Though children and adolescents are at the center of pediatrics as the recipients of care, their voices are often missing from conversations about how to transform the field to better meet their needs and support their lifelong health. Inviting youth to the table during these efforts – and creating equitable partnerships with them – offers a unique perspective that can help accelerate opportunities to improve pediatric care delivery. Some pediatric health care teams are learning how including youth voices can inform policy and practice changes and are seeking ways to overcome hurdles currently preventing youth participation in transformation efforts.
This webinar spotlighted promising strategies for inviting youth perspectives to inform pediatric practice transformation efforts. Presenters, including a nationally recognized youth leader, a pediatrician, and youth advisors, shared their experiences empowering youth to contribute to health care transformation, with a focus on peer-to-peer supports, access to needed resources, and involving youth in advocacy. This webinar is a product of Accelerating Child Health Transformation (ACHT), a national initiative led by the Center for Health Care Strategies (CHCS) with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation that seeks to accelerate the adoption of key strategies necessary to advance anti-racist and family-centered pediatric practice.
This webinar is the second in a two-part series on Expanding Patient and Family Engagement to Improve Pediatric Care that highlighted the value of co-creating equitable partnerships between patients, families, community, and multidisciplinary care teams. This webinar focused on the importance of involving youth in child health care transformation.
Related Resources
Following are resources that were shared with participants during the webinar:
- Generation Patient – Founded by Sneha Dave out of her experience living with ulcerative colitis since age six, Generation Patient facilitates events, online programs, and advocacy initiatives for young adults living with chronic and rare conditions to ensure they have the opportunities and resources to thrive.
- Accelerating Child Health Care Transformation: Key Opportunities for Improving Pediatric Care – This report offers recommendations for providers, payers, and policymakers to consider when adopting approaches to transform child health services.
- Improve Pediatric Care with an Anti-Racist, Family-Centered Focus – These resources, including fact sheet and infographic, explore why child health care transformation is needed and offer practical strategies to transform care.
Agenda
I. Welcome and Introductions
Speaker: Hannah Gears, Senior Program Officer, CHCS
H. Gears welcomed participants, provided an overview of the webinar, and introduced speakers.
II. Youth Leadership Spotlight: Sneha Dave
Speaker: Sneha Dave, Founder and Executive Director, Generation Patient
S. Dave shared her work as part of a national movement to empower the voices of adolescents and young adults living with chronic conditions and ensure that they are given the opportunities and resources they need to thrive. She discussed the abundance of knowledge that youth can bring to care transformation work and shared strategies pediatric care providers can use to encourage engagement from children and youth.
III. Incorporating Youth Perspectives in Primary Care
Speakers: Heidi Shreck, MD, Pediatrician and Chief Medical Officer, Primary Health Care Iowa and Youth Advisory Board Representatives
H. Shreck shared Primary Health Care Iowa’s recent efforts to stand up a Youth Advisory Council and discuss challenges, lessons, and implementation recommendations for other practices looking to engage youth in practice change. Two youth advisory board representatives shared what their participation in the board entails, why they are passionate about this work, and what they hope to see change in the future.
V. Moderated Q&A
Moderator: H. Gears moderated a question-and-answer session inviting questions from the audience.
