NAP Blog
Posts for: March, 2016
Due to a family health emergency, we have cancelled this weekend's class "Talking to your Children about Sex and Gender Issues". We apologize for this inconvenience. We will be rescheduling this class. Stay tuned!
Talking with your Children about Sex and Gender Issues
with Jane Fleishman, M.Ed.
Don't miss it! See poster HERE.
Sunday, March 20th
4pm to 5:30pm
193 Locust St.
Northampton, MA 01060
RSVP alok@napeds.com or 413-517-2226
As pediatricians and nurse practitioners who care for children, we are very concerned about the misperception that use of marijuana is safe. Happily, the use of tobacco and alcohol by teenagers is decreasing. Unhappily, the use of marijuana by teenagers is increasing. We fear the potential health consequences of trading one addictive and harmful substance for another.
Ongoing research may confirm or identify certain illnesses where marijuana or one of its ingredients has a significant medical purpose. There may be limited medical situations where the benefit of marijuana use outweighs the risks. However, this is quite different from the view that the non-medical use of marijuana is safe.
Young people deserve to be told the position of their health care providers and of their parents on this issue. We urge every adult who cares for children to take the unequivocal position that the non-medical use of marijuana is not safe and may have serious adverse impacts on the health of users of this substance.
References:
Volkow N, Baler R, Compton W, Weiss S. Adverse health effects of marijuana use. N Engl J Med 2014; 370:2219-27.
Ammerman S, Ryan S, Adelman WP; Committee on Substance Abuse, the Committee on Adolescence.
Pediatrics. 2015 Mar;135(3):e769-85 http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/135/3/584.long
If you haven't been to the Northampton office recently, you may be surprised the next time you visit!
The most notable change has been a change to the waiting room and front desk space. We have expanded our office into the former dental office space at the front of the building, and have a brand new look to the front desk, two more exam rooms, and two additional meeting spaces. The popular Sunday afternoon Parenting Workshops and upcoming ADHD workshops have moved from the waiting room into this new space, and we anticipate using the new spaces in several different ways. Stay tuned! Thank you to everyone who has put up with the disruption of construction over the past few months.
Also, on January 1st, Northampton Area Pediatrics joined the Pediatric Physicians Organization at Childrens (PPOC) a group of over 90 pediatric practices across the state joined together in close collaboration with Boston Childrens Hospital. As part of the PPOC, NAP and our patients will have unparalleled access to pediatric resources, and we will be able to work together on quality improvement, research, and shared learning initiatives, all in the interest of providing better care to our pediatric patients and families. NAP will continue to be an independent practice, and we will continue our close relationships with both the hospitals and specialists at Baystate Medical Center and Cooley Dickinson Hospital. For more information, take a look at the official press release or visit www.ppochildrens.org​
** Please note that a discounted rate may apply based on need.
