Healthy Steps for Babies and Families
Programs Help Physicians, Parents Better Understand
Healthy Child Development
Phoenix is a popular locale for pediatric residencies, and in the past four years, all five of the Valley's residency training hospitals have integrated practices that help physicians better understand child development. That's good news for Maricopa County children, because research shows that most pediatricians who train here stay in Arizona.
Three of the hospitals – Banner Desert Medical Center in Mesa, Phoenix Children’s Hospital and Mayo Clinic Arizona in Scottsdale – have received Trust grants to integrate Healthy Steps child development practices into their pediatric or family medicine residency programs. A national initiative, Healthy Steps for Young Children emphasizes a close relationship between healthcare professionals and parents in addressing the physical, emotional and intellectual growth and development of children from birth to age 3.
Two other Phoenix hospitals – Maricopa Integrated Health System (MIHS) and St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center – have developed similar training programs that enable new physicians to learn that providing effective healthcare includes understanding child and family development. In total, the Piper Trust has invested $1.3 million in Healthy Steps and similar programs.
In June 2006, the Trust awarded $350,000 to establish a family learning center at Maricopa Medical Center that will serve as a catalyst to educate parents and train pediatric residents. A family educator will assist parents and children in the center as well as provide child development training for pediatric residents.
In addition to programs targeted at the medical community, Healthy Steps focuses on educating and empowering parents about healthy infant and toddler development, creating an environment of partnership between doctors and families.
As one of the first hospitals in the country to offer the program in the neonatal intensive care unit, Banner Desert Medical Center matches interested parents of NICU babies born at least eight weeks early with a Healthy Steps specialist throughout the infants' first 18 months. Healthy Steps specialists work one-on-one with parents through home visits to monitor development, and they also attend well-child doctor visits.
“It’s great to work hand-in-hand with a developmental specialist. They’re involved with the moms and … are assessing children in their home environments for a longer period of time versus the short period of time we see them in the office,” remarked Dr. Jean Mullen from Mesa Pediatrics, who sees more than a dozen patients who are Healthy Steps participants. She noted that by educating parents and closely monitoring the first critical months, the program helps children who could easily fall through the cracks.
ABOUT HEALTHY STEPS FOR YOUNG CHILDREN
Healthy Steps for Young Children targets two groups: the medical community and families. Healthy Steps for the Medical Community is designed to fit within existing practice sites including private practices, hospitals, community clinics and HMO systems. Flexible and personalized, Healthy Steps practices give families the assurance that they can talk with informed and caring professionals who have the time to address their concerns and help them feel confident as parents. The program also provides an effective training ground for future pediatricians and family physicians – meeting recent mandates for residency programs that require physicians to focus more broadly on normal child growth and development.
Health Steps for Families focuses on children from birth to age 3 and takes advantage of the teachable moments that emerge from addressing parents’ concerns about development and behavior to guide them in their role as parents. Healthy Steps uses a team approach to primary healthcare for young children. The team includes a professional staff member, called a Healthy Steps specialist, whose background in child development, nursing or social work is complemented by Healthy Steps training. The Healthy Steps specialist is the member of the healthcare team who provides the effective link between the family and the pediatric and family practice. |