by Ben Grace, MPH, BFF Program Manager
For three years now, the Be Forever Fit (BFF) team at Harbor-UCLA has strived to promote management of childhood obesity in the local community through the development of a multidisciplinary pediatric weight management clinic. Program efforts have also included advocacy for patient access to services and specialized education and training to healthcare providers.
Pediatric Endocrinologist, Jennifer K. Yee, helped to launch the program in 2013 through a grant partnership between UniHealth Foundation and Harbor-UCLA, which has now been renewed for three additional years of funding!
“Phase Two” of the BFF Program will continue some of the same activities as the initial years, including the maintenance of the multidisciplinary, comprehensive weight management clinic for children and adolescents. Harbor-UCLA patients requiring a higher level of care for obesity and its associated comorbidities are eligible for consideration of these services, which include frequent provider contact with physicians, dietitians, and psychologists. Additionally, BFF program staff work to identify opportunities for patients to achieve the recommended amount of physical activity.
Monthly BFF health education classes will also continue, including the Pediatric Nutrition & Wellness Class and the Pediatric Exercise Seminar. These free interactive classes are not exclusive to BFF participants, and pediatric providers are encouraged to register their patients using Orchid. Parents and siblings are welcome to attend as well. These classes are made possible through partnerships between BFF, nutrition services, psychology, and physical therapy. Sign up your patients today!
One new aspect of the program will be the addition of a clinic-based exercise curriculum for evaluation and goal-setting in patient exercise, which will help to promote healthy behaviors. Patients have consistently expressed interest in increasing physical activity, and they come to clinic seeking expert advice. Some patients have access to gym memberships or safe places to exercise in their neighborhoods, but others are limited by time or resources. The BFF team seeks to fill this gap by developing an exercise curriculum that can be taught by providers in the clinic, emphasizing activities that can be done at home for free or low cost.
Education and training efforts will also continue for mental health providers participating in the BFF clinic. Training of postdoctoral psychology fellows is already underway, and Phase Two will mark the expansion of training to include psychology doctoral students (externs).
On a national level, Harbor-UCLA will participate in the POWER registry, which involves a network of pediatric multidisciplinary weight management programs across the nation. The registry will allow the BFF team to track patient characteristics and clinical outcomes alongside those of children in similar programs across the nation. Through the network, Harbor-UCLA will gain additional perspectives on best practices, enhance knowledge through shared experiences with other programs, and apply innovation in future plans.
Finally, the BFF Program will be maintaining its collaborative relationships with local multidisciplinary pediatric obesity programs such as the UCLA Fit for Healthy Weight Program and the EMPOWER Program at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. Together, as a consortium, the programs are providing education and resources related to the prevention and treatment of childhood obesity for providers and community members, and they are advocating for access to quality and affordable care for patients in need.
If you have questions about the BFF Program or want to learn more, please contact Ben Grace, BFF Program Manager: bgrace@labiomed.org. Or call Pediatric Endocrinology at 310-222-8175.
*The BFF Program is supported by a grant from UniHealth Foundation, a non-profit philanthropic organization whose mission is to support and facilitate activities that significantly improve the health and well-being of individuals and communities within its service area.