Powering Families

Understanding more about your child’s asthma diagnosis and how to control symptoms at home can be extremely important. Join our April session as our Certified Asthma Educators, Maddie Buchanan RRT-NPS, AE-C and Kylie Smith, RRT-NPS, AE-C share key information about asthma. Topics will include basics about asthma, asthma medications, SMART, triggers, asthma action plans, spacers, and symptom control.

As parents and caregivers of pre-teens and teens (ages 9-18), understanding more about your child’s mental and emotional health is important, but may be challenging at times. Join our March session as our experts, Meghan Kanya PhD and Ellen Ritchie LCSW, share key information about depression and anxiety disorders. Topics will include basics about depression and anxiety, tools for youth to help themselves, tools for parents and caregivers to support their child, and an overview of treatment options.

Improving financial wellness is about practicing good habits, setting goals and taking steps the necessary steps to achieve those goals – all in an effort to improve your quality of life (Forbes, 2024). Sometimes this is easier said than done, but join our Powering Families session as our partners from Community Services League talk about working toward financial wellness and the assistance they can provide. We'll also review what other resources are in the community to help with your financial wellbeing.

The emergency department, urgent care, and your child's primary care provider may all be essential to your child's health journey over time, but there are different considerations and reasons to visit each care setting. Join us as our experts, Dr. Kirsten Weltmer and Dr. Leslie Hueschen, walk through what to know about the emergency department, urgent care, and your child's primary care provider and examples of when to visit each care setting.

A person’s health can be affected by many things, especially access to basic needs, such as food, housing, transportation, and employment. Join us as our clinical expert, Dr. Rachel Granberg, shares the connection between basic needs and staying healthy. We will also show you how to use a Children’s Mercy resource, Lift Up KC, to find community organizations in your area that can help you access basic needs.

Unintentional injury is the leading cause of death and serious injury in childhood. The Center for Childhood Safety recognizes that all children need a safe environment to grow and prosper and strives to give children that safe environment and reduce the impact of injuries on the lives of children and their families. Please join us as Laura Kemerling, MSN, RN, C-NPT shares more information about this topic, and also provides additional community resources that may be available in your area.

Medicaid provides state-funded health coverage to eligible patients and families and is one of the largest payers for health care in the United States. Often, parents have questions about how this coverage works and when they may be expected to renew their benefits each year. Join our presenters as they provide an introduction to Medicaid and guidance for Medicaid Redetermination.

Sarah Hampl, MD and Kelly Dunlap, RD, share recommendations for parents and caregivers to keep their kids healthy by eating well and being physically active. The conversation includes tips to eat healthy on a budget, what to do if your child is a picky eater, and more. Parents and caregivers submitted questions during this webinar to ask experts about the topic.

Join us as Children's Mercy's own Acute Mental Health Professionals, Erin Bass, LCSW, LSCSW and Kathryn Worland, LCSW, LSCSW share ways to support your child through a mental health crisis. The topic includes warning signs, ways to help as a parent/caregiver, and what community supports may be available in your area.

Dr. Libby Milkovich, MD shares current research about kids’ and teens’ technology use to empower parents to create an environment that encourages healthy digital habits. Topics include ages for social media and smartphones, safeguards for internet use, and accessible tools to support families navigating technology use in the home.

Additional information can be found through: Screen Sanity Resources