Advertisement
Governor Joe Manchin III and West Virginia Department of Health and HumanResources Secretary Martha Walker were on hand for the initial announcementand praised the training's objective.
Advertisement
"If we're going to make a dent in the state's obesity problem, we mustfirst help physicians and their staff to identify the problem among theirpatients," said Governor Manchin. "Additionally, we need to arm physicianswith the newest technologies and processes to manage the disease."
Manchin also praised the events for targeting a population with a highrisk for obesity, Medicaid recipients.
The sessions are designed to help prepare physicians and their staff inthe provision of obesity-related care. Locations include:
"UniCare is providing West Virginia's medical community with tools andinformation they can use to better serve not only our members, but all oftheir patients as well," said Mitch Collins, regional director for UniCare."The more our members understand the importance of eating healthy and beingactive, whether it's from a Weight Watchers class, their physician, or theirphysician's staff, the more likely they'll be to make a commitment to ahealthier lifestyle."
The events are structured in a way for both physicians and their staff toreceive training and participate. Physicians participate in an accreditedcontinuing medical education (CME) session. The CME addresses prevention,detection, assessment and management of obesity.
At the same time the CME is given, clinical staff members get theopportunity to participate in a body mass index (BMI) training session. Thatsession includes valuable hands-on practice, along with tools and resources,including a BMI calculator wheel, BMI-for-age growth charts, job aids, familybrochures and parent educational materials.
To conduct the CME sessions, UniCare is continuing its collaboration withDr. Stephen Sondike, a physician specializing in pediatric and adolescentobesity prevention and management. Sondike is section head of adolescentmedicine and director of the Adolescent Cardiovascular Health Program at WestVirginia University Physicians of Charleston. He is also an associateprofessor of pediatrics at West Virginia University.
Dr. Sondike also conducted the first round of CME sessions in Charleston,Beckley and Morgantown.
"Dr. Sondike has the expertise to champion the physician CMEs and we arecertainly lucky to have him involved," said Collins. "His knowledge willprovide a valuable learning experience for physicians who take advantage ofthe events."
"We know that physicians play an important role in the fight againstobesity," said Dr. Harvinder Sareen, director of clinical programs forUniCare. "Our goal is to provide training to physicians and clinical staff andequip their practices with tools to facilitate standard screening for memberswith this condition or those at risk. Early identification will allowphysicians to provide directed anticipatory guidance and management servicesto children and families who need it the most."
WellPoint, Inc., the parent company of UniCare, serves more than twomillion Medicaid managed care members in 14 states. Members have access to awide network of health care professionals as well as health managementprograms that are accredited and nationally recognized in several states.
Physicians can register for the events by contacting UniCare at1-888-611-9958 or [email protected].
About UniCa
