Children’s Hospital Association

Gun violence is a public health crisis and we must act now. Today, during Northwell Health's 5th Annual #PreventGunViolence forum, CHA announced our endorsement and investment into a new 5-year public awareness campaign for gun violence prevention led by the Ad Council and a coalition of hospitals and health systems scheduled to launch in January 2025. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/e5sGmftG

Last week, CHA’s Community Health Affinity Group convened over 60 community health leaders representing 28 children’s hospitals in Memphis, TN. Hosted by Le Bonheur Children's Hospital, the agenda included sessions focused on how hospitals collaborate with community partners, efforts to address community violence, working to meet community needs in rural and urban settings, and best practices in community health needs assessments. As part of the meeting, the group visited the National Civil Rights Museum where museum President, Dr. Russ Wigginton moderated a panel focused on children’s hospitals work in health equity. Special thanks again to Sara Burnett, Director, Public & Community Relations, and the entire team at Le Bonheur for literally rolling out the red carpet for CHA and our Community Health Affinity Group!

CHA is proud to announce our participation in the Biden Administration's Cancer Moonshot! Yesterday, President Biden and The White House announced Cancer Moonshot’s final area of focus launching before the end of the year: addressing pediatric drug shortages to ensure children have timely access to life-saving drugs and treatments. CHA is proud to join Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Children's National Hospital, Children's Mercy Kansas City, Cincinnati Children's, Stanford Children's Health | Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, and Texas Children's Hospital, and the End Drug Shortages Alliance to create a pilot program to "develop stewardship standards focused on identifying shortage risks, promoting transparent inventory awareness, and fostering an effective approach to prevent patient care disruptions and maintain consistent drug distribution to children and families facing cancer." Learn more: https://lnkd.in/eGbvsDgZ

Children’s Hospital Association is hiring for a Policy Manager to join the growing Public Affairs team in our Washington D.C. office. This position will manage health policy analysis for CHA’s advocacy work, serving as a trusted advisor and thought leader to further advance organizational priorities. Our mission to improve children’s health and well-being drives our success, and we are looking for someone who shares our passion for championing children’s health. If you are someone who… ⚕️ Has 5+ years of experience in the health care policy space. 🏥 Is passionate about issues affecting children and children’s hospitals. ✍️ Thrives when strategizing and problem solving. Then we want to hear from you! To review the full job description and apply: https://lnkd.in/enieSWz5

Congratulations to CHA's Chief Information Officer, Lori Hotzel, MBA, for being recognized by Women We Admire's Top 50 Women Leaders of Kansas in 2024! Women We Admire's Top Women Leaders Awards honors women who are highly accomplished professionals and making a positive impact in their fields. Congratulations, Lori! CHA is grateful for your valuable contributions and leadership! Read: https://lnkd.in/g__aTG6C

The mere act of sitting down helped Cohen Children's Medical Center increase patient experience scores and improve clinical outcomes directly related to nursing care. “Changing the position from standing to sitting supports eye contact and helps patients and families feel they’re on the same level. It lets patients know ‘I’m here with you in an authentic way, I’m listening to you,’” said Jennifer Simonetti, DNP, NPD-BC, CPN, Cohen Children's Medical Center, director of Magnet, patient experience, and cultural leader. Learn more about the Commit to Sit Pilot's results: https://lnkd.in/eG5w3vmT

CHA was honored to be awarded the "Best Abstract for Applied Innovation" for the "Diagnostic Timeouts During Unplanned Transfers are Feasible and Valuable in Children's Hospitals,” earlier this month during the Diagnostic Excellence 2024 Conference #DEX24 in Minneapolis. This award recognizes CHA's Quality and Safety Pilot that highlights four children's hospitals' who successfully implemented the Child Health PSO Diagnostic Safety Toolkit's timeout. Congratulations to CHA's Child Health PSO and Quality Improvement (QI) teams for the great work highlighting our children's hospitals! Photo: Elise Buckwalter, Clinical Quality Improvement Consultant, CHA. Learn more about the Diagnostic Safety Toolkit designed to be used anywhere in an organization and with any diagnosis: https://lnkd.in/d5XpMVCE

IV Fluid Update! 📢   Despite the progress being made to mitigate the impact of the Baxter International Inc. facility closure, our children’s hospitals continue to face significant challenges in accessing IV fluids needed for children.   CHA continues to work with Baxter International Inc. to support hospital access to IV fluid products and work towards the 100% allocation. Though imported products are starting to enter the U.S., this process takes time to safely enter our country’s distribution channels.   Behind the scenes, CHA is working with our partner organizations like the End Drug Shortages Alliance, American Hospital Association, ASHP, Vizient, Inc, and others. Last week, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released new information to help address current shortages.   In continuation of this effort, CHA submitted a letter to HHS and FDA to raise awareness of the ongoing struggles to access needed IV hydration. Because significant fluid conservation strategies are still required, we asked for enhanced support, including:    🔹 Increase and expedite importation of IV solution products from other manufacturing sites, including global locations, to ensure children's hospitals can provide quality care in a timely manner. 🔹 Work with Baxter to secure extended dating for expired and nearly expired products. 🔹 Ensure manufacturer transparency throughout the IV solution supply chain, including the location of production and storage, as well as an immediate and clear timeline on imported and domestic product availability so children's hospitals can appropriately assess clinical protocols and effectively plan how to best care for children.   CHA appreciates Baxter, HHS and FDA for their ongoing efforts to support children. Go to our comments for additional resources and links to help navigate the IV fluid shortage. For updates from Baxter: https://lnkd.in/gPg87FNV

Happy #PharmacyWeek! We’re proud to join ASHP in recognizing pharmacists, pharmacy techs, and all those in the pharmacy world who make a difference in patient care at children's hospitals and health systems, ambulatory care clinics, and other health care settings.

Today marks three years since CHA joined the American Academy of Pediatrics and American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) declared a national emergency in child and adolescent mental health. While there has been progress made to address the youth mental health crisis, there is still more work to be done. We call upon Congress to prioritize children’s mental health and their well-being by passing meaningful legislation like the bipartisan Helping Kids Cope Act and Early Action and Responsiveness Lifts Youth (EARLY) Minds Act, to invest in the pediatric mental health care infrastructure and ensure children on Medicaid can access needed mental health care. H.R. 2412, The Helping Kids Cope Act, introduced by Rep. Lisa Rochester (D-Del.) and Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) would bolster the pediatric mental health workforce and improve the availability of mental health care for kids. H.R. 7808, The Early Minds Act, introduced by Rep. August Pfluger (R-Texas), Rep. Kathy Castor (D-Fla.), Rep. John Joyce (R-Pa.), and Rep. John Sarbanes (D-Md.) would allow a portion of the Community Mental Health Services Block Grant to be used for the types of mental health support kids most often need, prevention and early intervention services. Learn more about CHA's pediatric mental health advocacy and priorities: https://lnkd.in/eAn75HeG