April 15, 2009
EPSDT/Well Child Program Update.
Well Child Wednesday results in more exams
by YKHC Public Relations Staff
YKHC and the State of Alaska have been partnering to provide EPSDT (Early, Periodic, Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment) services to the children of the YKHC region for several years.
During the past two years, efforts have been stepped up through the "Well Child Wednesday" campaign, which sets aside health aide time each Wednesday to schedule patients for preventive exams.
Although exams may be scheduled for any day of the week, typically village and subregional clinics see fewer sick patients mid-week.
Initially, every eligible Health Aide was asked to conduct one Well Child exam per month. The goal was then adjusted to one exam per week. Eventually, the benchmark was set at two exams each Wednesday, or eight per month. In 2008, Health Aides continually exceeded these numbers each month and have solidified the program's presence in Southwest Alaska. Many villages have caught up on the backlog of children needing Well Child exams, and only have to see the ones that come due every month.
Last year, more than 6,000 EPSDT/Well Child screenings were provided by YKHC health aides and other medical providers.
A preventive form of healthcare, well child screenings are check-ups for children who are not sick, or not necessarily showing any symptoms of illness. Besides monitoring a child's overall health, the encounters give health aides and health care providers an opportunity to intercept potential illness that could lead to an emergency or critical care situation later on.
Screenings include:
- Growth and development screening
- Vision and hearing screening
- Dental screening
- Immunizations
- Head-to-toe physical exam
- Health education for Parent and Child
To perform the well child screenings, health aides have to go through specialized trianing in addition to all their regular training. This training process is well in-hand, with "almost 100 percent of our eligible Health Aides trained to provide these exams and almost all of our clinics have EPSDT-trained Health Aides," said Well Child Program Coordinator Kurt Kuhne. Community Health Aides (CHAs) must have completed Session 3, Session 4, or Practitioner training prior to participating in the Well Child class.
At the beginning of 2009, only one eligible Health Aide (session III or above) had yet to receive training, Kuhne said.
Starting in May, EPSDT training will be provided as part of the regular Session III Health Aide Training. This is a positive change for the following reasons:
- Health Aides will no longer have to travel to Bethel for a "special" training.
- YKHC no longer will have to spend the additional funds to bring Health Aides in from their clinics, pay per diem, lodging, etc for this specialized training.
- Health Aides, once graduating from Session III, will be able to go to their home Village and immediately start performing EPSDT/Well Child screenings.
Well child screenings are also on the rise at the outpatient clinics in Bethel. Outpatient Clinic Director Louise Reed says the number of visits for the first three months of 2009 is nearly double that of the same period the previous year.
