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New UK Clinic in Hazard Provides Care to Children Born Prematurely or Who Were Sick at Birth
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"The Kentucky Children’s Hospital has partnered for years with the doctors and families in Eastern and Southeastern Kentucky to provide the best for the children of the Commonwealth," said Dr. Tim Bricker, professor and chair, department of pediatrics, UK College of Medicine and physician-in-chief of Kentucky Children's Hospital. "Support of Kentucky Children’s Hospital from Perry County has been so important to us over the years. Two of the many examples are the support we get from WYMT-TV for our annual Children’s Miracle Network Telethon and the support from the Hazard Wal-Mart which is one of our leading Kentucky Children's Hospital sponsors. We are very pleased that we are able to begin NICU follow-up services for children closer to their homes. The roles of the UK Center for Excellence in Rural Health and the Kentucky Department for Public Health have been the key to our being able to start this new service.”
Kentucky Children's Hospital officials have worked in partnership with the UK Center for Excellence in Rural Health to initiate this first outreach clinic of its kind for neonatal follow-up. Support also is provided by the Commonwealth of Kentucky's Department for Public Health.
“The UK Center for Excellence in Rural Health and the UK North Fork Valley Community Health Center are committed to improving access to quality health care in Eastern Kentucky," said Dr. Baretta R. Casey, director of the UK Center for Excellence in Rural Health and professor and vice-chair of the Department of Family and Community Medicine, UK College of Medicine. "Having the Kentucky Children's Hospital NICU Graduate Clinic at Hazard is another way to give that quality health care to our patients without them leaving the area for that care. We are proud to be the first of I hope many such clinics in rural Kentucky.”
Babies who were born very pre-term or who were very sick at birth are at increased risk for developmental problems. When delays in development are identified early, services can be provided to help babies reach their full potential.
Developmental follow-up is tailored to meet the needs of the individual child. Each child is evaluated by a multidisciplinary team, which may include a physician, nurse practitioner, dietician, physical therapist, speech-language pathologist, clinical psychologist, psychological associate, and social worker. Most children receive a complete history and physical examination at each visit. The specific developmental testing done varies with the child’s adjusted age (from the baby's due date) and specific needs. Developmental screening is provided on some babies at three months adjusted age. Formal developmental testing is usually done at six months, 12 months, and 24 months adjusted ages.
"Children admitted to the NICU at Kentucky Children's Hospital have had a deviated course from that of a normal term newborn," said Dr. Nirmala Desai, professor, Department of Pediatrics, UK College of Medicine, and medical director of the NICU Graduate Clinic in Hazard. "This course occurred either because of prematurity, illness or birth defects. These infants are at risk for abnormal growth and developmental problems such as delayed motor language and cognitive milestones. They also are at risk for behavioral problems such as attention deficit disorders, sensory integration, and learning problems. Our goal is to identify these problems at the earliest age so intervention can be started as soon as possible. We want to have these infants reach their highest potential."
Medical follow-up is primarily focused on problems associated with the high-risk delivery or the NICU stay. It is designed to complement, not take the place of, the services of the baby’s primary care provider. The medical care provided in clinic includes management and/or follow-up of breathing problems such as those requiring home oxygen or monitors, as well as feeding problems.
Developmental evaluations are provided free of charge. Medical follow-up visits and medical care during developmental visits are billed to the patient's insurance company, and co-payments are collected as with any other doctor’s appointment.
Appointments can be made by calling Regina Winner, nurse practitioner in the neonatology clinic at UK, at (859) 323-6469. The NICU Graduate Clinic is located in the UK Center for Excellence in Rural Health Bailey-Stumbo Building, 750 Morton Blvd., adjacent to the Hazard ARH Regional Medical Center in Hazard.
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Nurse practitioner Regina Winner performed a physical examination on 11-month-old Madeline Coleman, the first patient at the new UK HealthCare Kentucky Children’s Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Graduate Clinic. The outreach clinic, which opened yesterday at the University of Kentucky Center for Excellence in Rural Health in Hazard, provides specialized medical and developmental follow-up care for babies and young children until about two years of age. Coleman is the daughter of Kory and Tanya Coleman of Elkhorn City.