August 15, 2005

Community Pediatrics Holds Open House To Celebrate New Location

By Jeffree Itrich

UCSD’s Division of Community Pediatrics recently opened a new center in City Heights to better reach a San Diego population traditionally eager to embrace its many health programs.

To celebrate their contributions in violence prevention, nutrition education, school health consultation, physical activity promotion, and other preventive health issues, as well as to demonstrate its intent to continue partnerships with agencies, families, and schools, the Division is holding an Open House event on August 18th from 3-6pm. UCSD’s Chancellor, the Dean of the School of Medicine, Congresswoman Susan Davis, and other university and government representatives will be present to honor the division’s past accomplishments, and the promising future presented by this new location.

In addition to these noted speakers, representatives from Price Foundation, San Diego Revitalization Corporation, and other community organizations and local agencies that partner with UCSD Community Pediatrics will be present to celebrate the research, education, outreach, training and other services that define this unique division in the School of Medicine.

“Community Pediatrics engages in community-university partnerships focused on issues relevant to child and family health.” said Vivian Reznik, M.D., of the Community Pediatrics Division. “Moving our offices to City Heights makes sense since we have been collaborating with the neighborhood for many years working on issues of nutrition, violence prevention and health disparities.”

“We take pride in being a national leader in innovative community pediatric programs,” said Sandra Daley, M.D., also of the Community Pediatrics Division “Our programs reach populations that are traditionally medically underserved. We know we are providing an invaluable community service but now with the addition of this facility we will be able to do so much more.”

A non-clinical division of UCSD School of Medicine’s Department of Pediatrics since 1986, the division consists of a multidisciplinary team of pediatricians, nutritionists, statisticians, psychologists, health and physical educators, and other professionals. The goal of the department is to promote health in San Diego and numerous other communities by designing, implementing, and evaluating culturally competent programs that promote health- and safety. In addition to community outreach the division educates researchers, clinicians, trainees and colleagues for community-involvement (patients’ schools, family resource centers, and other community agencies that support diverse populations).

The Open House will take place at City Heights Center, 4305 University Avenue, Ste 590 on Thursday, August 18, 2005, 3-6 PM. From 3:00-4:15 PM the public can take tours of new location; meet with faculty & staff. Between 4:15-5:00 PM will be presentations by Chancellor Marye Anne Fox, Vice Chancellor Edward Holmes, and Congresswoman Susan Davis. Afterwards tours will resume.

Among the division’s 20 innovative programs that benefit the community:

5 A Day Campaign; Latino 5-A-Day:
UCSD Community; Pediatrics coordinates (in San Diego and Imperial counties) social marketing to families of children (ages 9-11) and families of Latino adults to consume at least 5 fruits and vegetables a day and physical activity.

Academic Center of Excellence on Youth Violence Prevention
Helps communities to prevent and address youth violence by aligning the research, education and outreach activities of UCSD with needs of local schools and community based organizations.

Asthma Management and Coordination with Schools: Increases pediatrician interaction with local schools to manage patients with asthma using pediatric office and pediatricians as advocates. Active in 6 states.

Center of Excellence in Partnerships for Community Outreach, Research on Health Disparities and Training (EXPORT) Strengthens infrastructure for research and training in minority health / health disparities through: community partnerships and outreach; involvement of populations with disparate health risks in research, prevention, intervention and dissemination; and curriculum for UCSD/SDSU students. Focus on HIV and cardiovascular disease.

Child and Adolescent Trial for Cardiovascular Health (CATCH)
A school based program in physical and health education, and school nutrition, researched here and nationally and found to have a positive effect on physical activity, and healthy eating.

Healthy Start Pilot:
Analyzes feasibility of implementing & sustaining health curricula in Head Start Centers. Introduces primary disease prevention in low-income minority children and families, where health disparities are most prevalent.

HIV/STI and pregnancy prevention curriculum for high-risk youth:
Evaluates the efficacy of a curriculum to teach prevention of pregnancy, HIV, and other sexually transmitted infections to high-risk youth and high-school aged youth.

Kids Health Assurance Network (SD-KHAN)
Outreach to parents of uninsured children, through community partner agencies, to provide access to low cost/no cost health care for families of uninsured children throughout the county.

Medical and Health Consultation to School Districts:
School health policies for districts, staff development, & safe integration of medically fragile children. Operational in 7 school districts in San Diego and Los Angeles counties. Assists pediatricians nationwide to become school consultants.

Nutrition Link
Brings nutrition and physical activity education into classrooms via the web, and with parent involvement. Operates at Rosa Parks Elementary (San Diego City Schools) and all Lemon Grove elementary schools.

Obesity Prevention
Multiple projects ongoing at national and local levels addressing high rates of obesity.

Pediatrician Education Project
Provides educational health classes at community sites for parents of children 0-18; encourages them to access and use health coverage for their children.

Pediatric Residency Training in Community Pediatrics
Develops pediatric residents’ interests and skills in community-based medicine, cultural fluency and advocacy.

Physical Activity Behavior (PAB)
A follow-up evaluation study of 1000 children (0-7 years) at ten national sites. Researches physical activity behavior against social, emotional, cognitive, and linguistic and health developmental variables.

San Diego HCOP (HCOP)
Seeks to increase the number of qualified, but disadvantaged students entering the local health care work force. Partnering with SDSU Pre-College Institute (PCI), & San Diego Border Area Health Education Center.

San Diego Immunization Partnership (SDIP)
A cooperative of the County of San Diego’s Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA), this project works to reduce or eliminate routine vaccine-preventable diseases by raising immunization coverage rates.

Southern California Border HIV/AIDS Project
Collaborative initiative with the San Ysidro Health Center. Aim is to improve HIV/AIDS outreach, access to testing and primary care services, and cross border linkages (San Diego, Imperial County, border region).

Study of Children’ Activity and Nutrition (SCAN A, B)
Analyzes cardiovascular risk factors, dietary and physical activity behaviors in low to middle income Mexican-American, Anglo American and African American children and their families.

Media Contact: Jeffree Itrich (619) 543-6163