President's Message, November 2021
Trude Haecker, MD, FAAP
THANK YOU & HAPPY GIVING SEASON!
I hope you had some time to rest and connect with family over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. As we enter the 2021 holiday season, I am thankful for all of you and for the Chapter leadership as we have navigated some very challenging times. I had hoped to not mention COVID this month but, sadly, the news continues to evolve with the new Omicron variant capturing the attention of the world. It really does seem like it is “All COVID- All the Time!” Thank you for all you are doing every day for almost 2 years now! We are all continuing to manage COVID cases with fall and winter illnesses and getting vaccines administered-–COVID influenza, catch-up vaccines and, oh by the way, Palivizumab, too. Consequently, the Chapter continues to meet on a weekly basis with a PA Dept. of Health representative regarding COVID, and we will continue emailing our biweekly Friday COVID updates until the virus no longer impacts our patients and families.
We are especially grateful that as a Chapter member, you choose to take part in this organization and reinforce your dedication to this work through your annual dues. However, as you might be aware, member dues only cover a fraction of our core operating expenses. The PA AAP leadership team must seek alternative funding sources to fulfill our role as PA child health advocates. Among these routes is Giving Tuesday, which occurs today–the Tuesday after Thanksgiving—and provides us all the opportunity to contribute to organizations within our community. On this Giving Tuesday, we ask that you choose the PA AAP as one of your charitable beneficiaries. With your generous donation, we will—through advocacy for legislation, programming for providers, and resources for parents—continue to support you and the many PA AAP committees and initiatives to secure the health and wellness of Pennsylvania’s children. Our 2022 to-do wish list includes but is not limited to:
Mark your calendars for December’s only Let’s Talk conference call on Wednesday, Dec. 1 at 8:00pm for a review of how climate change affects pediatric health, presented by the leaders of our newly formed Climate & Environmental Health Committee. Find registration details here. As always please consider joining one of our PA AAP committees including our PA AAP Committee on Foster & Kinship Care. See the new national AAP guidelines, linked here, on Pediatrician Guidance in Supporting Families of Children Who Are Adopted, Fostered, or in Kinship Care. Lastly, please check out the AAP new publications website, found here, for fast easy access to journal articles.
We hope we can count on you to consider a contribution and many thanks as always, for all you do for Pennsylvania’s children
Sincerely,
I hope you had some time to rest and connect with family over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. As we enter the 2021 holiday season, I am thankful for all of you and for the Chapter leadership as we have navigated some very challenging times. I had hoped to not mention COVID this month but, sadly, the news continues to evolve with the new Omicron variant capturing the attention of the world. It really does seem like it is “All COVID- All the Time!” Thank you for all you are doing every day for almost 2 years now! We are all continuing to manage COVID cases with fall and winter illnesses and getting vaccines administered-–COVID influenza, catch-up vaccines and, oh by the way, Palivizumab, too. Consequently, the Chapter continues to meet on a weekly basis with a PA Dept. of Health representative regarding COVID, and we will continue emailing our biweekly Friday COVID updates until the virus no longer impacts our patients and families.
We are especially grateful that as a Chapter member, you choose to take part in this organization and reinforce your dedication to this work through your annual dues. However, as you might be aware, member dues only cover a fraction of our core operating expenses. The PA AAP leadership team must seek alternative funding sources to fulfill our role as PA child health advocates. Among these routes is Giving Tuesday, which occurs today–the Tuesday after Thanksgiving—and provides us all the opportunity to contribute to organizations within our community. On this Giving Tuesday, we ask that you choose the PA AAP as one of your charitable beneficiaries. With your generous donation, we will—through advocacy for legislation, programming for providers, and resources for parents—continue to support you and the many PA AAP committees and initiatives to secure the health and wellness of Pennsylvania’s children. Our 2022 to-do wish list includes but is not limited to:
- Expand resources developed, policy goals identified, and partnerships nourished by PA AAP's Climate & Environmental Health, Foster & Kinship Care, and Infant Safe Sleep Committees.
- Continue liaising with relevant agencies, including the PA Department of Health, to provide the best guidance for protecting children from COVID-19.
- Provide more learning opportunities to PA AAP members across a variety of topics.
Mark your calendars for December’s only Let’s Talk conference call on Wednesday, Dec. 1 at 8:00pm for a review of how climate change affects pediatric health, presented by the leaders of our newly formed Climate & Environmental Health Committee. Find registration details here. As always please consider joining one of our PA AAP committees including our PA AAP Committee on Foster & Kinship Care. See the new national AAP guidelines, linked here, on Pediatrician Guidance in Supporting Families of Children Who Are Adopted, Fostered, or in Kinship Care. Lastly, please check out the AAP new publications website, found here, for fast easy access to journal articles.
We hope we can count on you to consider a contribution and many thanks as always, for all you do for Pennsylvania’s children
Sincerely,
