Granite State FitKids Announces Teaching Milestone
(Nashua, NH) – The Granite State FitKids program has recently reached a milestone announcing that the number of children taught in the program has surpassed the 20,000 mark. Since its inception in 1997, Granite State FitKids has taught an impressive 20,110 kids. The program has been implemented in 46 schools throughout southern New Hampshire and northern Massachusetts and has been instituted in a total of 909 classrooms in over 18 communities.
Granite State Fits Kids, or GSFK, is an interactive 7 week health awareness program for kids in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. It targets the ages of 9-10 and is designed to teach children in the classroom about the importance of personal health, physical fitness and the benefits of good nutrition. GSFK involves an array of both aerobic and non-aerobic activities that promote wellness and in 2005 was honored as one of the top “150” programs in the country dealing with the national epidemic of childhood obesity.
The curriculum of GSFK uses a variety of educational strategies including lecture, group discussions and interactive student activities such as games and projects. GSFK promotes the use of the 5 E’s including Excitement, Enthusiasm, Energy, Exercise and Education.
The program was founded by Charles T. Cappetta, MD. Dr. Cappetta is a pediatrician at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Nashua and Adjunct Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Dartmouth Medical School. Dr. Cappetta has been chosen by Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, as one of their “Outstanding Physicians of the Year”. GSFK is supported by MVP Healthcare, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Nashua, St. Joseph Hospital, Southern New Hampshire Medical Center ,and many local school PTO’s.
For more information contact Dr. Charles Cappetta at (603) 577-4400, or visit GSFK’s web site at granitestatefitkids.org
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The NH Healthy Kids Silver Program
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On July 1, 2009, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care (HPHC) became the insurance partner for the NH Healthy Kids Silver Program (SCHIP). This program covers 9000 NH children under the age of 19 who do not qualify for Medicaid (Healthy Kids Gold) because they are above those income guidelines. Most of the children come from families with working parents who do not have access to employer based health plans or who are self employed. Since the original Healthy Kids legislation passed the NH Legislature in 1993 Healthy Kids Silver has covered over 60,000 children who otherwise would not have had access to health insurance and has reduced the percentage of uninsured children in NH from 21% to around 7%.
Blue Cross of NH which became Anthem has been a valued partner with Healthy Kids since the program started but the contract for the next 2 years has now been awarded to Harvard Pilgrim in a competitive bidding process. Several meetings have been held with staff at HPHC to discuss preventive programs for children. Harvard Pilgrim has developed a web page for New Hampshire Healthy Kids pediatricians and family practitioners that provides up-to-date information about their disease and care management programs, behavioral health and wellness programs. The link is www.harvardpilgrim.org/nhhkproviders. Examples from the website include Harvard Pilgrim’s extensive array of tools and resources for asthma available through the website as well as resources for childhood obesity, including the CATCH recreation programs in New Hampshire that promote positive physical activity and healthy eating. In addition, immunization reminders are sent both to patients and to providers about childhood and adolescent immunizations to improve immunization rates. All of Harvard Pilgrim's patient education materials are on the website and can be downloaded for our patients. For behavioral health services, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care (HPHC) has had a contract with United Behavioral Health since 2004. This is not a “carve out” but a “partnership” as care managers from HPHC
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and United work together on cases. The behavioral network in NH includes 450 clinicians who see kids plus 35 child psychiatrists and 21 nurse practitioners. Some examples of behavioral health diagnoses and HPHC resources include:
1) Eating disorders – There are about 100 clinicians listed in NH that have expertise in eating disorders on the HPHC list. United Behavioral Health manages the eating disorders patients and matches them with appropriate in or out patient resources either in state or beyond.
2) ADHD – The parents of newly diagnosed patients are mailed a packet of information about ADHD. Follow up visits are tracked (linked with medication prescriptions) and frequent follow up visits are encouraged for quality of care.
3) Screening – Code 96110 can be used and is reimbursed for depression screening (any legitimate screen) as well as Vanderbilt screening for ADHD and developmental screening. Documentation needs to be made in the medical record about the screening.
4) Behavioral health referrals and phone consultations – United Behavioral Health encourages primary care physicians to refer patients needing behavioral health services by calling UBH’s referral line, 1-888-777-4742. In addition, providers who have questions about medication choice or general management of patients with behavioral diagnoses can call the physician consultation service at 800 292-2922. This is a national service that employs clinicians including many child psychiatrists who are available to speak directly with PCPs and help with management and medication questions.
NH Healthy Kids Silver Program looks forward to partnering with HPHC and NH pediatricians are strongly encouraged to use their web site as a resource for valuable patient and referral information. Patients can also access extensive health and wellness information from the web site as well, www.harvardpilgrim.org. Discussions are also underway to utilize teen friendly communication tools in the future. Please call NH Healthy Kids if you have questions or want to give feedback about the new partnership.
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New Hampshire Department of Health & Human Services
Division of Public Health Services
Maternal & Child Health Section
Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Program
Level I
Pediatric Audiology Diagnostic Centers
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Address
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Phone #
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Audiologists
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Comprehensive Otolaryngology
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3 Alumni Drive, Suite 302
Exeter, NH 03833
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772-8208
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Rong Wang
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Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Audiology Department
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One Medical Center Drive
Lebanon, NH 03756
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650-8126
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Katelyn McLaughlin,
Leah Mosenthal,
Cynthia Nulton,
Erin Pospychala
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Professional Audiology Center
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62 Portsmouth Ave., Stratham, NH 03885
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778-7620
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Erica Regan
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Southern New Hampshire Rehabilitation Center
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460 Amherst Street
Nashua, NH 03063
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577-8400
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Veena Patwardhan
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-Promoting the 5 E’s-
Excitement, Enthusiasm, Energy, Exercise, and Education
At home, school, and in the community
Granite State FitKids is an interactive health awareness program specifically designed for the 4th grade level. The core of the program is a set of seven lessons, called “The Body Workshops”, discussing the various body systems - cardiovascular, respiratory, gastrointestinal, muscular, skeletal, and nervous. In addition, three of the lessons focus on the effects of tobacco and the benefits of good nutrition and regular physical activity. These lessons are approximately 45-60 minutes each and complement the existing health education curriculum. Charles T. Cappetta, MD -a pediatrician at Dartmouth Hitchcock Nashua- instructs the seven lessons, with the assistance of Mr. Bones, and various health care/educational professionals.
The curriculum uses a variety of educational strategies, including lecture, group discussions, and interactive student activities such as games and projects. Extension of the learning environment is reinforced by fun, easy to do homework assignments and weekly communication to parents and family members. Adjunct school staff members such as the physical education, art, computer, and music teachers are also involved in providing corresponding supportive information and activities in their own classrooms during the 7 weeks of the program.
Having taught > 15,000 students since its inception in 1997, the expansion of the Granite State FitKids program has grown from 3 schools and teaching over 200 children in Nashua, to now 36+ schools and 15 communities in NH and MA and teaching over 2700 4th graders in 2008-2009. It was established as a 501c3-child health promotion organization in July 2000 and is registered as a Charitable Trust in NH with a 5 member Board of Governors made up of local hospital/school/parent and health care leaders.
In May 2005, Granite State FitKids was nationally recognized and honored as a “Silver Award” winner in The Cooper Institute (Dallas, Texas) Children’s Healthy Bodies Initiative which identified programs (150 programs were reviewed) with the greatest potential to help reduce the epidemic of childhood obesity.
In April 2006, Granite State FitKids had the distinct honor of being selected as only 1 of 7 programs from the United States included in the CDC/WHO publication, “Best Practices for Physical Activity Promotion around the World” which highlights various efforts from over 20 countries to deal with the epidemic of overweight and obesity and physical inactivity.
In April 2007, Granite State FitKids was listed as a “Classroom curriculum energizer” in the NH Foundation for Healthy Communities release; Recommendations from the New Hampshire Childhood Obesity Expert Panel-Preventing Childhood Obesity: Promoting physical activity and healthy eating.
If you would like more information about this program, please contact:
Charles T. Cappetta, MD
Granite State FitKids
603-577-4400 * Email address: Drchuck@granitestatefitkids.org
www.granitestatefitkids.org
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CMHI (Center for Medical Home Improvement) is an organization affiliated with Crotched Mountain (http://www.cmf.org/) founded in 1993 by Dr. W. Carl Cooley, Medical Director and Ms. Jeanne W. McAllister, B.S.N., M.S., M.H.A., Director.
The mission of the Center for Medical Home Improvement (CMHI) is to promote high quality primary care in the medical home and secure health policy changes critical to the future of primary care.
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CMHI Staff (from left to right): Lori Keehl-Markowitz , W. Carl Cooley , Jeanne W. McAllister, Lora Council, and Leah Reed
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Medical Home represents the standard of excellence for pediatric and adult primary care in the 21st Century.
CMHI defines the medical home as a community-based primary care setting which provides and coordinates high quality, planned, family-centered: health promotion, acute illness care and chronic condition management.
CMHI seeks and uses local and national resources to:
- build and spread awareness of the medical home model of primary care
- develop supports for primary care practices to improve their "medical homeness"
- use tools and guidance to coach and provide technical assistance for individual practices to entire networks
- seek to align state and national efforts towards a comprehensive investment in the future of primary care
For more information click link to CMHI's website: www.medicalhomeimprovement.org. CMHI's website provides e-library of resources supporting practices, patients, families, consumers, and researchers to learn, build, and/or improve their medical home.
Overview
The Center for Medical Home Improvement (CMHI) is based at Crotched Mountain, and is directed by Jeanne W. McAllister, RN, MS, MHA.
Its mission is to improve the quality of primary medical carefor children and youth with special health care needs and their families by establishing and supporting networks of parent/professional teams. A "medical home" is a process of care offered by primary care providers in partnership with families of children with special health care needs (CSHCN).
The CMHI web site includes many resources available to families and medical professionals including: a medical home improvement kit; medical home measurements; a parent partner guide; current events; and profiles of medical home improvement teams.
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