Community-Benefit-Reports-2015

2015
Community
Benefit
Report
Submitted to the state of California June 15, 2016

I. Welcome. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
II. UCSF Benioff Children’s
Hospital Oakland. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
III. Community Benefit Report Overview. . . . . 6
IV. Community Health Needs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
V. Access to Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8–15
Undercompensated and Charity Care. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Primary Care Clinic (Community-Based Programs) . . . . 9
Adolescent Medicine: School-Based Health Care
Centers and Teen Clinic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Juvenile Justice Center Clinic. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
La Clínica Dental . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Emergency, Trauma, and Critical Care . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
VI. Care for Special Populations . . . . . . . 16–30
Center for Child Protection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Center for the Vulnerable Child. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Early Intervention Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Diabetes Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Hemoglobinopathy Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Pediatric HIV/AIDS Program. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Psychology Oncology Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Camps for Children with Special Health Care Needs. . 30
VII. Nutrition and Activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31–33
Healthy Eating Active Living . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Community Farmers Markets and Dover Street
Garden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Sports Medicine Center for Young Athletes. . . . . . . . . 33
VIII. Family Services and Education . . . . 34–44
Child Life Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Family Information & Navigation Desk (FIND) . . . . . . . 36
Medical Social Services Department. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Palliative Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Kohl’s Injury Prevention Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Health Education for Patients, Families,
and the Public . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Other Family Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
IX. Professional and
Academic Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45–53
Professional Education at Children’s. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Education for Professionals in the Community . . . . . . 46
CHAMPS: Community Health & Adolescent Mentoring
Program for Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
CHORI Summer Student Research Program . . . . . . . 50
Project SEARCH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Volunteer Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
X. Community-Building. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54–58
Center for Community Health and Engagement
(CCHE) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Government Relations, Advocacy, and Community
Engagement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Children’s Global Health Initiative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
XI. Economic Impact. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Table of Contents

4 UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland
UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland (Children’s) is a private, public-
benefit not-for-profit 501(c)(3) medical center. We offer children and their
families outstanding medical, surgical, and mental health services, spanning
the health care spectrum from primary to quaternary care. In addition to
clinical care, Children’s is also a leading pediatric research and teaching
institution and a strong advocate for children.
In 2015, we created the Center for Community Health and Engagement
(CCHE, p. 54). Through CCHE, we are demonstrating how a children’s
hospital can reach beyond the traditional medical model to address the social
determinants of health that contribute to the overall health and success of
children. CCHE ensures that Children’s maintains and grows its commitment
to the ideals of health promotion, prevention strategies, health equity, cultural
humility, and population health.
Among other things, CCHE is responsible for conducting our community
health needs assessments and writing and publishing our community benefit
reports, starting with this 2015 report. CCHE will also strengthen our existing
programs by providing technical assistance, incubating new community
benefit programs, and advocating for children.
I am so proud of our service to the community and honored to be in this
position.
Respectfully,
Bertram H. Lubin, MD
President & Chief Executive Officer
I. Welcome

Community Benefit Report 2015 5
Mission
To protect and advance the health and well-being of children
through clinical care, teaching, and research.
Service Area and Scope of Services
UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland (Children’s) offers
a broad range of inpatient, outpatient, and community-
based services provided by experts in over 30 distinct
pediatric subspecialties. Children’s has a federally qualified
health center and a Level 1 pediatric trauma center
designation.
While we serve patients throughout Northern California and
other states and countries, approximately 80 percent of our
patients live in Alameda or Contra Costa counties. Children’s
serves as the pediatric safety-net hospital for both of these
counties, since neither county’s public hospitals have beds
designated to accommodate children.
Children’s offers multiple programs and services in the
area. It runs the largest pediatric primary care clinic in the
Bay Area, two comprehensive school-based clinics, and a
clinic at the Alameda County Juvenile Justice Center in San
Leandro. In addition to the services provided in Alameda
County, Children’s operates outpatient pediatric specialty
care centers in Brentwood, Larkspur, Pleasanton, and
Walnut Creek.
In 2015, a total of 74,095 patients made 10,176 inpatient
visits and 253,038 outpatient visits to Children’s facilities,
including 49,976 visits to Children’s Emergency Department
and 26,963 visits to its primary care clinics. In addition, over
50 languages were spoken this year at Children’s.
Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute (CHORI) is
the division of Children’s dedicated to translating basic and
clinical research into health benefits for children. In 2015,
CHORI had more than 250 active grants and contracts,
including various partnerships with private research
organizations, corporations, universities, and federal
sponsors. In addition to conducting research that saves
lives the world over, CHORI staff participate in other non-
research activities that directly benefit our local community.
Governance
On January 1, 2014, Children’s and UCSF established a
formal affiliation. Under the terms of the affiliation, UCSF has
representation on Children’s Board of Directors (Board), and
Children’s retains its identity and status as a private, not-for
profit 501(c)(3) organization with its own separate license.
As of May 1, 2016, the Children’s Board comprised 19
directors. The Children’s chief executive officer and the
president of the Children’s medical staff are voting members
of the Board, as are the UCSF Medical Center CEO and
the Dean of UCSF School of Medicine. The Regents of the
University of California is the sole corporate member. This
means that The Regents of the University of California is the
corporate “parent” of Children’s.
II. UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland

The Affordable Care Act requires all nonprofit hospitals to complete and submit an annual Community Benefit Report.
Although hospitals bring numerous benefits to their local economies, these reports are intended to document the ways
Children’s supports the health needs of its community above and beyond the core functions of a hospital. Children’s
conducted a community needs assessment in 2013 that can be found at: www.childrenshospitaloakland.org/main/
community-benefit-reports.aspx
Definition of a Community Benefit
Although the State of California (via SB 697) provides some general guidance, there is no official definition of a “community
benefit.” We have employed the following definition: A community benefit is “a planned, managed, organized, and measured
approach to meeting documentable community needs intended to improve access to care, health status, and quality of life.”
It is generally accepted that a community benefit should meet one or more of these criteria:
Responds to public health needs or the needs of a vulnerable or at-risk population
Improves access to care
Generates no (or negative) profit margin
Would likely be discontinued if the decision were made on a purely financial basis
The following are not considered community benefits: programs and activities designed for marketing purposes or
fundraising, services that are considered standard-of-care or the “cost of doing business,” in-services for hospital staff,
volunteering by employees on their own time, and facility improvements.
Creation of the 2015 Community Benefit Report
The Center for Community Health and Engagement’s Community Benefit Report Oversight Committee spearheaded
this report, with input from individuals representing programs and departments throughout the medical center. The 2015
Community Benefit Oversight Committee includes:
The report was co-authored by Adam Davis; Erin Peterson, MPH; and UC Berkeley student Michelle An. It was designed by
Erika Sandstrom of Children’s Marketing Communications department. Editing was provided by Moira Hess. Financial data
was provided by Terry Oertel, MBA, manager of government contracting, and approved by Colleen Reid, controller. Contact
Adam Davis at AdDavis@mail.cho.org for questions or more information.
Dissemination of the Community Benefit Report
The 2015 report has been submitted to the Children’s Board of Directors and made available to hospital staff and the general
public via Children’s website, the Center for Community Health and Engagement quarterly newsletter, handouts at public
events, and mailings to elected officials in our service area. Children’s maintains public awareness of its community services
through social media, traditional media, the Center for Community Health and Engagement’s quarterly newsletter and
website; Children’s HandPrints, the hospital’s magazine; and Connections, the Foundation’s quarterly newsletter.
Adam Davis, MPH, MA
Director of Special Projects;
Manager, Center for Community Health and Engagement
Bertram Lubin, MD
President Chief Executive Officer;
Assistant Dean
Barbara Staggers, MD, MPH
Executive Director, Center for Community Health and
Engagement
Doreen Moreno
Manager, Government and Community Relations
III. Community Benefit Report Overview

Every three years, nonprofit hospitals are required to conduct community health needs assessments (CHNA) and use the
results of these to develop community health improvement implementation plans. These assessments are required of virtually
all nonprofit hospitals by both state and federal law.
UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland last published a CHNA in 2013. The analysis was done by Valley Vision, a public
health research firm. The objective of the CHNA was “to provide necessary information for the UCSF Benioff Children’s
Hospital Oakland community health improvement plan; identify communities and specific groups within these communities
experiencing health disparities, especially as these disparities relate to chronic disease; and further identify contributing
factors that create both barriers and opportunities for these populations to live healthier lives.”
A community-based participatory research orientation was used to conduct the assessment that included both primary and
secondary data. Primary data collection included input from more than 166 members of the hospital service area, expert
interviews with 31 key informants, and 23 focus group interviews with 290 community members collectively. In addition,
a community health assets assessment collected data on more than 600 assets within the hospital’s service area. The
secondary data that was used included health outcome data, socio-demographic data, and behavioral and environmental
data at the ZIP code or census tract level.
The priority health needs that were identified for Children’s were, in order:
1. Lack of access to quality primary health care services
2. Lack of access to mental health services
3. Lack of access to affordable, healthy food; abundance of fast food; food insecurity
4. Safety as a health issue
5. Poverty as a health issue
6. Lack of access to dental care services
7. Pollution as a health issue
8. Lack of safe places to be active
9. Lack of affordable substance abuse treatment and prevention programs
10. Lack of access to safe, reliable transportation
Our community benefits programs address nearly all of these identified needs. The full CHNA report is found at
www.childrenshospitaloakland.org/main/community-benefit-reports.aspx.
The hospital’s next community health needs assessment will be published in summer of 2016.
IV. Community Health Needs

Undercompensated and Charity Care
Undercompensated Government-Sponsored Health care
A shortfall is created when Children’s receives payments that are less than the cost of caring for low-income patients
covered by government-sponsored health insurance. These unpaid costs count as a community benefit; they include
unpaid costs related to Medicaid, State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), hospital days, and other services
not covered by Medicaid or other means-tested, government-sponsored programs. Approximately 70 percent of all visits
to Children’s in 2015 were for patients who received government-sponsored health insurance. The unpaid cost incurred
by Children’s to provide services to these patients in 2015 was more than $158 million. When compared to other
children’s hospitals in California that have a similar payer mix, Children’s provided double the unreimbursed costs of total
means-tested, government-sponsored health insurance.
Charity Care
As part of its commitment to serve the community, Children’s provides free or discounted care, also known as “charity
care,” to families who don’t qualify for government-sponsored health insurance and who meet certain eligibility
requirements. Our charity care program requires that patients complete an application and provide supporting
documentation to verify income. Self-pay patients who present to the Emergency Department are provided a brochure
describing our charity care program. We also have a statement on the bill advising parents that they may be eligible
for financial assistance. A patient can receive a service at any Children’s location, contact us to request a charity care
application, and then qualify for charity. In 2015, Children’s provided a level of charity care that is significantly higher than
any other children’s hospital in California. See page 59 for details.
V. Access to Care

Primary Care Clinic (Community-Based Programs)
Children’s Primary Care Clinic sees over 30,000 visits each year—more children than any other primary
care provider in the region. The clinic provides resources to address the basic health care needs of
mostly lower-income children from birth to age 19. Services include routine preventative care, chronic
disease management, and immunizations. We have special clinics designated for foster care children
and their families, children and families facing homelessness, new immigrant children, and children
with asthma. In addition, the Primary Care Clinic provides health education, participates in translational
research, offers social and mental health services, and helps train the next generation of pediatricians
through its primary care residency program.
Associate Director: Kelley Meade, MD
Specialized Clinics
Continuity Clinic—Children who are discharged from
the hospital but do not have a primary care provider can
continue to receive follow-up and primary care at the
Continuity Clinic.
International Clinic—The International Clinic delivers
the same services as the main Primary Care Clinic, but
it is culturally and linguistically tailored to non–English
speakers and has interpreters for 31 languages available
24/7. This clinic also serves as a travel clinic with a
travel-certified physician. In 2015, there were 400 visits
to the International Clinic.
Encore Medical Clinic—The Primary Care Clinic, in
collaboration with the Center for the Vulnerable Child,
provides a medical home for homeless children at the
Encore Medical Clinic and for children in foster care at
the Family Outreach and Support Clinic.
Asthma Clinic—The Asthma Clinic is held weekly. It
provides specialized care to children with particularly
complex cases of asthma. In addition to receiving
asthma treatment, families are taught how to manage
their child’s asthma at home to prevent acute episodes
and emergencies. A multidisciplinary medical team that
includes physicians, nurses, and health educators staff
the Asthma Clinic. Approximately 500 patients were seen
in 2015.
Foster Care Clinic—The weekly Foster Care Clinic
in conjunction with social services case management
provides medical care to children in the foster care system
and provides support services to foster care families.
Access to Care
Research
The Primary Care Clinic serves as a study site for
Children’s Pediatric and Clinical Research Center. The
clinic participates in clinical and translational research
studies that have broad public health importance.
Current studies focus on asthma, vaccine development,
and social inequities in health care and toxic stress
abatement. In addition, the clinic participates in formal
evaluation studies of public health interventions.
The Center for Asthma Education, Management, and
Research (CAEMR) is involved in several clinical and
translational research studies intended to improve the
understanding of and quality of life among children
with asthma. CAEMR is one of only nine pediatric sites
across the country participating in the National Institutes
of Health-sponsored Asthma Net, through which a
variety of clinical trials are implemented. CAEMR is
currently participating in two Asthma Net studies:
One study is investigating the best add-on therapy for
African Americans who are not well controlled on low-
dose medications, and the other study is investigating
the best-step therapy for young children with moderate
to severe episodic asthma.

Education and Outreach
Alameda County Asthma Coalition—CAEMR is an
original member of the Alameda County Asthma Coalition,
and has participated in the coalition since it was founded
in 2002. Annually, CAEMR and the coalition host World
Asthma Day at Children’s—an event that incorporates
asthma services and education with games and
refreshments for the public.
Clinical Effort Against Secondhand Smoke Exposure
(CEASE) Program—The CEASE Program encourages
parents who expose their children to tobacco smoke to
stop smoking by providing them with on-site counseling at
the clinic and referrals to the California Smokers’ helpline.
Reach Out and Read—This program gives new, donated
books to children between birth and 5 years at their well-
child visits. Reach Out and Read is a national program that
was created in 1989. It aims to increase literacy rates to
improve kindergarten readiness, school achievement, and
health outcomes.
Staying Healthy in Nature Every day (SHINE) Nature
Prescriptions Program—In partnership with East Bay
Regional Parks, SHINE encourages healthy, active living
by connecting patients with local opportunities in nature.
Programs include a monthly shuttle bus to family-friendly
nature events at regional parks around the East Bay as
well as hiking with naturalists. In 2015, about 250 people
participated in SHINE.
Health Education and Parenting Classes—Health
education and parenting classes are also conducted
by primary care physicians and residents at various
community locations, including Oakland’s preschools and
elementary, middle, and high schools. In addition, classes
are offered at Oakland and Berkeley Head Start programs,
El Grupo parent support group, Juvenile Justice Center,
Oakland WIC, Berkeley and Oakland public libraries, and
Project Pride.
Safety Products—In conjunction with Children’s
Trauma Center and the Alameda County Public Health
Department, education and new equipment—including
home, bicycle, and car safety equipment—is provided
to parents of infants, toddlers, and older children to help
protect them against injury and accidents in the home
and on the street. Our car seat giveaway and installation
program operates on Saturdays and ensures that car
seats are properly installed in families’ vehicles.
Access to Care
Policy and Advocacy
In partnership with local advocacy groups and state and
national levels of the American Academy of Pediatrics,
pediatricians and pediatric residents from the Primary
Care Department advocate for children’s health and
well-being issues that are being discussed in legislative
venues. We attend the annual California Medical
Association and American Academy of Pediatrics
legislative day in Sacramento and communicate with
legislators and the media via letter-writing, phone calls,
and legislative office visits to advocate for children’s
issues monthly. Many of our physicians also write
regular op-ed pieces and speak to the media about
children’s issues.
Community, Advocacy, and Primary Care Program
(CAP)—CAP is an advocacy curriculum for medical
residents who are trained as the next generation of
doctors to advocate for their patients, particularly
the underserved. Through CAP, residents learn
about federal programs and the welfare and legal
systems. Residents also spend time on-site with many
community-based organizations in order to gain a first-
hand understanding of their operations and the services
they provide. Residents tour the neighborhoods
of Oakland to better understand the conditions of
children’s neighborhoods, schools, and parks and the
available services in these neighborhoods so they can
be better doctors. The residents give many talks to
children, parents, and teachers about health issues—
from safety to child development. They also attend
lectures throughout the community about parenting
techniques and community resources. They make home
visits with the Alameda Public Health department to get
a better understanding of children’s home environments
and how they affect their health. The residents also
travel to Sacramento to meet with legislators and
participate in public hearings about issues critical to
pediatric health.
Medical–Legal Program—The Primary Care Clinic has
partnered with the East Bay Community Law Center
since 2006 to provide patients with pro bono legal
services on cases related to their health issues. This
service has been expanded to other departments within
the hospital setting.

Medical Services
Clinical services at the three adolescent medicine sites
include:
Routine preventative care
Immunizations
Sports physicals
Reproductive health care
Treatment of sexually transmitted infections
Travel medicine
Acute illness management
Physical and sexual assault treatment
Nutrition counseling
Chronic disease management
Eating disorder management
Adolescent Medicine: School-Based Health Care
Centers and Teen Clinic
The Division of Adolescent Medicine runs two school-based health centers and a Teen Clinic. The
school-based health centers—Youth Uprising/Castlemont Health Center at Castlemont High School and
the Chappell Hayes Health Center at McClymonds High School) are operated in partnership with the
Oakland Unified School District and the Alameda County Health Services Agency.
The two school-based health centers and the Teen Clinic serve students ages 11 to 24 from the high
schools as well as young people from the general community. The school health centers provide safe
and convenient places for students to receive integrated, comprehensive medical and mental health
services. In 2015, the three clinics had a total of 4,873 medical visits.
Our specially trained teams look at all aspects of an adolescent’s life to help address the many medical
and mental health issues the adolescent could be facing. Both sites are integrated into full-service
youth and family centers that promote youth development and serve as national models for adolescent
health care.
Contact: Robbyn Striggles-Brown
The two school-based health centers and Teen Clinic offer a full spectrum of comprehensive adolescent health care,
including medical, behavioral, and social services.
Access to Care
Behavioral Health
Since 2003, all three clinic sites have integrated
behavioral health into their clinical care and promote
close collaboration between medical providers and
mental health providers. The school-based health centers
have medical services, mental health therapists, and a
psychiatrist; they are the hubs for teachers, parents, and
students to coordinate therapy, care, and support.
The Castlemont site is now the highest-volume school-
connected mental health site in Alameda County. It has
become a national model for the integration of medical
and mental health care and has been cited for success at
addressing underlying social stressors related to mental
health. The division is also developing a collaboration
with Youth Alive, a local organization, to provide trauma
screening to patients at the Teen Clinic site.

Social Services
All three clinic sites are developing protocols for
evaluating legal and other psychosocial needs.
Each site has an on-site social worker to provide
psychosocial support to patients. All sites also have
a partnership with group homes in the area and with
the Child Protective Services Assessment Center to
facilitate urgent or rapid appointments as needed. All
sites provide food as needed for patients during their
visits. In addition, one or more of the clinics participate
in innovative programs such as:
Human Trafficking Project—The Teen Clinic helps
to prevent and intervene in human trafficking, which
is a major problem in Alameda County. The clinic is
beginning a partnership with West Coast Children’s
services to pilot their human trafficking screening
tool. It collaborates with HEAT Watch and Alameda
County District Attorney O’Malley’s office as part of a
collaborative effort to identify and support commercially
sexually exploited and trafficked youth.
Newcomer Program—Castlemont High School has a
Newcomer Program for recent immigrants to the United
States—many of whom are unaccompanied minors.
The Youth Uprising/Castlemont Health Clinic works
with the program to provide medical and mental health
services to these youth as well as to help link them to
community resources such as legal support.
Access to Care
Education and outreach
The Division of Adolescent Medicine:
Has developed a training and consultation program
for school professionals and mental health providers
who work with schools, and holds contracts to
conduct trainings throughout Alameda County and
California.
Conducts annual health fairs at Castlemont and
McClymonds High Schools to promote health and
wellness.
Gives talks on various health subjects to high school
students in the classroom.

Comprehensive Primary Care Services at JJC and Camp Wilmont Sweeney
Intake evaluation and 96-hour intake evaluation and physical exam
Point-of-care testing and blood draws
Screening, testing, and treatment for sexually transmitted infections
Care for illness and injury
Referrals to emergency departments and specialists
Immunizations
Medication management
Radiology
Dental screening and procedures
Health education
Chiropractic services
Optometry: screening, diagnosis, prescription, and allocation of eyewear on site
Care via telemedicine for services not available at JJC
Assistance with transition for community reentry
Juvenile Justice Center Clinic
Children’s Division of Adolescent Medicine is contracted to run a comprehensive on-site medical
clinic at the Alameda County Juvenile Justice Center (JJC). The JJC is a 360-bed detention facility
that houses juvenile offenders from Alameda County and is part of the Alameda County Probation
Department.
Approximately 3,800 children and youth received health care services at the JJC medical clinic in 2015;
about three-fourths of these patients are from Oakland. Medical staff at the JJC clinic includes nurses,
nurse practitioners, doctors, dentists, licensed vocational nurses, MAs, discharge coordinators, and
clerks. Additional contracted staff includes an optometrist, a radiology technician, and a chiropractor.
Other doctors, such as OB-GYNs, work with the program on an on-call basis. Children’s also provides
clinical services at Camp Wilmont Sweeney, a facility that serves as a transition housing/placement
facility for about six to nine months for JJC inmates before their release to the community.
Youth who need additional specialty care or acute services are brought to Children’s main hospital.
Nearly all JJC detainees are released back into their communities after their detention. Children’s aims
to ensure they are healthy, as poor health is one of the main barriers to a successful transition back to
school or employment.
Clinical and Administrative Director: Shanta Ramdeholl, RN | Supervising Physician: Javay Ross, MD
Access to Care

Direct Services
Oral exams and X-rays, fluoride and sealant treatments, prophylaxis, simple extractions, restorative services,
orthodontics, and rehabilitative services to pediatric patients, specifically patients with SHCN.
Education—La Clínica Children’s bilingual and multicultural staff provides culturally and linguistically appropriate oral
health hygiene instruction, education about the importance of prevention and treatment of oral health problems, and
other related oral health education to pediatric patients and families. Messages are tailored for patients with SHCN.
Pediatric dentists, with support from dental assistants, provide oral hygiene instruction and oral health prevention and
treatment along with education after the patient’s appointment. Parents and other caregivers are provided nutritional
recommendations, brushing and flossing instructions, and verbal and visual demonstrations to the patient when
age-appropriate.
Outreach—La Clínica Children’s site manager provides outreach to local organizations such as Bananas, a nonprofit
child care resource and referral agency serving the diverse families in northern Alameda County; and Women, Infants and
Children (WIC), a national nutrition education program.
La Clínica Dental
La Clínica de La Raza, Inc. (La Clínica) is a nonprofit federally qualified health center (FQHC) with over
45 years of experience providing comprehensive clinical and community health services. La Clínica is
committed to improving the quality of life of the diverse communities it serves by providing culturally
appropriate, high-quality, accessible health care for all. Founded by students and volunteers in 1971
with one storefront site in Oakland, La Clínica now operates 31 service sites throughout Alameda,
Contra Costa, and Solano counties—11 of which are dental sites. La Clínica tailors its services to be
responsive to the multiple and unique needs of its diverse clientele and communities.
La Clínica Dental at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland (La Clínica Children’s) is the only La
Clínica dental site that specializes in serving pediatric patients who are medically compromised and
with special health care needs (SHCN). La Clínica Children’s receives 2,640 referrals per year from other
local community health centers, many of which operate their own dental services but are unable to
provide dental services to SHCN patients. In 2015, La Clínica Children’s served 5,782 patients, with a
total of 13,226 patient visits. About one-quarter of the patient population is best served in Spanish; 92
percent are Medi-Cal recipients; 2 percent are self-pay or uninsured; and 73 percent are under 12 years
old. La Clínica Children’s patients draw from 192 ZIP codes across predominately Northern California—
indicating La Clínica’s importance as a regional provider of dental services to those with SHCN.
Manager: Kelly Hernandez | Associate Dental Director: Francesca Artiga | Chief Dental Officer: Ariane Terlet, DDS
Access to Care

Emergency, Trauma, and Critical Care
Trauma Center
Children’s provides immediate, highly specialized pediatric emergency services at its Trauma Center. A trauma team is
available at Children’s every hour of every day of the year. The trauma team comprises pediatric specialists in Emergency
Medicine, Trauma Surgery, Anesthesiology, Critical Care, Neurosurgery, Orthopaedics, and Diagnostic Imaging. Children’s
Division of Pediatric Rehabilitation initiates treatment in the acute care phase of injury and continues both as inpatient
and outpatient care to support maximum recovery and function for the trauma patient. Children’s Trauma Center has
been designated a Pediatric Level 1 Trauma Center by the American College of Surgeons (ACS). This designation
reflects Children’s high standards and distinguishes it from many other pediatric hospitals. Children’s is one of just four
other ACS Pediatric Level 1 Trauma Centers in California. In 2015, there were 625 children that required activation of
the Children’s trauma team. There were an additional 188 patients followed by the trauma team, resulting in a total 645
children admitted for trauma care. Due to the fact that traumatic brain injury continues to be a leading result of injury to
children, the Trauma Center has been supportive in developing additional support (Center for Traumatic Brain Injury and
NeuroCritical Care) to improve coordination of care for the brain of an injured child. The Trauma Center also informs and
supports community education efforts for injury prevention—including the Kohl’s Injury Prevention Program (p. 40).
Gentle Hands Program (in the Intensive Care Nursery)
Building healthy relationships between parents and newborns depends on the parents’ ability to interpret babies’ subtle
messages. Babies in the intensive care nursery can appear so fragile that many parents are hesitant to touch and hold
them. The Gentle Hands Program teaches parents how to touch, hold, massage, and bathe their baby—using their
infant’s signs of readiness as a guide. Children’s Hospital Oakland’s child development specialists help parents gain
confidence to care for their infant by encouraging bonding moments. Research shows us that medically challenged
infants who receive touch may feed better, sleep more, have greater weight gain, and go home faster.
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Sentinel Hospital
Children’s has a special status as U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission sentinel hospital for identifying dangerous
products that may cause injury. This has been a service grant that the Emergency Department has had for approximately
15 years. The Emergency Department reports aggregate, de-personalized data on product-related injuries, to be pooled
with that of other sentinel Emergency Departments, in order to determine whether there are trends or clear hazards
related to certain toys, equipment, clothing, children’s furniture, and other items to which children have access.
Access to Care

Center for Child Protection
Child abuse and neglect continues to be a pervasive and complex public health problem on both local
and national levels. The Center for Child Protection (CCP), established at Children’s more than 30
years ago, provides comprehensive medical and mental health services to children and adolescents
affected by child abuse and exposure to violence. CCP is home to two of only six child abuse
pediatricians in Northern California. As the designated site for forensic medical services in Alameda
County, our program provides child victims who enter the medical system numerous avenues to access
services from CCP physicians. CCP physicians also provide subspecialty consultation to community
physicians on genitourinary-related medical issues. Mental health services include crisis assessment
and intervention, trauma-informed psychotherapy services, clinical case management, outreach, and
educational workshops. CCP program staff works closely with law enforcement, child welfare, and
local district attorney’s offices, often providing case consultation, case testimony, and expert witness
assistance. In 2015, CCP served nearly 500 children. No other program provides these services in the
East Bay.
Manager: Shelley Hamilton, LCSW | Division Chief and Medical Director: James Crawford-Jakubiak, MD
Direct Services
Forensic Examinations—CCP is the designated site in
Alameda County for acute forensic medical services for
children under 14, and non-acute services for children
under 18. CCP medical staff performs acute forensic
examinations when the alleged sexual abuse occurred
within 72 hours. Non-acute forensic examinations are
performed in CCP’s outpatient clinic by appointment.
Trauma-Informed Mental Health Services—Therapy
is provided to children, adolescents, and their families
who have been exposed to trauma, including child
abuse and witness to violence. Through individual,
sibling, group, and/or family therapy, CCP clinical staff
works with these clients to minimize difficulties and
prevent long-term negative effects. Psychotherapy is
provided by CCP staff at several locations throughout
Alameda County, including the Alameda County Family
Justice Center in downtown Oakland, Oakland’s
Fruitvale community, and South Hayward.
Domestic Violence Education and Screening
(DOVES)—DOVES is a pioneering pediatric domestic
violence project that provides individual and group
psychotherapy to children and their caregivers who
have experienced domestic violence as a strategy for
the early prevention of child abuse.
Research
CCP participates in clinical research related to child
abuse and neglect, and it currently leads two clinical
research studies. The Caregiver and Child Trauma
Study is a descriptive analysis designed to determine
the prevalence of adversity among caregivers of
children presenting to CCP. This study will begin to
explore the intergenerational transmission of adversity.
The ultimate goal is to identify the associations between
caregiver and child trauma that could inform future child
maltreatment prevention and treatment programs. CCP
is also completing the Alameda County Child Abuse
Disclosure Study, which aims to better understand how
children are disclosing child sexual abuse. Results of
the study will enable more focused prevention and early
intervention services to children and families.
VI. Care For Special Populations

Camp Creating Confident People (Camp CCP)—Camp CCP combines the traditional experience of summer camp
with group psychotherapy and support for children exposed to child abuse trauma and/or violence.
Clinical Case Management—Case management is provided to children and adolescents who are served in the
Emergency Department and Child Abuse Management Clinic following diagnosis or disclosure of abuse. CCP case
managers assist families with navigating the criminal justice system, arranging necessary medical follow-up, and
obtaining referrals to community resources.
First Responders—CCP physicians are available 24/7 to provide immediate response to sexual assault cases in the
Emergency Department, and CCP’s social worker team serves as first responders to child abuse cases in the Emergency
Department until 7 p.m. CCP also provides consultation to families of hospitalized children.
Education Events—CCP provided more than 40 educational events to a variety of health care providers, allied
professionals, children, and families on a diverse array of topics pertaining to child abuse and neglect. These educational
events were held at local, county, state, and international levels. CCP staff also serves on numerous boards and
committees that influence national, state, and regional child abuse protocols, policies, and program services.
Parenting After Trauma (PAT)—PAT is a 10-week group psychotherapy program targeted to non-offending caregivers
caring for children affected by child abuse and violence exposure. The program aims to address adverse childhood
experience through education on healthy parenting and effective communication skills. In 2014, the non-offending
caregivers for 29 children successfully completed the PAT group psychotherapy program.
Care For Special Populations

Center for the Vulnerable Child
The Center for the Vulnerable Child (CVC) provides services to children from age 0 to 21 who are living
in situations that put them at risk for educational, physical, mental, or social health problems. Patients
may be foster or homeless youth, or have a history of abuse, neglect, or exposure to drugs. Each year,
approximately 3,000 children and families receive medical care, psychotherapy, and social services
from the CVC. Services are culturally informed and family-friendly. To reduce barriers to service delivery,
they often occur in the caregiver’s home or another location within the community.
In addition, the CVC is responsible for running the Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) Consumer
Advisory Board, composed largely of the parents of children who have used FQHC services. The
Consumer Advisory Board is an integral part of the organization, guiding our service delivery and
providing ongoing feedback to ensure excellent patient care.
Director: Erica Torres, PsyD
Direct Services
Child and Adolescent Therapeutic Services
(CATS)—The CATS Program provides comprehensive
mental health services to youth living with their birth
parents as part of the Family Maintenance Program
of Alameda County’s Department of Children and
Family Services (DCFS). CATS offers services to
Children’s patients whose special medical needs and
concurrent mental health issues threaten to overwhelm
family resources—which places them at risk of DCFS
involvement. Clinicians take a family-centered approach,
integrating individual and family therapy with advocacy
and case management. Most services are provided at
the family’s home or at the youth’s school. Since 2003,
the CATS program also has provided clinical training
for social work and psychology students from Bay Area
graduate schools.
Preschool and School-Age Services, Assessment,
Guidance and Education Program (PASSAGE)—The
PASSAGE Program is a collaborative effort with the
Department of Children and Family Services, serving
youth with emotional and behavioral issues that have
not responded to standard community treatments.
Using an innovative combination of trauma-informed,
therapeutic collaborative assessment and direct
stabilization services, the PASSAGE clinician partners
with the youth, his or her family, and existing providers
to identify and address obstacles to successful
treatment.
Services to Enhance Early Development (SEED)—
SEED is a longstanding collaboration between the
CVC, Alameda County’s DCFS, and Alameda County
Public Health to provide specialized services to children
aged 0 to 3 who are dependents of the court. The
SEED team consists of infant/early childhood mental
health practitioners, developmental specialists, family
partners, child welfare workers, and parent advocates
working together to provide culturally accountable and
developmentally sensitive services to this extremely
vulnerable population.
Help Me Grow (HMG)—HMG serves young children
from birth to age 6 in the Family Reunification Program
of Alameda County’s DCFS. With specific expertise
on the impact of trauma on young children, staff from
HMG provides initial developmental assessments and
consults with child welfare workers and caregivers to
identify the mental health, developmental, and relational
needs of children. Once needs are identified, staff helps
link caregivers to local support and services that best
meet the needs of their children.
Encore Medical Clinics (EMC)—EMC outreach
workers connect children under 19 years of age who
are homeless or living in transitional housing with a
medical home. Dental care is also available to EMC
patients. There were over 500 visits to the EMC in
2015. EMC is a collaboration between the CVC and
Children’s Primary Care Clinic.

Family Outreach and Support Clinic (FOSC)—FOSC
provides primary care for children from birth to 12 years
of age who are currently in or have been in foster care.
FOSC is a collaborative effort between the CVC and
Children’s Primary Care Clinic.
Successful Preschool Adjustment and Readiness
for Kindergarten (Project SPARK)—Project SPARK
promotes successful adjustment to preschool and
readiness for kindergarten for children who are living
in transitional living situations. SPARK works, both
individually and in group settings, with children who are
identified by preschool teachers as having behaviors
that interfere with school participation and peer
relationships. SPARK provides assessments of child
behavior, parent–teacher consultation, and one-on-one
individualized child intervention to improve social skills.
Behavioral Health Integration (BHI)—The BHI
program provides innovative services to increase
access to mental health services for children and youth
who came to Children’s Primary Care and Adolescent
Medical Clinics. Multidisciplinary BHI clinicians are
available at clinic appointments to screen for mental
health needs. When emotional and behavioral concerns
are identified, the BHI clinician is able to collaborate with
the primary care medical provider to assure integration
of services. In addition, we provide brief therapy and
medication interventions during the clinic appointment
as well as facilitate and support further treatment, either
through follow-up appointments or through referrals to
community resources.
School Clinic–Based Behavioral Health Program—
The school-based health clinics at McClymonds
and Castlemont High Schools integrate medical
and behavioral health care to support the long-term
health and wellness of adolescents and young adults
who attend the schools or live in the area. The CVC
provides behavioral health services, which include crisis
intervention as well as individual, family, and group
psychotherapy. In addition, each site’s behavioral health
team participates in coordination of service teams in
partnership with OUSD staff. Program staff also offers
mental health consultation for educators and parents on
nutrition, self-care, healthy lifestyles, conflict resolution,
reproductive health, and substance abuse prevention.
These topics are also highlighted in an annual health fair
organized by the program.
St. Martin De Porres School-Based Services (also
called WINNERS)—Provides school-based mental-
health services to children in kindergarten through
8th grade at the school’s two campuses in Oakland.
Services include screenings and behavioral assessments,
individual counseling, group therapy, case management,
parenting education, and faculty/staff consultation
and training, as well as consultation to social service
agencies that serve the students and their families.
Research
Part of the CVC’s mission is to conduct research on the
vulnerable populations it serves. The CVC is partially funded
by a Health Resources and Services Administration grant
that supports ongoing research on primary care and mental
health services to families experiencing homelessness and/
or foster care. The CVC has a strong history of research on
service utilization and implementation for homeless families,
relationships between foster care and homelessness, and
the utilization of the CVC services over time.
The CVC sponsors and facilitates parental support groups
and educational seminars throughout the year on a
variety of topics relevant to foster and adoptive parents.
The CVC also provides training to health care and other
professionals who work with vulnerable children:
SEED Consultation Project—Through interactive
consultation, child welfare workers, police, and public
defenders learn about infant mental health and the
needs of young children who are in the welfare system.
Foster Parent Support and Education—This weekly
educational program is open to all foster parents in
the community seeking education and support as they
navigate the foster care system and raise children who
may be affected by complex trauma.
Medically Fragile Infant Training—This monthly
training program is provided to professionals in
Alameda County.
Practicum Training Programs—The CVC offers training
for graduate students in the fields of counseling, infant
development, social work, and psychology. Students
are integrated into individual CVC programs, where they
receive weekly supervision and attend case conferences,
team meetings, seminars, and didactic trainings.
Particular attention is paid to the impact of complex
trauma on the social, emotional, and neuropsychological
development regarding living in multi-stressed settings.

Early Intervention Services
Early Intervention Services (EIS) provides therapeutic intervention, case management, child
development, and family support services for infants and young children (ages 0–6) with emerging
developmental, medical, and social–emotional difficulties, and exposure to toxic stress and trauma.
EIS services are family-centered, relationship-based, and trauma-informed. A multidisciplinary staff
delivers these services at homes, school sites, community-based locations, and our 3rd Street site.
Each year, more than 700 families utilize EIS, and many more children are reached through training and
consultation activities.
Director: Ayannakai Nalo, LCSW
Direct Services
Neonatal Follow-Up Programs
Special Start Home Visiting Program—
Special Start offers developmental, medical,
and psychosocial case management to the
approximately 225 infants per year who who are
graduates of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and
have complex medical conditions and/or social risk
factors. For up to three years, participants receive
weekly to monthly home visits by a coordinated
team of nurses, developmental specialists, and
mental health specialists. This program also includes
two parent support groups for Spanish-speaking
families of children with disabilities. The program
also collaborates with the Unity Council Early Head
Start program and provides a group for medically
fragile infants and young children receiving Early
Head Start services.
Neonatal Follow-Up Clinic—This program provides
developmental assessment and medical care for
California Children’s Services–eligible infants who
were in Children’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
Services include neurodevelopmental pediatric
assessment and case management. The clinic
serves approximately 450 young children annually.
Intensive Care Nursery Developmental Support
Program—This program provides developmental
intervention and support, including kangaroo care
holding and breastfeeding interventions, which are
provided to parents with newborns in Children’s
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. The program serves
more than 200 newborn children and their families
each year.
Parent–Infant Programs (PIP)
Local Early Access Program (LEAP)—LEAP
is designed for infants up to age 3 who have
developmental disabilities and who are eligible to
receive Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act services through the Regional Center
of the East Bay. Program components include a
parent–child play-based intervention group, home
visits focused on developmental intervention, and
both individual and group parent support. Groups are
offered in English and Spanish. Twenty-seven children
and their families are in the program at any given time.
Developmental Playgroups Program—This
community-based program provides parent–child
playgroups to encourage the healthy development
of infants and young children who are at risk for
developmental delays. All groups incorporate
developmentally rich play activities with parent support
and education. Groups predominantly serving a Latino
immigrant community are located in Oakland and
South Hayward and are delivered in Spanish. These
programs serve 80 young children and their families
each year.
Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis, and
Treatment (EPSDT) Mental Health Programs—EPSDT
Mental Health Programs are designed for children with
social–emotional delays or disturbances, and children
who have experienced trauma:
CARE Early Childhood Mental Health Program—
CARE provides home-based therapeutic interventions
for children under age 6 who have experienced
trauma, or who present with behavioral, emotional, or
relational difficulties, and their families. Approximately
125 children are enrolled in this program.

Therapeutic Guidance for Infants and Families
(TGIF)—The TGIF program provides both group and
individual early childhood therapeutic interventions to
infants, young children, and their parents who have
experienced relationship disruption due to involvement
with the Criminal Justice or Child Welfare System
and who are in the process of family reunification.
The program includes a center-based therapeutic
playgroup and parent education and support.
FIRST Perinatal Drug Treatment Support
Program—The FIRST program provides group and
individual early childhood therapeutic intervention to
infants, young children, and their parents where drug
use and/or incarceration has affected the parent–child
relationship. The program includes home-based
therapeutic interventions and parent support.
Fussy Baby Program—The Fussy Baby Program
provides intervention to parents whose young infants
have crying, sleeping, or feeding problems that create
stress in the family. Referrals come from local pediatric
providers and community-based agencies.
Research
EIS has a research program that focuses on the impact of
trauma on early childhood mental health, successful early
childhood treatment, and issues related to supporting
positive outcomes for young children with medical,
developmental, and social–emotional delays. Studies include:
Evaluation of the Effect of a Clinical Intervention on
Biomarkers
Child Trauma Research Program Evaluation of Clinical
Services, Biological Sub Study, EIS Site
The Effectiveness of a Home Visiting Neonatal Follow-
Up Program for Severely Medically Fragile Infants at
High Social Risk
Policy and Advocacy
EIS advocates are involved in policymaking regarding
issues of infant and early childhood mental health
and development at the local and national levels. EIS
staff members helped develop the California Training
Guidelines and Personnel Competencies for Infant/Family
and Early Childhood Mental Health Providers. EIS also has
several members in the Infant Development Association
of California, an organization cofounded by a former EIS
director. The administrative and clinical directors of EIS are
currently involved in planning and implementing Alameda
County–wide policy initiatives and are members of many
local collaborative planning activities.
Consultation and Training
EIS operates a broad range of consultation and training
activities that support agencies working with young
children throughout the county, state, and nation.
Irving B. Harris Early Childhood Mental Health
Training Program—EIS administers the only
infant and early childhood mental health training
program in Alameda County. The program expands
the knowledge base of providers from a variety of
disciplines by building upon their expertise and skills
in addressing the social–emotional development and
mental health needs of young children. This includes
a focus on training designed specifically for Family
Support Professionals, such as Family Partners,
Navigators, and Advocates who provide support to
families and work to create family-driven services
within their agencies. Additionally, the Reflective
Facilitators in Training Program supports a culturally
and ethnically diverse group of professionals to
increase their capacity for leadership within their
agencies. Over 250 professionals have completed
the program.
EIS Consultation and Training Team—EIS
provides technical assistance and consultation
services to numerous community-based and
public county agencies and Early Head Start/
Head Start programs each year. Our mental health
and developmental consultants offer content- and
process-based training, in addition to offering
embedded site–based case consultation for agency
staff and supervisors. EIS also provides groups for
practitioners on reflective supervision and facilitates
Communidad, a countywide effort to support
providers working with Latino immigrant families.
Advanced Practice Training Series—Funded by a
Title IV-E grant, EIS offers an annual training series,
free of charge, for Alameda County providers that
serve babies and young children involved in the child
welfare system.
Stulsaft Project—This grant-funded project allows
two Alameda County Early Head Start programs to
receive ongoing teacher training on the impact of
trauma on development and responsive teaching
practices to support vulnerable children in their care.

Diabetes Program
The Diabetes Program is staffed by a team of pediatric endocrinologists, certified diabetes educators,
nurses, dieticians, social workers, and administrative staff who care for nearly 700 children with
diabetes—most of them type 1. There were 2,875 outpatient visits for diabetes in 2015. The team
delivers the latest in diabetes care, technology, and education to help control blood sugar, optimize
management, and prevent long-term complications.
Direct Services
Telephone Advice—An advice line is available to
all families and caregivers of children with diabetes
and includes urgent care advice, blood sugar
review, insulin dose adjustment, and school/after-
school program consultation. Endocrinologists are
available for emergency consults 24 hours a day.
Approximately 1,200 phone consultations are given
per month with patients, families, school nurses,
foster parents, and caregivers.
Continuous Glucose Monitoring Sensor Clinic—
Provides families and endocrinologists detailed
information about children’s glucose levels to help
optimize diabetes management.
Insulliance—A group of young adults living with
type 1 diabetes act as mentors and are available to
meet with children during the diabetes clinic visits.
The mentors offer emotional support, resources, and
non-medical advice.
Diabetes Camps—Diabetes Camp team members
provide medical support for a variety of programs,
including the Diabetes Youth Families camps and
programs, Carb DM programs, and Diabetes and
Sports Health Camp.
Research
The Division of Endocrinology and Diabetes is involved
with clinical research studies investigating type 1 and
type 2 diabetes. The division works collaboratively with
Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute and
other affiliates to provide research opportunities for
patients and the community. The Division is a research
site for the following studies:
The TrialNet Natural History Study of the
Development of Type 1 Diabetes: The Pathway
to Prevention study offers type 1 diabetes risk
screening for the relatives of individuals with type 1
diabetes.
The Oral Insulin for the Prevention of Diabetes in
Relatives at Risk for Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus study
is a clinical trial to determine whether oral insulin can
prevent or delay the onset of type 1 diabetes.
The division is also involved in early-intervention
trials and genetic studies for type 1 and type 2
diabetes and the development of tools for differential
diagnosis of type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

Education for Families
Individualized Education—Educational materials
and telephone advice as well as private and group
classes are provided in English and Spanish.
Interpreters are available for all other languages.
Education is tailored to the learner’s needs.
Insulin Pump Classes—Diabetes educators
review the risks and benefits of pump therapy and
demonstrate pump-specific features. Classes are
offered several times a month.
Carbohydrate-Counting Classes—Diabetes
educators review basic skills for children and their
families as well as reinforce skills for adolescents.
Classes are offered several times a month.
Advanced classes are offered on an individual basis
and are available in both English and Spanish.
School and After-School Program Education—
The diabetes team works to ensure that children
have access to diabetes care while in school or
while participating in school-sponsored activities
in collaboration with parents, caregivers, school
nurses, the American Diabetes Association, and the
Disability Rights Education Defense Fund.
Adolescent Transition Program—This is a new
education program designed to prepare adolescents
to transition from pediatric to adult care aided by
establishing yearly diabetes care goals.
Other Education—The diabetes team works
collaboratively with Carb DM and Diabetes Youth
Families on other various educational programs.
Diabetes team members also provide information
tables at the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
(JDRF) Walk to Cure Diabetes and World Diabetes
Day.
Education Events
Young Adult Transition—This is a program
for young diabetic adults using insulin. An
endocrinologist and medical education staff address
questions from young adults in their junior year of
high school and above.
Sweet on Diabetes—This is a weekend family
retreat at Camp Arroyo in Livermore in which
education is provided by endocrinologists and
medical staff.
Campamento—This is a UCSF Spanish-language
event at Camp Jones Gulch in La Honda. CDE
provides education and helps staff the event.
Spooktacular—This is a fall family retreat at Camp
Jones Gulch in La Honda. An endocrinologist and
CDE provide education and staffed the event.
Education for Professionals
Diabetes Team members are actively involved in
education and outreach to other professionals at
Children’s and in the community. The team provides
trainings for professionals in the community who work
with high-risk adolescents with diabetes—including
Alameda County Child Protective Services, Center for
the Vulnerable Child, Foster Care Services, Alameda
County Assessment Center, Contra Costa County Child
Welfare Workers, and individual schools.
The Diabetes Team participates in the interagency
Pediatric Diabetes Coalition of Alameda County to
develop guidelines for schools caring for children with
diabetes. An educational conference for Northern
California school nurses was held in September 2015
with great attendance. In addition, the team participates
in the annual Bay Area Diabetes Summit held in mid
March, as well as many other Bay Area interagency
events supporting education, research, and awareness
of diabetes.
The Diabetes Program offers a variety of educational opportunities for patients, families, and other health care providers.

Hemoglobinopathy Center
Sickle cell disease and thalassemia are inherited conditions affecting hemoglobin, the protein within
red blood cells that is required for transporting oxygen. Sickle cell disease disproportionately affects
persons of African descent, while thalassemia disproportionately affects persons of Asian descent.
Children’s Comprehensive Center for Hemoglobinopathies, one of the largest such centers in the
world, treats about 600 children and adults with sickle cell disease and thalassemia each year, provides
education to families and other medical providers, serves as a local and international resource, and
conducts research and advocacy to improve the survival and quality of life of people with these
conditions. Children’s provides reference laboratory services for the State of California and led a
national effort to add screening for hemoglobinopathies into newborn screening programs throughout
the U.S. The Comprehensive Center for Hemoglobinopathies has been at the national and international
forefront of understanding transfusion therapy, iron overload, and the use of sibling cord blood and
stem cell transplantation to cure sickle cell disease and thalassemia.
Administrative Director: Lynne Neumayr, MD | Division Chief: Elliott Vichinsky, MD
Direct Services
Northern California Comprehensive Sickle Cell Center (NCCSCC)—Through NCCSCC, a multidisciplinary team
consisting of physicians, nurse practitioners, psychologists, and social workers provides comprehensive care in a
medical home model. Medical therapy includes hydroxyurea, transfusions, red cell exchange transfusions, chelation, pain
management, and bone marrow transplantation. NCCSCC developed and coordinated the Northern California Network
of Care for Sickle Cell Disease, a partnership among local hospitals, clinics, and community agencies to improve access
to health care services for people with sickle cell disease. NCCSCC has received federal funding from the Health
Resources and Services Administration to partner with the Center for Inherited Blood Disorders to expand these efforts
to the western region of the United States for the next three years.
Northern California Comprehensive Thalassemia Center (NCCTC)—Multidisciplinary staff offers medical care,
education, counseling, and psychosocial services for children and adults who have or who are at risk of having
thalassemia, and their families. Comprehensive care includes transfusions, chelation therapy, and bone marrow
transplants. NCCTC provides care not only to patients in Northern California, but also to patients referred here from
across the United States and internationally. NCCTC has also been awarded HRSA/CDC funding to lead a collaboration
of centers in the western United States with the mission to expand access and standard care to patients with
thalassemia.
Housing for Families: The Blood Marrow Transplantation (BMT) House—For medical reasons, children who
receive a blood and marrow transplant must live within a 20-mile radius of the hospital for 100 days after transplantation.
Families who live further away may stay at the BMT House, located one block from the hospital.

Professional Education
Hemoglobinopathy Reference Laboratory—The Hemoglobinopathy Reference Lab is California’s reference
laboratory for diagnosing hemoglobin disorders as well as a national resource to support the diagnosis and treatment
of hemoglobin disorders. It provides clinical and diagnostic support to 33 state newborn screening programs.
Thousands of newborns are screened for hemoglobin-related disorders, and many affected families are counseled
and directed for comprehensive care. The lab also serves as the National Institutes of Health Hemoglobinopathy
Disease Collaborative Genotype–Phenotype Database to aid in the identification and screening of clinically relevant
hemoglobin variants. Additionally, lab employees often give educational seminars for fellow sickle cell counselors
within California.
International Advanced Workshop on Sickle Cell Disease—In 2015, Children’s again hosted this conference,
which brought together hematologists from all over the world and premier sickle cell experts from the U.S. to engage
in discourse on research, care, and new treatments and therapies.
Combined HRSA Pacific Sickle Cell Collaborative and HRSA Thalassemia Regional Network Meeting—Funded
by two collaborative grants from HRSA—one in sickle cell and one in thalassemia—Children’s hosted physicians and
nurses from the grants’ collaborative sites in six western continental states as well as Alaska, Hawaii, and Guam in
Oakland for a three-day workshop. The group discussed site needs, standards of care, project goals, and timelines.
Community Education, Awareness, and Outreach
Thalassemia Outreach Program—The Thalassemia Outreach Program engages in patient and community outreach,
using methods including newsletters, educational handouts in many languages, booklets, videos, and presentations.
The program maintains a website (thalassemia.com) with thousands of visitors per year.
Blood Donation and Sickle Cell Awareness Days—Children’s cosponsors sickle cell awareness events and
blood drives attended by hundreds of community members. Typically sponsoring four blood drives annually,
Children’s devotes one drive to thalassemia awareness, and another to encourage testing for the sickle cell trait. The
thalassemia program hosts an annual blood drive for World Thalassemia Day, which took place this past year on May
7, 2015. The thalassemia program also collaborates with the community, local businesses, and UC Berkeley to plan
blood drives and raise awareness of thalassemia.
UC Berkeley Internship Program—The UC Berkeley Internship Program began in 2012. The interns focused on
outreach to middle schools, high schools, and Asian and Indian communities, as well as organization of blood drives
for thalassemia. The UC Berkeley Decal on thalassemia is a student-run class that was held in the fall of 2015.
Approximately 15 students enrolled in the class and were taught about thalassemia from a variety of angles and using
many different resources.
Sickle Cell and Thalassemia Holiday Parties—Sickle cell and thalassemia outreach teams planned their annual
holiday parties for patients and families in December. Hundreds of patients, families, and guests attended this event—
which included food, games, and music—to foster community support for affected individuals.
Italian Catholic Federation (ICF) Convention—The 83rd annual ICF Convention was held in La Quinta, California,
over Labor Day weekend. The “Live to Give” Blood Drive was held August 28, and it was the fourth annual drive to
honor thalassemia. Twenty-six people came to donate blood, and the Desert Blood Services collected 23 units. On
August 30, the ICF once again chose Cooley’s anemia (thalassemia) as its national charity.
Thalassemia Patient Support Group—The thalassemia social worker regularly meets with four to six patients for a
monthly Saturday support group to discuss issues pertinent to their disease. Topics of discussion include compliance,
morbidity, diet, exercise, and the impact of the disease on their mental health and personal relationships.
Bay Area Adult Sickle Cell Support Group—Children’s and the Sickle Cell Community Advisory Council maintain a
support group for adults with sickle cell disease.

Public Health, Research, Epidemiology Surveillance in Hemoglobinopathies (PHRESH)—Children’s partners
with the State of California and Centers for Disease Control in this statewide outreach project to increase awareness
of and advocacy for sickle cell disease. The website casicklecell.org has recently had 10,000 hits.
Infusion Day—In 2015, an educational day was created to teach infusion techniques for self-infusion and for parents
to infuse factor in their child. This event was staffed by nurses to help the families and contained a variety of stations
to learn and practice techniques, with the aid of videos, fake arms, and other devices.
Children’s Oncology Patient Holiday Party—Coordinated by the Hematology/Oncology department to provide
gifts, goods, and entertainment for oncology patients and their families in December.
Research
For the past 40 years, the NCCSCC and NCCTC have been leaders in National Institutes of Health–funded multi-center
research trials to improve therapeutic options and quality of life of patients with hemoglobinopathies. For many years,
Children’s has been at the forefront of research, using stem-cell therapies that have cured patients with sickle cell
disease. Currently, there are numerous clinical trials at Children’s for patients with hemoglobinopathies. The NCCTC
Transplantation Program is one of the few institutions in the United States to offer gene therapy for patients with
thalassemia, and new trials will be opening that will also be available to patients with sickle cell disease.
Additionally, success at our research institute has helped Children’s implement the use of medical devices both for
additional research and to help clinicians better diagnose and treat rare blood conditions. As a leader in research,
Children’s is one of only four locations in the world that uses a SQUID (superconducting quantum interference device)
Ferritometer to noninvasively measure the amount of iron in the bodies of patients with hemoglobinopathies.

Pediatric HIV/AIDS Program
The Children’s Pediatric HIV/AIDS Program (PHAP), established in 1986, offers comprehensive care
to children, youth, and their families who are living with or exposed to HIV/AIDS. Because HIV attacks
the immune system, it is critical for infected individuals to begin medical treatments with combinations
of specific medications early on to improve their quality of life and survival. For most individuals, HIV/
AIDS is a chronic condition that can be managed for decades with proper treatment and consistent
adherence to medication regimens.
Clinic Coordinator: Teresa Courville, RN, MN | Medical Director: Ann Petru, MD
Direct Services
HIV/AIDS Clinic—Patients coming to the HIV/AIDS
clinic receive care from a multidisciplinary team of
health care providers. The clinic places emphasis on
adherence to medications, in order to suppress the
patient’s HIV to undetectable blood levels. Currently,
86 percent of Children’s patients have undetectable
blood levels. Children who were born infected are given
special assistance in transitioning from pediatric to
adult care during their late teen years. Since 2001, 65
teens and young adults have graduated into special
youth programs or local adult HIV care. Teens and
young adults with newly discovered HIV are assisted in
obtaining care through local youth programs.
Advances in the prevention of mother-to-child
transmission of HIV have dramatically decreased the
number of newly infected infants in the United States.
However, other countries impacted by HIV/AIDS
continue to struggle with this pandemic. Therefore,
families who immigrate to the U.S. for whom HIV may
be a new or preexisting diagnosis are seen. Some
families seeking international adoption who may be
open to considering a child with HIV infection are also
seen. The PHAP offers pre- and post-adoption services
for families considering adopting a child with HIV.
Family Care Network (FCN)—The network is a
Ryan White CARE Act–funded collaborative that
coordinates primary medical care, case management
peer advocacy, and legal and mental health services for
people living with or impacted by HIV/AIDS in Alameda
and Contra Costa counties. PHAP is the only one of
the eight agencies in the collaborative that is funded to
provide comprehensive HIV care for infants, children,
and youth with HIV and to see women with HIV who are
pregnant to help them avoid perinatal transmission. Our
ultimate goal is to optimize retention in care, and viral
load suppression, and to ensure that those who need
to get prophylaxis to prevent pneumocystis pneumonia
(a common but severe pneumonia that hits people with
HIV who have advanced and poorly controlled disease).
In 2015, 50 patients were served at Children’s through
the Family Care Network.
Hope Clinic—Through collaborations with programs
in the FCN, it is possible to identify pregnant women
infected with HIV, provide them with care during their
pregnancies, and ensure that their babies get proper
treatment and care during and immediately after
delivery. Infants born to mothers with HIV are closely
monitored for the disease over 4 to 6 months by Hope
Clinic staff until they have been fully evaluated and the
possibility of HIV infection can be excluded. None of
the 475 infants who have been seen by the Hope Clinic
since 1996 have been infected by HIV.

Sexual Assault and Needle Stick Exposures—We
provide preventive services, support services, and
education for child victims of sexual assault and victims
of needle sticks who are at risk of acquiring HIV (and
hepatitis B and C, syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia).
Approximately 8 to 10 child victims of sexual abuse
and needle stick exposures are seen by PHAP every
year—often starting with their initial evaluation in the
Emergency Department. We have seen 162 children
falling under this criteria since 1997, most of whom
were put on a one-month treatment regimen. None of
those who came back for follow-up acquired HIV from
their exposure.
HIV on the Frontlines of Communities in the United
States (FOCUS)—Children’s is one of eight local
community health organizations expanding HIV testing
to comply with the recommendations from the Centers
for Disease Control to offer universal, opt-out HIV
testing as part of routine medical visits for all patients
13 to 64 years of age. The routine testing expansion is
made possible by Gilead Sciences. FOCUS is designed
to develop replicable model partnerships that embody
best practices in HIV screening and linkage to care
across America. The program has 94 partnerships in
11 regions across the United States that are heavily
affected by HIV, including the Oakland area. The
partnerships aim to make routine HIV screening for
adults and adolescents a standard of medical care in
order to reduce the number of undiagnosed individuals
with HIV, decrease the number of those who are
diagnosed late, and ensure strong linkage to care. At
Children’s, opt-out testing has been implemented in
seven sites where youth are seen: the Teen Clinic, two
school-based clinics, Primary Care, the Juvenile Justice
Center, the Emergency Department, and inpatient
clinics. Since starting expanded testing in 2014,
Children’s Hospital has identified five newly infected
youth. These youth have been linked to young adult
care in the community.
Research
PHAP staff and patients have participated in
many clinical trials, including those related to drug
development, antibiotics, and vaccine trials as well as
clinical and immunological response to infection with HIV.
PHAP staff work to educate the community, foster
parents, teachers, community providers, and patients’
schools about pediatric HIV/AIDS issues through
presentations and seminars. The Pediatric HIV/AIDS
Program offers a mini-residency program to educate
physicians, nurses, and social workers interested in
increasing their clinical and psychosocial knowledge
about HIV/AIDS. In addition, clinical expertise is shared
with medical delegations from countries severely
affected by the AIDS epidemic. Medical teams including
doctors, nurses, social workers, and public health/
governmental representatives from Côte d’Ivoire,
Thailand, Nigeria, and Tanzania have participated in this
program.
PHAP hosts an annual holiday party and facilitates
other social events for patients and families to network.
In addition, there is a close partnership with Camp
Sunburst and a number of other HIV-specific camps
for children, youth, and their families in Northern and
Southern California to enable Children’s patients to
attend camps where they meet other children and learn
skills and coping mechanisms that will help them with
HIV as they grow up.

Psychology Oncology Program
Children’s Psychology Oncology Program consists of a specialized team of psychologists and
neuropsychologists. The team is specifically trained to provide compassionate care and address the
special emotional needs of children with cancer and of their families. This is the only psychological
support program of its kind in the Bay Area.
Program Coordinator: Dina Hankin, PhD
Direct Services
Therapy and Emotional Support—The team provides individual psychotherapy, emotional support, encouragement,
and hope to help children, their siblings, and their parents manage the emotional toll of a cancer diagnosis and
treatment. Stress management, play therapy, and behavioral modification techniques are also used as needed.
School and Social Reintegration—Not only are pediatric cancer patients’ school attendance and social interaction
affected by their condition and treatment; their cognitive development may also be impaired. The Psychology Oncology
team provides neuropsychological assessments, school presentations, and individualized advocacy for children who
have been out of school or who have cognitive challenges as a result of their treatment.
Teen and Young Adult Cancer Support Group—The Teen and Young Adult Cancer Support Group is a safe place
where teens and young adults aged 13 to 21 can connect to find support, resources, and hope while dealing with a
cancer diagnosis and survivorship.
Long-Term Follow-Up Program—The team coordinates and provides outreach and psychological services to multi-
disciplinary clinics for pediatric cancer survivors who have completed treatment two or more years prior. Participation
in these clinics allows survivors to receive information and guidance regarding their medical and psychosocial needs as
they progress into survivorship and adulthood. In 2015, Children’s partnered with Alta Bates Summit Medical Center to
create a transition program for young adult patients to obtain care with a medical oncologist and adult multidisciplinary
team. In 2015, Children’s and the survivorship team at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals, San Francisco have been hard
at work to build the infrastructure for a joint Survivors of Childhood Cancer Center.

Camps for Children with Special Health Care Needs
Camps are an important experience that allows kids to enjoy outdoor activities and make new friends.
All throughout the year, Children’s helps to manage several camps for children with special medical or
mental health conditions.
Camp Hemotion (Bleeding Disorders)
Each summer, Camp Hemotion provides a week-long
residential program at Camp Oakhurst, near Yosemite,
for 7- to 20-year-olds who have bleeding disorders,
or who are carriers of bleeding disorders, and their
siblings. Camp Hemotion is the result of a partnership
between Children’s and the Hemophilia Foundation of
Northern California. Attendees participate in various
activities and learn how to better manage their
conditions—including training in self-infusion.
Family Camp and B-Leaders Youth
Retreat (Hemophilia/Bleeding
Disorders)
Members of the Hemophilia Treatment Center
participate in the planning for and serve as medical
staff for two camps. Family Camp is a weekend-long
camp held each January at Camp Arroyo for children
with bleeding disorders and their families; about 35 to
40 families attend each year. B-Leaders Youth Retreat
is open to youth ages 14 to 18 who are affected by a
bleeding disorder. This takes place once a year and is a
weekend-long retreat. Many attendees at these camps
are Children’s patients.
Camp de los niños (Diabetes)
This one-week residential camp in the Santa Cruz
Mountains is for kids 7 to 17 years old. The camp
combines traditional camp activities with diabetes
education. A Children’s endocrinologist has attended
camp as part of the medical staff since 2006. In
addition, residents attend to help staff.
Sickle Cell Camp
Sickle Cell Camp is dedicated to enriching the lives
of children with sickle cell disease. Last year, 30
campers attended our program, three-fourths of
whom had never been to camp. This camp inspires
children to try new things in a comfortable and caring
atmosphere. The goal is to help increase our campers’
self-esteem through the development of new skills and
by encouraging the values of kindness and charity.
Campers meet new friends and learn about their
disease in a fun, exciting manner. This safe environment
allows kids to spend their summer with positive role
models and have the chance to create fun memories
with an incredible summer camp experience.
Camp Creating Confident People
(Child Abuse and Violence Exposure)
For one week each summer, the Center for Child
Protection hosts Camp Creating Confident People,
a day camp for children that have been affected
by child abuse and exposure to violence. Through
group psychotherapy, expressive arts, and interactive
activities, children learn resiliency and safety skills.

Healthy Eating Active Living (HEAL): A Program to
Prevent and Treat Childhood Obesity
Childhood obesity is a serious problem in Alameda and Contra Costa counties, where at least one-
fourth of 5th through 9th graders are overweight. Children’s supports HEAL, a program based in the
Pediatric Medical Multispecialty Group, which provides treatment and counseling 2- to 18-year-olds with
obesity and the complications associated with being obese or overweight, including diabetes, heart
disease, and high blood pressure. The clinical team includes physicians, a pediatric nurse practitioner,
a dietitian, an exercise specialist, a lipid research consultant, and a psychologist. Approximately 300
new patients entered the program in 2015.
Project Coordinator: Lourdes Juarez, CPNP, MSN, RN | Co-Directors: Lydia Tinajero-Deck, MD; June Tester, MD, MPH
Direct Services
HEAL is a year-long program that involves six to eight
one-hour visits to the clinic. During each visit, patients
receive individualized treatment and counseling with a
physician and one of the staff’s specialists. The program
aims to promote healthy habits in children. Sessions focus
on topics such as mental health, nutrition, and physical
activity. HEAL is offered in Oakland and Walnut Creek.
Research
Dr. June Tester conducts research on how the environment
impacts a child’s risk for obesity. She has been the
principal investigator for a project examining the role of
playgrounds in physical activity and community social
capital, as well as for a project studying the feasibility of
using mobile food vending to increase access to healthy
food in at-risk populations. She is currently conducting a
study about concurrent obesity and food insecurity.
From 2011 to 2013, the HEAL team participated in Focus
on a Fitter Future, a consortium of more than 20 pediatric
obesity programs in children’s hospitals nationwide.
Participation in this research-oriented collaboration has
enabled the team not only to be at the forefront of current
clinical best practices, but also to be connected to current
research endeavors, such as common measurement
tools for obesity clinics nationwide. Currently, the team
participates in an extension of that working group called the
Children’s Hospital Association and the AAP Institute for
Healthy Weight Expert Exchange.
The HEAL Program also works with research scientists at
Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute’s Center for
Nutrition and Metabolism and its Center for the Prevention
of Obesity, Cardiovascular Disease and Diabetes.
HEAL reaches many young people in the community
through collaborations with:
Girls on the Run—A local nonprofit that aims to
increase girls’ opportunities for exercise and peer
support. In 2015, there were three 10-week sessions
where five HEAL girls participated in running around
Lake Merritt, culminating with a 5K run.
YMCA of Downtown Oakland’s Teen Fit
Program—HEAL physicians refer adolescents to the
YMCA to participate in a summer program, where
they are then linked with a personal trainer.
Endurance—Endurance is a community-based
organization that offers biking and running
experiences. In 2015, a total of three bike trips,
two running trips, and two swimming events were
conducted, with each event accommodating 8 to 12
children from HEAL.
Dancin Power—A nonprofit that originated at UCSF
Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland, Dancin Power
held dance sessions at HEAL patient orientations in
2015, with typically 15 patients at each session.
Phat Beets Produce—This program is a nonprofit
organization that runs a community garden and a
farmers market. Every summer, HEAL patients intern
in the garden to learn about gardening and food
justice. Additionally, HEAL distributes community
supported agriculture boxes to patients attending
orientations to the program.
VII. Nutrition and Activity

Community Farmers Markets and Dover Street Garden
Children’s collaborates with a local nonprofit, Phat Beets Produce, to promote healthy eating in patients
and in the community through farmers markets and a youth community garden.
Farmers Market
The year-round farmers market is located in front of
Children’s Outpatient Center and is open every Tuesday
for patients and the general public. The Children’s
Hospital Oakland Research Institute hosts another
seasonal farmers market serving the Oakland Senior
Center. Both markets offer fruit and vegetables grown
by local farmers. Weekly fruit and vegetable boxes are
available on Tuesday for pickup or delivery for staff of
the hospital who would like to support the market and
get fresh produce.
Community Garden
The Dover Street Park Youth Garden was developed
near Children’s in 2010. The garden is maintained by
adolescents who are participating in the HEAL Program.
Vegetables grown in the garden are available to patients
in the HEAL Program as well as the general North
Oakland community.
Nutrition and Activity

Sports Medicine Center for Young Athletes
UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland’s Sports Medicine Center for Young Athletes is a specially
designated facility dedicated to the care, treatment, and education of young athletes. Facilities are
located in Oakland, Walnut Creek, and San Ramon. Because growing bones and cartilage—unlike
those of a skeletally mature adult—are more susceptible to injuries, young athletes should be managed
differently than older athletes. That’s why UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland developed a one-
of-a-kind resource for sports injury care and prevention, offering young athletes the most current and
comprehensive medical care and educational programming available.
Medical Director: Nirav Pandya, MD | Clinical Director: Michelle Cappello, PT, MSPT, SCS
Our staff serves as athletic trainers at 12 local high schools as well as for all of the Oakland Athletic League football
games and sports championship games. The Center is the sports medicine resource for the North Coast Section of
the California Interscholastic Federation, with whom they contract to provide on-site athletic trainers at all North Coast
Section high school championship events. The athletic trainers work with young athletes to manage acute injuries,
implement rehabilitation programs, and provide education to prevent sports injuries.
The Sports Medicine Center for Young Athletes does community education and outreach to medical professionals and
the general public through annual medical conferences, pro bono monthly community lectures, and general seminars.
Each year, our specialists participate in more than 25 seminars across Alameda and Contra Costa counties.
Nutrition and Activity

Child Life Services
Child Life Services creates opportunities for infants, children, teens, and young adults to learn, play, and
creatively express emotion during treatment or hospitalization. Undergoing surgery, having diagnostic
testing, or receiving a new life-limiting diagnosis at the hospital are a common but overwhelming
occurrence. The multiple programs within Child Life work to minimize the stress and negative impact
these experiences bring to our patients. Child Life Services ensures that patients’ emotional, social,
cognitive, and developmental needs are cared for during their visits to our clinic or stays in the hospital.
Manager: Sara Devaney, MS, CCLS
Artist-in-Residence Program
The Artist-in-Residence Program at Children’s offers
creative arts programs and projects each week in our
hospital classroom, teen lounge, oncology playroom,
and infusion center. Our artists work with patients in
groups or individualized bedside art sessions. Through
these projects and art groups, patients are encouraged
to socialize with peers and contribute to their hospital
community through art. The program began in 2002,
and the program has served more than 15,000 patients
and families.
Family Resource Information
Center (FRIC)
The goal of the Family Resource Information Center
is to meet the needs of families and caregivers of our
patients. FRIC’s bilingual staff members meet and
welcome each newly admitted patient and family. The
Center serves as a place for parents to take care of
themselves, whether that means enjoying a cup of
coffee, relaxing in the massage chair, or conversing
with other parents. Weekly support groups allow
parents to meet one another, play games, knit, and
do other activities together. Often, the connections
made between families lend the greatest support to
those facing the challenges that illness and injury bring.
Resources available to families include business center
amenities, hot beverages, snacks, toiletries, laundry
care, and reading materials.
Hospital School Program
The Oakland Unified School District Hospital School
Program provides academic support for our patients.
Four general education teachers provide both bedside
and classroom support for patients enrolled in grades
K–12. In addition, one special education teacher
teaches students ages 3–22 who have Individual
Education Plans. The school program is open Monday–
Friday and follows the district’s school year calendar.
The program also provides a variety of enrichment
activities such as art sessions, weekly origami
workshops, dance, and interactive science projects.
In 2015, the program spent over 5,000 hours with
children.
Jared Kurtin Music Therapy
Program
UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland is a leader
in creative medical treatment options and has the first
established pediatric music therapy program in the Bay
Area. The Jared Kurtin Music Therapy Program is a
clinical and evidence-based program for hospitalized
infants, children, and their families. Research shows
that in a medical setting music therapy can alleviate
pain; reduce trauma; promote physical rehabilitation;
support patients’ coping skills; reduce stress, anxiety,
and depression; stabilize heart rate and blood pressure;
and support cognitive and communication skills.
VIII. Family Services and Education

Child Life Specialists
Certified child life specialists provide therapeutic
interventions to prepare children for procedures,
engage patients and families in diagnosis education,
and introduce supportive tips and comfort measures
to master hospitalization, illness, and injury. These
interventions help minimize stress and increase coping
to support patients now and in the future as they face
challenging life events.
Child life specialists provide therapeutic programs in
our playrooms and teen lounge, and facilitate special
events. This year, we were able to facilitate over 60
special events, which were filled with community
groups, local sports teams, and nonprofit organizations
bringing fun-filled activities inside the hospital for all to
enjoy. A few highlights include a Pixar short film and
artists’ visit, Salesforce Valentine’s party, Miss America
visit, Santa visit, Raiders visit, and Project Sunshine
parties.
Family Services and Education

Family Information Navigation Desk (FIND)
The environment in which a child eats, sleeps, plays, and goes to school significantly impacts health.
The mission of FIND is to reduce health inequities by partnering with families to address social
determinants of health such as food insecurity, housing instability, access to green space, and quality
of child care. This partnership model extends to health care providers, community-based organizations,
volunteers, policy makers, and academic institutions. FIND is firmly committed to developing culturally
responsive, evidence-based best practices.
Project Coordinator: Christine Schudel, MSW, MPH | Founder and Medical Director: Dayna Long, MD
Direct Services
The FIND program screens for social and environmental issues during medical visits. The innovative on-site “navigation
desk” is staffed by highly trained community workers/navigators who aid families in identifying unmet social needs
and then refer them to community-based resources. FIND navigators follow up with families to ensure that they make
community connections. FIND promotes culturally responsive, evidence-based best practices for addressing social and
environmental needs in a health care setting.
FIND maintains an active collaboration with many community organizations such as the Alameda County Community
Food Bank, East Bay Regional Park District, Family Resource Network, Bananas, CoachArt, East Bay Community Law
Center, and YMCA. These collaborations serve as the backbone of the program’s ongoing effort to link children and
families with the services they need. Children’s is a founding member of the Bay Area Regional Help Desk Consortium, a
regional consortium that aims to support the development and sustainability of help desks across the wider Bay Area.
Research
A rigorous evaluation of FIND was crucial to demonstrating the impact on the health care delivery system and patient-
centered outcomes. As a result of a randomized, controlled clinical trial, we demonstrated that not only can we resolve
at least one unmet basic need, but FIND also improves child health outcomes

Medical Social Services Department
Medical social workers consult with clinicians, community agencies patients, and their families in both
inpatient and outpatient settings. They assess the barriers to medical care for patients and their families
who are adjusting to a new diagnosis, chronic condition, or catastrophic injury. On-call medical social
workers provide coverage 24/7.
Services include:
Direct Services
Spiritual Care
The hospital chaplain provides spiritual care and
emotional support to patients, their families, and staff.
Many people find that talking with a chaplain can provide
comfort, insight, and reinforcement of the spiritual
aspects of their lives, especially while experiencing
the uncertainty of illness, facing loss, or dealing with
trauma. The chaplain provides support to people of
all different faith perspectives and traditions, including
those who identify as spiritual but not religious and
those who do not have a faith or spiritual practice.
Spiritual care services include:
Direct care to patients and families dealing with
illness, trauma, and loss.
Contact with a patient’s or family’s faith leader and/
or faith community as needed.
Collaboration with the interdisciplinary medical team.
Advocacy in helping to articulate patients’ and
families’ needs.
Faith-based rituals as needed.
Contact: Rev. Gillian Murphy-Stephans
Interpreter Services
Children’s offers qualified medical interpreters free of
charge 24/7 to our patients and their caregivers who
have limited English proficiency or who are deaf or hard
of hearing. UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland has
provided interpreter services in 62 different languages.
Contact: Sharon Leno, LCSW
Supportive counseling
Crisis assessment and intervention
Referral for services, including lodging, transportation,
and meals
Information and referral to community resources
Case management
Advocacy
Brief individual therapy, family therapy, and group
treatment
Internships
During a nine-month period, the Medical Social
Services department hosts approximately 10 to 12
second-year social work master’s degree students. The
interns integrate what they learn in school with actual
clinical practice. The department has a long history of
affiliations with several Bay Area graduate schools of
social work.
Fellowship
The Medical Social Services department offers
advanced clinical training and supervision for post-
graduates with Master of Social Work degrees in a
12-month Medical Social Worker Fellowship Program.
The fellows are integral members of the multidisciplinary
outpatient medical team, providing family-focused
services to children, adolescents, and young adults
diagnosed with medical conditions both acute and
chronic.
Holiday Donation Program
Medical Social Workers identified 100 families in need
to receive turkeys and trimmings for Thanksgiving 2015.
During the winter holidays, Medical Social Workers
identified families with limited resources and connected
them with community agencies, hospital staff, and
private donors to receive gifts. With the Holiday
Donation Program, approximately 189 children received
holiday gifts from generous donors.

Research
Currently, the Medical Social Services department—in
collaboration with two hospital programs (the Center for
Child Protection and the Center for Child Development)
and key research faculty from UC Berkeley School of
Social Welfare—is supervising a two-year research
project involving interns from UC Berkeley School
of Social Welfare. This research focuses on the
effectiveness of critical debriefing practices after a
patient loss for the trauma response teams in the
Emergency Department, the Pediatric Intensive
Care Unit, the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, and the
Hematology/Oncology Unit. This two-year research
project includes a comprehensive needs assessment
with a recommended debriefing model in year one,
and an implementation of the recommended debriefing
model and evaluation of the model’s effectiveness in
year two.
Policy
Medical social workers participate in planning
committees and hold executive board positions in these
organizations:
National Association of Perinatal Social Workers
Society for Social Work Leadership in Health Care
Hemophilia Foundation of Northern California
Sickle Cell Community Advisory Committee
Transgender Patient Care Committee
Contact: Marsha Luster, MSW

Palliative Care
In 2015, Children’s continued its Palliative Care Program, which was formally established in 2011. The
program consists of a specialized interdisciplinary team—including a doctor, nurse, and social worker—
who work together with the child’s health care providers to provide an extra layer of support.
Program Coordinator: Claire Vesely, RN | Medical Director: Vivienne Newman, MD
Palliative care aims to reduce pain and other distressing symptoms for the child; focuses on the physical, emotional, social,
and spiritual needs of the child and family; begins at the same time as life-prolonging care and curative treatment; and
supports the family’s goals for the future. The palliative care team is available for consultations on an inpatient and outpatient
basis and can help with advanced care planning, decision-making, care coordination, pain and symptom management, and
referrals. The team also provides extended support through expressive therapies, including art and music therapy.
In 2015, the team saw approximately eight new families per month and continued to provide ongoing care and support to
patients and families previously referred. Fifty-seven children died at the hospital in 2015 and a further 11 known to Palliative
Care died at their preferred location. The number of deaths in the Intensive Care Units decreased by 23 percent and occurred
instead in the Reflection Room. A research study was completed to evaluate staff’s perspectives on this change in practice
of an alternate location for end-of-life care. It is hoped the results will be published and presented at a national conference in
2016.
In addition, the palliative care team provides ongoing bereavement support for families who have lost a child with emotional
support and counseling, support groups, and bereavement activities. The program held Children’s fourth annual Day of
Remembrance in December. The palliative care team also provides ongoing education about pediatric palliative care locally,
nationally, and internationally. In 2015, approximately 370 health care professionals received education from our team on
various aspects of palliative care.

Kohl’s Injury Prevention Program
The Kohl’s Injury Prevention Program, administered by Trauma Services at Children’s, aims to reduce
the number of unintentional injuries and fatalities in children, primarily through education and by
providing equipment to promote safety. Each year, more than 9,000 children die in the U.S. as a result
of injury. More than 225,000 children are hospitalized annually, and almost 9 million children are treated
for their injuries in hospital Emergency Departments. Unintentional child injuries are the leading cause of
medical spending for children in the U.S.—totaling $12 billion annually.
Program Coordinator, Trauma Services: Bonnie Lovette, RN, MS, PNP
Home Safety Improvement Program—The program
is a collaboration between the Neonatal Follow-Up
Program, the Primary Access Clinic, Alameda County
Healthy Homes Program, and Trauma Services.
The program promotes “active supervision” among
parents and provides education to keep their child
safe from window falls, burns, choking, dog bites,
drowning, gun-related injuries, poisonings, and other
causes of unintentional injury. Parents are also shown
a safe sleep environment for their infant. Families
receive safety devices such as window guard “super
stoppers,” bathtub thermometers, cabinet latches,
doorknob covers, outlet protectors, safety gates,
smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, toilet locks,
stove locks, furniture corner cushions, and cribs.
The Prevention of Shaken Baby Syndrome
Program (also called PURPLE)—PURPLE is an
evidence-based program used in the NICU through a
formal agreement with the National Center on Shaken
Baby Syndrome. It is designed to prevent abusive
head trauma by educating parents and caregivers
about normal infant crying and the dangers of shaking
an infant. Each parent receives either a DVD or smart
phone application along with educational handouts.
Safe Sleep Environment Crib Program—This
program educates NICU parents on how to help
prevent Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID) due to
environmental factors, such as overlay and suffocation,
by creating a safe sleep environment for their infant.
Every baby discharged receives a Halo sleep sack, and
cribs are provided according to financial need. Safe
Sleep is now a hospital-wide program in which a safe
sleep environment is modeled for families for all children
(with medical clearance) up to 1 year of age.
Car Seat, Special Needs Car Seat and Vests, and
Helmet Program—To promote safer transportation
of infants, our staff provides over 500 families each
year with equipment and education about car seat
safety. Every baby in Children’s Neonatal Intensive
Care Unit must have an appropriate child passenger
restraint before being discharged. IPP also
conducts car seat checks and distributes car seats
and bicycle helmets at health and safety events.
Helmets are given to all patients who do not have
an appropriate helmet. In 2013, the injury prevention
staff started a Car Seat Inspection Station where
monthly car seat checks are performed on campus
for parents. Families of children who have spica
casts may request a Hippo spica car seat or E-Z-
ON vest, on a loan basis. Children with rehabilitation
needs receive an assessment for a safe discharge
home. A child passenger safety technician certified
in special needs determines the type of car seat
recommended for the patient. When a parent lacks
the resources, a medical car seat or another suitable
car seat may be provided through grant funding.
Text OUCH to 30644—OUCH is a texting campaign
launched in 2011 that aims to provide helpful safety
tips to caregivers of young children. Families who
subscribe receive two or more text messages each
month in English or Spanish related to health and
safety. Many agencies and organizations in both
Alameda and Contra Costa counties have signed
formal memoranda-of-understanding contracts
to endorse this innovative method of education.
The Contra Costa Board of Supervisors has
recommended the OUCH program for all Contra
Costa children, and the National Association of
Pediatric Nurse Practitioners named it a “Best
Practice Tool.”

Youth Alive, Caught in the Crossfire—Children’s
has a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with
the community-based organization Youth Alive (YA).
Social workers at Children’s call YA counselors when
a victim of violence is admitted to the hospital. The
counselors arrive at the hospital within two hours of
being contacted to prevent retaliation and reinjury.
YA provides trauma-informed case management and
mental health services to support the family beginning
in the hospital and continuing to the community.
Website—The Kohl’s Injury Prevention Program
website is www.preventingchildrensinjuries.org.
Child passenger safety information, including car
seat installation videos in English and Spanish and
educational resources for download, are available for
staff and families.

Health Education for Patients, Families, and the Public
Children’s staff members offer their expertise to the public—including patients and their families, foster
parents, students, and professionals who work with children.
Division of Audiology
The audiology department utilizes a cochlear implant
educator, researcher, and outreach liaison for the
cochlear implant program, and it provides support
groups for cochlear implant patients, their families, and
families of children considering implantation. In 2015,
the Audiology department served over 7,500 patients
in Oakland, Walnut Creek, and Brentwood. A Hearing
Aid Program was established within the department
that allowed the dispensation of amplification devices
directly to Children’s hearing-impaired population. The
State of California recognized UCSF Benioff Children’s
Hospital Oakland Cochlear Implant Program to be one
of the top research and clinical facilities in the nation,
with high implantation success rate and high quality
of service. The Cochlear Implant team followed and
assessed approximately 500 patients and provided
implantation to approximately 50 patients in 2015.
Center for the Vulnerable Child (CVC)
The CVC (p. 18) offers a monthly training specifically
geared towards foster parents and adoptive parents of
Children’s patients. Many of these trainings are trauma-
focused and address issues related to child abuse and
neglect. Additionally, various CVC programs provide
weekly education to caregivers, child welfare workers,
attorneys, school officials, and other professionals who
work with at-risk children.
The Youth Uprising/Castlemont Health Clinic and
the Chappell Hayes Health Center at McClymonds
High School are school health clinics established in
partnership with the Oakland Unified School District
and Alameda County Center for Healthy Schools and
Communities.
These clinics provide trauma and impact-on-learning
trainings to school staff and youth development
partners. They also provide ongoing mental health
consultation to support trauma-informed schools and
teacher wellness. An annual health fair, health education
event, and mental health consultation training for
Alameda County school-based clinical case managers
were also facilitated. These programs were awarded a
Trauma-Informed Care grant from the California School-
Based Health Alliance and Oakland Opportunity Fund.

Division of Endocrinology and
Diabetes
The Division of Endocrinology and Diabetes hosted
an informational table and performed a screening for
TrialNet at the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
(JDRF) Walk to Cure Diabetes at Heather Farms Park
in Walnut Creek. The division also hosted a table in
the cafeteria for World Diabetes Day in November.
Insulliance, a new mentoring program for children with
type 1 diabetes, continues to provide mentors to offer
emotional support, resources, and nonmedical advice.
Other resources for patients include audio and visual
teaching materials to view while hospitalized: “Managing
Type 2 Diabetes in Young People” and “Staying in
Balance: An Introduction to Type 1 Diabetes for Kids
and Their Parents.” The department provides intensive
inpatient education and training for patients and families
and provides books and resource binders.
The division also continues its involvement with
“Becoming a Diabetes Educator” training workshops
and gives a yearly lecture/workshop for the Mills
College Public Health Master’s Program. In addition,
the group participates in the annual Bay Area Diabetes
Summit held in March as well as many other Bay Area
interagency events supporting education, research, and
awareness of diabetes.
Health Information on the Web
The public can access information on health topics and
Children’s resources through the hospital’s website and
its Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube pages.
Medical Social Services
Our sickle cell social worker hosts a sickle cell
support group monthly to help patients cope with
their condition. We prepare patients for the important
transition from pediatric to adult care with an annual
Sickle Cell Transition Workshop and acknowledge the
transition milestone with a “graduation” ceremony. Other
services include a lecture titled “A Day in the Life of a
Thalassemia Social Worker” and a social work panel for
high school students. Thalassemia has a monthly adult
patient support group. We have also lectured at UC
Berkeley for their DeCal class on Thalassemia. Once a
year, we have an international adoption clinic for families
who have adopted children with thalassemia. Families
come from all over the country for the clinic.
Pediatric Hiv/Aids Program (PHAP)
Program staff educates foster parents, social workers,
and health care professionals about HIV/AIDS.
Primary Care Clinic
Primary Care staff provides health education classes
and training on a variety of topics to schools and
agencies that serve families in Alameda County.
Division Of Mental Health And Child
Development
Teens, foster parents, teachers, family court judges, and
health care professionals are taught about psychiatric
health topics through classes provided by staff.
Division of Pulmonary Medicine
CPR Training—Pulmonary patients and families
are taught CPR prior to being discharged from the
hospital.
Cystic Fibrosis (CF) Family Education Days—CF
education (including a Spanish-language session) is
provided in Oakland, San Francisco, and Reno for
CF families several times annually.
Sports Medicine Center for Young
Athletes
Staff provides education on injury prevention and other
sports medicine issues to the public (p. 33).

Other Family Services
An essential part of treatment and care for many of the youth at Children’s is the support services that
help young patients’ families adjust to their illnesses.
Blood and Marrow Transplantation (BMT) House
The BMT House provides housing for families who have children receiving a blood and marrow transplant at Children’s
and live farther than a 30-minute drive from the hospital.
Contact: Cindy Lehmann
Family House
The Family House provides sliding-scale–fee lodging and meals for families who live 100 miles away or farther from the
hospital. It consists of 16 bedrooms, a playroom, a gym, a common kitchen, a living room, and laundry rooms on each
of the two floors. Breakfast is provided daily, and on most days there is also an afternoon meal. Family House is also
available to families with children in the hospital who are not staying at Family House but wish to enjoy a home-cooked
meal, or use of the gym, shower, or laundry facilities.
Contact: Rachele Patin
Canine Companion Program
In 2014, Trinity, a two-year-old yellow lab/golden retriever, became our first canine companion. Trinity has been
professionally trained and can respond to more than 40 commands—motivating patients with special medical
rehabilitation needs. Trinity’s contributions to patient care include providing love and attention, increasing patients’
motivation to interact, promoting cognitive and language development, encouraging functional upper body movement
(e.g., petting), and distracting and comforting patients during difficult procedures or exercises.
Trinity has been such a slice of heaven to so many hospitalized children. One child in the ICU who had to be placed on
hospice had only one request: to have Trinity in bed with her, which we were able to accommodate. There have also
been children who request for her to be available before or after a procedure. She has encouraged children who have
never spoken to speak. She eases pain and makes people smile.
Contact: Christine Aguilar, MD

Professional Education at Children’s
Education is part of Children’s mission, and we maintain an array of professional training programs
across several disciplines.
Graduate Medical Education: James Wright, MD
Nursing Education: Nancy Shibata, RN, MSN | Nursing Education: Mari Ikeda
Nursing Education
Nursing Students—In 2015, Children’s provided
pediatric nursing training to 828 nursing students from 17
schools of nursing throughout the United States. Clinical
placements are made in a variety of settings, including
inpatient units, preceptorships with advanced practice
nurses, administrative nursing preceptorships, and
preceptorships in specialty areas such as the Emergency
Department, Surgical Services, Ambulatory Services, and
the Juvenile Justice Center.
Children’s offers two nursing scholarships: The Ava Elliot
Scholarship provides nursing school tuition support, and
the Ava Elliot Excellence in Nursing Award provides tuition
support for continuing education for nursing staff.
Nurse Training—Children’s also provides regular, ongoing
training to certify its own nurses as well as nurses in the
community. This year, the organization implemented an
Interdisciplinary Simulation Education Program to support
provider training in pediatric and neonatal resuscitation.
Classes provided in 2015 include American Heart Basic
Life Support Certification, Pediatric Advanced Life
Support Certification, Trauma Nurse Certification Program,
Neonatal Resuscitation Certification, Recognizing
Pediatric Extremis, Pediatric Hematology Care, Pediatric
Chemotherapy Certification, Pediatric Oncology Care,
Pediatric Acute Care Skills Day, Perioperative Skills
Day, Neonatology Nursing Update, End-of-Life Nursing
Education, and Pediatric Intensive Care Nursing Update.
Medical Students
In 2015, Children’s provided month-long training in 12
pediatric specialties for 82 medical students from medical
schools across the country. Third-year UCSF medical
students rotate through Children’s as one of their core
pediatric teaching sites, as do second-year UCSF medical
students for their introduction to clinical medicine.
Graduate Medical Education
Community, Advocacy, and Primary Care (CAP)
Rotation for Residents—Children’s Residency Training
Program continues to be one of the premier training
programs in the western U.S., with 88 pediatric residents
and 4 chief residents. As part of their required training,
residents spend several months on the CAP rotation—
where future pediatricians learn how to advocate for
the rights, safety, health, and education of children and
their families. During their CAP rotation, residents visit
more than 20 community sites. Residents provide health
education at some of the sites, and a few residents
develop grant-funded projects in their second year
of training. In addition, residents join public health
nurses for patient home visits, gaining a more complete
understanding of a patient’s needs in our community.
Residents at Children’s are dedicated to serving a
disenfranchised population of at-risk children, and a
large percentage of Children’s residents go on to practice
in local underserved communities. Forty percent of
residents go into fellowship training to become pediatric
subspecialists, and many stay at or return to Children’s
after subspecialty training.
Visiting Residents—An additional 290 residents from
14 non-Children’s programs rotated through Children’s
in 2015. These mostly non-pediatric residents come to
Children’s for the pediatric experience in their specialty—
which, in 2015, included emergency medicine, general
surgery, orthopaedics, anesthesiology, neurosurgery, and
radiology.
Specialty Fellows—Children’s had 11 pediatric specialty
fellows in 2015 in the areas of critical care medicine,
emergency medicine, hematology/oncology, infectious
disease, pulmonology, and pediatric surgery.
IX. Professional and Academic Development

Education for Professionals in the Community
Children’s provides continuing medical education (CME) and training to both Children’s and community-
based medical professionals, and CME credits are available in many cases. In addition to the activities
listed below, many divisions at Children’s educate other professionals through the Physician Lecture
Series at various community locations.
Monterey CME Conference:
360° Care for the 4:30 Emergency
The CME Committee of UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital
Oakland presented the 45th Annual Fall Conference
in November 2015. Approximately 150 pediatricians,
nurses, and other allied health professionals attended the
conference for a maximum of 14 hours of education.
Research Seminar Programs at CHORI
As part of our commitment to education, CHORI offers
weekly seminars. These provide regular opportunities
for educational enrichment for principal investigators, the
scientific community, and the public at large. Seminars
are held in CHORI’s Little Theatre, which was built in
1923. The historic setting is equipped with state-of-
the-art digital equipment for national and international
leaders in all areas of scientific research to most
effectively present their newest ideas and explorations.
Division of Hematology
The Division of Hematology/Oncology hosts an annual
Advanced Workshop on Sickle Cell Disease, an
international conference that is a two-day workshop
and intensive educational and interactive gathering of
hematologists from across the globe. The department
also holds educational conferences on thalassemia and
other events throughout the region and in Nevada. Most
of the division’s physicians are available for consultation
and regularly advise on cases for other departments or
institutions.
Division of Audiology
For many years, Children’s Division of Audiology has
assigned a cochlear implant educator, researcher, and
outreach liaison to provide education and support to the
deaf/hard-of-hearing specialists who follow children with
cochlear implants in local school districts. Additionally,
other programs and events are often organized
to educate local physicians, speech pathologists,
audiologists, and the parents of children who are
diagnosed with Central Auditory Processing Disorder.
Division of Gastroenterology
The gastroenterology staff has organized conferences
for suppliers of celiac disease products and also has
hosted conferences for patients and their families.
Staff participated in Family Day at CHORI last summer.
Physicians associated with the division give seminars
for prospective foster parents on gastrointestinal
problems that may affect their children. The division
also hosts clinical experiences for students from the
high school to graduate levels. Institutions involved
range from local high schools to UC campuses to
organizations in Scandinavia and South America.
Division of Pulmonary Medicine
The Division of Pulmonary Medicine provides training on
lung diseases for professionals who work with children.
The division runs an accredited Pediatric Pulmonary
Fellowship Program to teach pediatricians who wish
to become board-eligible in this field. In addition, the
division offers educational days for families of children
with cystic fibrosis (CF) annually. The division provides
asthma education for patients and their families and
care providers.
Professional and Academic Development

Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)
The NICU sponsors training in the care of sick
newborns for medical providers throughout the region
and offers remote consultation. The NICU also has
a Fetal Medicine Program that provides consultation
for high-risk pregnancies as well as fetal MRIs when
needed. This program also works closely with obstetric
providers.
Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU)
The PICU sponsors training in the care of sick
newborns for medical providers throughout the region
and offers remote consultation.
Community CPR Classes
Children’s offers a low-cost cardiopulmonary
resuscitation (CPR) class at the Walnut Creek campus
each month. In 2015, 150 people completed the class,
which teaches students critical skills needed to respond
to and manage a choking or sudden cardiac arrest
emergency in the first few minutes until emergency
medical services arrive. The course covers infant, child,
and adult CPR; choking; and hands-on Automated
External Defibrillator (AED) training. Upon completion
of this course, students receive an American Heart
Association CPR and AED course completion card.

CHAMPS: Community Health Adolescent Mentoring
Program for Success
The Community Health Adolescent Mentoring Program for Success (CHAMPS) at Children’s offers
several educational interventions to help high school students of racial and ethnic minority populations
explore health care and biomedical research professions, so that these professions eventually become
more representative of California’s diverse population. The long-term goal of CHAMPS is to improve
health care access and reduce the health disparities present in our society. CHAMPS partners with local
high schools, health academies, universities, medical schools, and residency programs as part of a
health professionals pipeline.
Cofounder: Barbara Staggers, MD | Administrative Director: Shanta Ramdeholl, RN
Clinical Internships and Health
Careers Training Program
Each year, over 100 high school students from
the Oakland and Berkeley Unified School Districts
participate in a three-year health care and biomedical
research internship program. There are four core
program components: clinical internships, which let
student scholars gain experience working in the health
care field; academic enrichment, which provides
students with SAT and college preparation and career
planning; psychosocial services, which offer case
management and counseling for students; and youth
leadership development.
In 2015, 28 scholars graduated from CHAMPS. One
hundred percent of these scholars graduated from
high school, and 98 percent began college in the fall
of 2015. Alumni of the program have also returned to
support current students through annual alumni panels
as well as by providing motivation and college transition
support. In 2015, CHAMPS graduates received over
hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of scholarship
funding. The class included one recipient of the Gates
Millennium Scholarship, which offers full funding of
undergraduate and graduate education and is granted
to 1,000 people in the U.S. each year; two recipients
of the East Bay College Fund; one recipient of the Cal
Opportunity Award, covering full tuition and fees for
four years at UC Berkeley; two recipients of the Marcus
Foster Education Fund; and one student accepted by
Students Rising Above, which provides scholarships
and five years of mentorship beginning in the junior year
of high school and lasting through college.
Career and Leadership Development
Programs for Alumni and Minority
College Students
To provide support and extend opportunities for
CHAMPS alumni and local minority college students
interested in the health care field, CHAMPS hosted
three intensive Career Leadership Development
Trainings in 2015. The trainings focused on helping the
prospective health care professionals to strengthen
their networks, utilize social media tools, and hone
their resumes, cover letters, personal pitch skills,
and financial literacy. For current students and recent
graduates, these sorts of skills can impact motivation to
continue into the health care professions.
CHAMPS also partners with Health Careers Connection
(HCC), a national program for college students to intern
in public health settings. CHAMPS hosts HCC interns
each summer to provide exposure to unique public
health initiatives.

Media Development and Peer Health
Education Program
CHAMPS, Media Enterprise Alliance (MEA), and KDOL
Studios (OUSD Student Media Production) created
a unique partnership where CHAMPS students gain
the opportunity to design, create, and direct health
awareness videos and public service announcements
(PSAs) targeting adolescents. Students also create
posters and small informational cards on relevant topics
such as nutrition and exercise, healthy relationships,
dating violence, and HIV awareness. MEA students
provide the technical expertise to support the video
production and editing. Together, the students create a
small library of short videos and PSAs that can be used
in peer education outreach at local middle and high
schools.
Transition Pathways at the Juvenile
Justice center
JJC Transition Pathways provides health care
employment training as well as other types of
employment training for youth who are or have been
in detention at the Alameda County Juvenile Justice
Center in order to lower their risk of recidivism
and reincarceration. Program staff members teach
participants life skills and connect them to vocational
training, provide field placement, and help them with the
employment process.
Youth Health Educators
Students from the three-year Clinical Internships
Health Careers Training Program receive training to
become Youth Health Educators. They deliver health
lessons to elementary school students—especially
on illnesses and conditions that are more prevalent
in minority groups—and run the Family Health and
Science Festival, which is a fun and educational event
for the general public.
Bridging the Gap
Since 2013, CHAMPS has collaborated with Samuel
Merritt University’s School of Nursing to bring over 100
CHAMPS interns to the University’s Health Sciences
Simulation Center, the Anatomy Lab, and the Physical
Therapy Simulation Center. Students receive mentorship
and guidance, participate in patient scenarios, and
make connections with current nursing, occupational
health, and physical therapy students and faculty.
Connecting the Pipeline: CHAMPS
Student-to-Student Network
CHAMPS partners with the Health and Medical
Apprenticeship Program at UC Berkeley and the
Department of Nursing at CSU East Bay to bring
together CHAMPS students and college and nursing
students. Nursing students participate in developing a
multi-day workshop to engage the high school students
in stress management and healthy lifestyles. UC
Berkeley students serve as mentors and role models
and facilitate college preparatory workshops. These
partnerships serve to provide opportunities to build
direct connections between high school students and
students in the next step of their health careers, and
they begin connecting students to a broader network of
future health care professionals.

CHORI Summer Student Research Program
High school and college students interested in pursuing careers in biomedical or clinical research have
an opportunity to participate in CHORI’s award-winning Summer Student Research Program.
Administrative Contact: David Sabaria
The CHORI Summer Student Research Program was founded in 1981 by Dr. Bertram Lubin, current president and CEO of
UCSF Children’s Hospital Oakland, as a way to provide mentored opportunities to students to help them explore and gain
exposure to research. The program has steadily grown, serving over 1,000 students since its founding year and averaging
40–50 students per year for the past 10 years.
The nine-week summer program involves placement in a research setting under the guidance of a scientific mentor, as well
as numerous enrichment activities. The program culminates in a day-long research symposium, at which students present
their research findings to the faculty and their peers, mentors, friends, and family.
Roughly 80 percent of all attendees are either low-income, are first in their family to attend college, or are students from racial
and ethnic groups traditionally underrepresented in the biomedical sciences.
In 2015, the program celebrated its 34th year; 47 students participated. Two-thirds of the students performed basic
research, and the rest, clinical or behavioral research.
Student Spotlight: Mateo
Mateo, a recent participant in the CHORI Summer Student Research Program, was raised in a working-class Latino
family. He was the first in his family to attend and graduate from college. Although he loved science from a young age,
it wasn’t until he was accepted into the CHORI summer internship program that he found his niche and a community
of mentors to encourage him. Not only did he thrive during the nine-week summer program, but the lab he worked in
invited him to continue his work with them. He is now utilizing this work towards a Master’s degree at UC Berkeley in
molecular cell biology, with a plan to pursue a PhD. This fall, he submitted his first manuscript with the group, a first-
author publication in the Infection and Immunity journal.

CommunitY benefit rePort 2015 51
Project SEARCH
Project SearCh at Children’s is an award-winning program
that provides internships in the hospital and work opportunities
to persons with developmental disabilities. nationwide,
according to the employment development department, the
unemployment rate for persons with developmental disabilities
is 85 percent, and more than half of the 15 percent of those
who are employed earn less than $5,000 per year. Sixty-five
graduates of Project SearCh at Children’s are now employed,
earning on average 80 percent above the federal minimum
wage. Sixty-five percent of these graduates receive health
benefits through their employers. only 15 percent of graduates
from Project SearCh are working in retail or grocery positions,
compared with 77 percent of individuals placed into employment through traditionally supported
employment programs.
Project SearCh won the prestigious 2014 hospital Charitable Service award, given to just 10 programs
in the entire country each year.
PROFeSSIONAl ANd ACAdemIC deVelOPmeNT

Volunteer Services
Volunteers have served at the heart of UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland since its founding
over 100 years ago. In 2015, more than 800 volunteers served over 40,000 hours supporting our young
patients, their families, and our staff. Children’s volunteers reflect the diversity of our community: They
range in age from 16 to 90; speak more than 70 different languages; and come from all over the Bay Area.
Volunteers serve for many reasons: to prepare for college or graduate school, to give back to the
hospital as grateful patients or family members, and to provide service to our community. Whether
providing art activities in our Emergency Department waiting room, staffing our playrooms, reading with
a child at bedside, holding our most vulnerable babies, tutoring patients, stocking supplies, or helping
to guide our families to their destination, Children’s volunteers make a difference for patients, families,
and staff every day.
Director: Lilly Krenn | Administrative Contact: Veronica Rodriguez Hall
Artist-in-Residence Program
Asthma Education
Cardiology: Healthy Hearts
Center for Community Health and Engagement
Children’s Surgery Centers (Oakland and Walnut Creek)
Clinical Nutrition
Day Hospital
Emergency Department and Trauma Services
Endocrinology
Family Resource Information Center
Gift Shop
Hospital School Program
Infection Control
Family Information Navigation Desk
Katie’s Clinic for Rett Syndrome
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
Oncology
Palliative Care
Parent Infant Program
Pediatric Rehabilitation
Playrooms
Primary Care Clinic
Spiritual Care
Sports Medicine Clinics (Oakland and Walnut Creek)
Teen Lounge
Thalassemia Outreach
Areas Where Our Volunteers Serve
Our volunteers serve throughout the main hospital and our off-site clinics. In 2015, UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital
Oakland volunteers served in the following areas:
Art for Life
Coach Art
Dancin Power
Insulliance
Lawrence Hall of Science
Moment by Moment Photography
Painted Turtle
Play-Well TEKnologies
Project Sunshine
Threshold Choir
Volunteers from the following organizations brought unique programs for patients and families to UCSF Benioff Children’s
Hospital Oakland in 2015:

The hospital’s Family Advisory Council comprises volunteers who partner with staff to incorporate the principles of
family-centered care into all aspects of the patient and family experience. Family Advisory Council volunteers share
perspectives with staff and serve as an advisory resource for hospital leadership.
The volunteer office manages a High School Summer Program. In 2015, 50 high school students contributed over 1,500
hours of service over a period of seven weeks during the summer. In addition, 20 students from College Preparatory
School in Oakland and 38 high school students from Achieve—a year-round, four-year high school scholarship and
academic enrichment program for underserved youth and their families—volunteered at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital
Oakland in 2015.
In late 2015, the volunteer office and Children’s Center for Community Health and Engagement started a volunteer
intern program to recruit and place students from UC Berkeley and Cal State East Bay into various community benefit
programs.
In 2015, volunteers were very involved with our Talk Read Sing campaign and the Reach Out and Read program to
improve child literacy. Volunteers distributed thousands of donated books from our book carts and read to children in the
waiting rooms of the Primary Care Clinic and the Emergency Department.
Community volunteers also support our patients and families in anticipation of the winter holidays. In December, over
120 volunteers from Salesforce wrapped gifts, sorted thousands of toys, and “adopted out” families for the holidays.

54 uCSf benioff Children’S hoSPital oaKland
Center for Community Health and Engagement (CCHE)
founded in spring 2015, the CChe serves as a hospital resource and a bridge between the hospital
and the broader community. CChe helps strengthen the hospital’s community focus in today’s rapidly
changing health care environment, now and into the future.
executive Director: Barbara Staggers, MD, MPH, MA
Manager: Adam Davis
Administrative Assistant: Kelli Gingras
CCHe Serves Six Primary Functions
CoMMUnity BeneFitS
CCHE provides support to and highlights the work of our
existing community benefits programs, and meets state
and federal community benefits reporting requirements .
CoMMUnity ReLAtionS AnD
PARtneRSHiPS
CCHE engages in collaborative efforts and communication
strategies between UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital
Oakland and its surrounding communities, and
strengthens partnerships with community organizations,
agencies, and educational institutions .
PoLiCy, ADvoCACy, AnD GoveRnMent ReLAtionS
CCHE evaluates legislation and advocates for pediatric health care policy that is aligned with the needs of both our medical
center and our community, and facilitates engagement of hospital experts . This work is profiled in detail on page 56 .
WoRKFoRCe DeveLoPMent
CCHE increases awareness of multicultural approaches in patient care and promotes diversity in the health care
workforce . Among other workforce development activities, the CCHE manages the Community Health Adolescent
Mentoring Program for Success (CHAMPS), profiled on page 48 .
ReSeARCH
CCHE facilitates cross-division and cross-campus initiatives, and promotes external partnerships to conduct research
that addresses the CCHE mission . Currently, the CCHE is conducting the Adverse Childhood Events (ACEs) Study .
Adverse events during childhood have a tremendous impact on mental and physical health over the course of life . The
best time to help mitigate their impact is during childhood . However, there are currently no valid ACE screening tools
to identify ACEs in children . CCHE is leading an effort to create and validate a screening tool for ACEs in the pediatric
setting . This is a crucial step that will facilitate widespread screening for ACEs in clinical pediatric settings . The study will
also assess how the ACEs screen correlates with existing behavioral health tools, key physical health indicators, and
biomarkers .
Center for
Community
Health and
Engagement
Workforce
Development
Health
Equity
Programs
Research
Community
Relations
Policy and
Advocacy
Community
Benefits
X. Community-Building

Health Equity Programs
CCHE incubates new programs, facilitates cross-division and cross-campus initiatives, and promotes external
partnerships. Health equity programs managed by the CCHE include:
Family Care Network (FCN)—Children’s is the lead agency of FCN. FCN manages eight agencies that coordinate
primary medical care, case management, peer advocacy, and legal and mental health services for people living with
or affected by HIV/AIDS in Alameda and Contra Costa counties.
Family Information and Navigation (FIND)—The environment in which a child eats, sleeps, plays, and goes to
school significantly impacts health. The FIND Program screens for social and environmental issues during medical
visits. The innovative on-site “navigation desk” is staffed by highly trained community workers who aid families in
identifying unmet social needs and then refer them to community-based resources. FIND Navigators follow up with
families to ensure that they make community connections.
Talk Read Sing and Spread the Word—These programs address early literacy. Eighty percent of a child’s brain is
formed by age 3, and it is influenced in large part by the parents’ words. In the Talk Read Sing and Spread the Word
Projects, we work with low-income parents in a co-learning process to develop and test hospital- and clinic-based
strategies to increase verbal engagement between the parents and children. The ultimate purpose of our project is to
make child literacy a routine part of pediatric care.
Staying Healthy in Nature Every day (SHINE)—In partnership with Children’s Primary Care Clinic and East Bay
Regional Parks, SHINE encourages healthy, active living by connecting patients with local opportunities in nature.
Programs include a monthly shuttle bus to family-friendly nature events happening in the regional parks around the
East Bay and hiking with naturalists.
Trauma-Informed Training Program—This program trains health care professionals throughout the Bay Area to
provide trauma-informed care. Trauma-informed care is an organizational structure and treatment framework that
involves understanding, recognizing, and responding to the effects of all types of trauma. Trauma-informed care also
emphasizes physical, psychological, and emotional safety for both consumers and providers, and helps survivors
rebuild a sense of control and empowerment.
Culture of Humility Training—On request, the CCHE provides training concerning cultural humility in the health care
environment.
Community-Building

Government Relations, Advocacy, and Community
Engagement
UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland pursues its public policy, advocacy, and community
engagement goals through a broad range of programs, services, and activities. Now under the umbrella
of the Center for Community Health and Engagement, advocacy strategies and priority issues are
developed in a collective leadership approach to address both the needs of our medical center and the
needs of our communities. This is accomplished through formal government relations representation
with policy makers and community leaders, as well as advocacy and community involvement by
hospital staff who serve as representatives of the institution.
Legislative Visits
Children’s advances its advocacy efforts through personal visits with local, state, and federal elected officials and
facilitates on-site hospital tours to create greater awareness of the patient centered environment. The Government
Relations Director meets regularly with policy makers, key staff, agency department heads and community leaders to
discuss issues affecting the hospital and children’s health care. Annually, the Government Relations Director participates
in “Legislative Days” with legislators to brief them about key health-related topics and to advocate for effective policy,
operational and budgetary decision-making that will advance solutions affecting the hospitals and pediatric health care.
Participation in Public Hearings
Medical and program staff provide their expertise in public meetings before city councils, and county Boards of
Supervisors and in California State Assembly and Senate public hearings. Their professional expertise addresses some
of the most pressing issues affecting pediatric health care and our communities today.
Community Engagement and
Relationship Building
Children’s administrators, physicians, and staff
participate in government boards and commissions
and local community initiatives to support the
educational and health care advancement of
children and families. One of these key projects is
Mayor Libby Schaaf’s “Oakland Promise” cradle–to-
career initiative.
Community-Building
CCHE leadership team members Dr. Dayna Long and
Doreen Moreno celebrate the launch of the “Oakland
Promise” initiative with Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf and
Staff Assistant Karely Salto-Ordaz at a luncheon reception.

Membership in Advocacy Organizations
Administration executives and the medical staff play an active role in advocating on a local, state, and national level.
Advocacy is frequently conducted through nonprofit trade associations and professional organizations such as the
California Children’s Hospital Association, the California Hospital Association’s Council of Northern and Central California,
the national Children’s Hospital Association, the California Medical Association, and the American Academy of Pediatrics. 
Below is a partial listing of some of the advocacy organizations in which Children’s employees have leadership roles:
Alameda Alliance for Health
Alameda County Asthma Coalition
Alameda County Behavioral Health Care Services
Early Connections Design Team
Alameda County Child Abuse Prevention Council’s
Multi-Disciplinary Team
Alameda County Children of Incarcerated Parents
Partnership
Alameda County Community Food Bank
Alameda County Early Childhood Policy Committee
Alameda County Health Workforce Pipeline Coalition
Alameda County Help Me Grow Steering Committee
Alameda County Hepatitis B Free Campaign
American Academy of Pediatrics Board, California
Chapter
American Board of Pediatrics
Assemblymember Bonta’s Early Childhood Policy
Committee
Berkeley Mayor’s Health Task Force
Berkeley Youth Alternatives
California Adolescent Health Collaborative
California Children’s Hospital Association
California Hospital Association
California Institute for Regenerative Medicine
California Medical Association
California Thoracic Society Pediatric Committee
California Wellness Foundation
Childhood Injury Prevention Network—Bay Area
Children’s Regional Integrated Service System
Coalition of Freestanding Children’s Hospitals
Ethnic Health Institute
Family Care Network Leadership Council
First 5 Commission Alameda County
Health Careers Connection
National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners
Oakland Promise
Oakland Starting Smart and Strong Initiative
Oakland Workforce Investment Board
Pediatric Diabetes Coalition of Alameda County
Sickle Cell Disease Advisory Committee
Temescal Telegraph Business Improvement District
Community-Building

Children’s Global Health Initiative
Children’s provides benefits not only to the local community, but also to the global community through
its Children’s Global Health Initiative (CGHI). Serving children in developing countries represents great
opportunity for improving health and decreasing mortality. CGHI’s motto is “Treating Locally, Healing
Globally.”
Director: Deborah Dean, MD, MPH
CGHI enables Children’s to have an even greater global impact by providing clinical services and training, conducting
research, building clinical and research capacity abroad, fostering international partnerships, conducting foreign exchanges
of physicians and scholars between those in the U.S. and those in other countries, hosting conferences, and establishing a
clearinghouse of research that addresses global health issues.
CGHI works in countries by invitation to train in-country health care workers, provide technology to enhance prevention and
treatment of local diseases, and develop research programs that address the diseases these countries encounter every
day. In this collective way, CGHI builds sustainable programs that suit the needs of these communities. In turn, Children’s
learns from our colleagues in other countries. Examples of health issues CGHI’s researchers and clinicians are working on
in other countries include Rift Valley fever; sickle cell disease; behavioral disorders; HIV/AIDS; thalassemia; iron deficiency;
lead absorption; meningitis; tuberculosis; pneumonia; trachoma; human cytomegalovirus; diabetes; sexually transmitted
infections, including chlamydia and gonorrhea; osteoarthritis; leishmaniasis; glucose intolerance; congenital heart disease;
trichiasis; obesity; diabetes; cleft palate; stem cell therapies; prematurity in infants; point-of-care diagnosis; and folate
supplementation.
Countries and areas in which Children’s works
Africa: Benin, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Uganda, Zambia
Americas: Argentina, Belize, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Cuba, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Peru, United States
Asia: China, India, Japan, Korea, Laos, Nepal, Palestinian Territories, Turkey, Vietnam
Europe: Albania, Austria, Belgium, France, Georgia, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Sweden,
United Kingdom
Pacific: Australia, Fiji, New Zealand
Community-Building

Our methodology for determining the economic value of the benefit to the community incorporates elements of the reporting
requirements for the IRS 990 and the California Hospital Association’s community benefit valuation standards. Children’s
policy and methods for calculating the economic valuation are available upon request. Our community benefit valuation is the
total net cost of charity care, undercompensated medical care, professional education, community programs and services,
and research—after any reimbursement, philanthropic support, or supplemental funding has been subtracted.
The category related to physician costs represents the cost to the hospital required to retain subspecialists who provide care
to children covered by Medi-Cal. Several of the other categories capture the underfunded overhead for programs that are
otherwise funded by grants or contracts. These grants and contracts provide critical staff whom the hospital would otherwise
have to support, but they do not fully cover all of the costs of delivering these services.
Economic Value FY 2015
Charity Care
(Free care to uninsured and underinsured patients)
$ 8,355,000
Government-Sponsored Health Care
(Unpaid cost of public coverage programs, net of all government funding)
137,389,000
Subsidy to Ensure Physician Coverage for Uninsured/Underinsured Patients 30,303,000
Health Professional Education
(Graduate medical education, fellows, nurses)
5,274,000
Subsidized Health Programs
(Clinical services provided despite a financial loss to the organization)
5,276,000
Community Health Services
(Activities or programs, subsidized by UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland, carried out and
supported for the express purpose of improving community health)
8,169,000
Research (Includes research costs not covered by external sponsors) 5,913,000
Advocacy for Children’s Health Issues Included in operations
Subtotal 200,679,000
Supplemental Revenue
Less DSH/Supplemental Funding (SB855/SB1255), Including Measure A
Less Net Hospital Provider Fee
(74,712,000)
(61,544,000)
Total Charity Care and Community Benefit $ 64,423,000
XI. Economic Impact

747 52nd Street, Oakland, CA 94609
(510) 428-3000
www.childrenshospitaloakland.org

Community-Benefit-Reports-2015

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