Masters in Nursing at the University of San Francisco. She has worked as a nurse at Children’s Hospital in Oakland and at a community health center in Boston before working as a nurse practitioner at a pediatric office in the Boston area. Family connections brought her to Washington where she initially worked at the Pacific Lutheran University Student Health Center and then moved north to the Skagit area where she now practices at Skagit Regional Health- Little Mountain Pediatrics.

Course Description – Coming Soon

Registration

Registration is free, but required to receive the Zoom link.

Course Description – Coming Soon

Registration

Registration is free, but required to receive the Zoom link.

Credit Offered

This  activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies
of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACME) through the joint providership of Skagit
Regional Health and Help Me Grow Skagit. Skagit Regional Health is accredited by the Washington State Medical
Association to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Skagit Regional Health designates this online live activity for a maximum of 5.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)TM
Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

This activity meets the criteria for up to 5.0 hours of Category I CME credit to satisfy the relicensure requirements of
the Washington State Medical Quality Assurance Commission.

Past Events

January 25, 2025: Supporting Behavioral Health in Young Children: Tools for Health Care Providers, Presented by Erin Gonzales, PhD; Presentation Slides: Supporting Behavioral Health In Young Children

The presentations below were part of our Virtual Education Series for 2024.

The presentations below were part of our Child Development Series for 2023.

*Please note: CME credit is not available for viewing recordings or slides.