December 21, 2022
1: Our Members
Our community of child health providers is powerful beyond the clinic walls. OPS members also serve as medical education curriculum developers, child health advocates, media spokespersons, and leaders at both the chapter and national levels of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
This year, we were energized to reconnect in person with our members around the state. Highlights included our joint conference in Portland with the Oregon Council of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry; an OPS member social mixer in Bend; and a panel on gender-affirming care co-hosted with medical students in Lebanon.
2: Pro-Child Advocacy Wins
OPS advocacy helped pass key child health legislation this year, including a gun safety law that includes a permit-to-purchase system, and bringing full Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic and Treatment (EPSDT) services to Oregon.
3: Professional Education
Throughout the year, OPS led learning collaboratives, QI projects, and webinars on topics like pediatric anxiety; gender-affirming care; child abuse prevention; and sensory friendly pediatric clinics.
OPS also continued to develop and deliver innovative youth suicide prevention education through our virtual Youth SAVE training series. We hosted modules for behavioral health providers and rolled out a new module for primary care providers and medical staff. In 2023, we will launch a module tailored to those who serve young adults.
4: Speaking Up for Children
OPS members leveraged op-eds and media interviews to center state and national conversations on child health. Pediatricians weighed in on topics like gun violence prevention; the infant formula shortage; staying healthy during the respiratory virus surge; and navigating mask wearing in classrooms.
5: The Future
From policies to partnerships, we have much to look forward to in 2023, including:
The Medicaid Waiver with expanded coverage for kids is coming to Oregon. “Extending continuous eligibility to children up to age 6 is a game changer for so many families in Oregon,” said OPS Member Ben Hoffman, MD, FAAP, who will serve as AAP president-elect in 2023.
OPS is partnering with the Oregon Academy of Family Physicians for our Spring Conference at Salishan Coastal Lodge from April 14 to 15, 2023.
OPS has launched its first member-led EnviroArt youth art contest, which is a creative forum where young people can express ideas about climate change and environmental pollution, and highlights the commitment of Oregon’s child health providers. Please invite your children and patients to participate! Submissions are due on February 1, 2023.
