“I’m the kind of person who jumps off the cliff and figures out how to build wings on the way down…Pediatricians help make small changes in a child’s life that have an impact over time,” said Robert Rohloff, M.D., who is especially proud of the change he and his partners at Children’s Medical Group-Southwest Pediatrics made seven years ago, when they began approaching health care in a more family-centered fashion.
Their first step was to form a parent advisory board for families of patients with special health care needs. Comprised of parents, staff, physicians and a special needs coordinator, the group meets every six weeks to help improve the quality of life for patients and families.
The advisory board obtained a grant to fund a care coordination project for patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Thirty-six children initially
were enrolled, and their quality of life was vastly improved.
Southwest Pediatrics is a leading proponent of the “medical home” concept, helping patients with chronic conditions such as allergies, asthma, ADHD and autism.
The organization obtained another grant to fund a quarterly newsletter to provide information on community resources for health issues for families.
“The newsletter initially was sent to our patient families, but now has expanded to about 4,500 recipients,” Rohloff said. “It’s a resource for many more than parents now. It’s helping day care providers and teachers better understand how to care for and educate kids with special health care needs.”
Rohloff was nominated to be a Health Care Hero by Christy Pierce, senior public relations and marketing specialist at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin.
