Advocacy

Strategic goal #1: Increase access to weight management services. 

Research and advocacy activities by CHLN faculty continued in 2024, with the aim to improve access to obesity treatment for youth and families in Missouri and Kansas. CHLN members Drs. Meredith Dreyer Gillette, Jordan Carlson and Sarah Hampl and study team are finishing a pilot of family-based behavioral treatment in Children’s Mercy’s and Freeman Health System’s primary care clinics through the CDC-funded Childhood Obesity Research Demonstration (CORD) grant. This pilot increased access to obesity treatment directly within these patient-centered medical homes, and our implementation evaluation showed that our strategy of engaging primary care providers in patient referrals resulted in increased reach of the program, particularly among Latinx families. Dr. Dreyer Gillette continued her collaboration with advocates from the CDC, American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and American Psychological Association in creating an application for a Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) code that would facilitate successful billing of weight management services. Drs. Hampl and Dreyer Gillette remain members of a Family Healthy Weight Advisory group to the CDC and AAP, and continued their work with Dr. Helena Laroche to launch a Family Healthy Weight Program at Swope Health, a Federally Qualified Health Center in Kansas City. This project is supported by a CDC REACH grant, in which these CHLN members are collaborating with Dr. Robin Shook and colleagues from UMKC.

Drs. Hampl and Dreyer Gillette’s advocacy efforts regarding the existing Missouri HealthNet (MOHN) biopsychosocial obesity treatment benefit resulted in MOHN creating an amendment to this benefit which should increase numbers of available treatment providers of intensive behavioral treatment and medical nutrition therapy for obesity. This amendment should become effective in July, 2025. In addition, these members and Dr. Brooke Sweeney shared their clinical experience in advocating with MOHN’s Pharmacy Division for coverage of obesity medications for youth. This additional coverage became effective in January, 2025. Dr. Hampl gave a statewide webinar on this policy change to MO Primary Care Health Homes in December, 2024 and other presentations to educate healthcare professionals are planned for 2025. Drs. Sweeney and Hampl are also advising KS Medicaid’s Pharmacy Division on use of these medications in youth. 

Strategic Goal #2: Increase the effectiveness of health care professionals’ delivery

of weight management.

CHLN clinical faculty and staff gave local, statewide and national talks during 2024. Audiences included primary care and behavioral health providers, medical residents, registered dietitians and other healthcare professionals. Dr. Anna Gorczyca presented at KUMC’s Morning Medical Report on the impact of obesity on maternal and fetal health and on personalized medicine and lifestyle interventions. Dr. Dreyer Gillette was a member of the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric surgery’s ASMBS Psychosocial Guidelines implementation working group. Drs. Sweeney and Hampl spoke at the Advanced Therapies for Pediatric Obesity Conference to national audiences. Dr. Hampl continued to advise the AAP Institute for Healthy Childhood Weight on dissemination and implementation of the obesity clinical practice guideline and gave a national webinar as a member of an AAP cross-organizational workgroup focusing on the intersection of eating disorders and obesity in youth. Dr. Cristina Fernandez gave a workshop on this topic at the 2024 Pediatric Academic Societies annual meeting. Drs. Fernandez, Dreyer Gillette and Sweeney were co-authors on a Clinical Practice Statement from the Obesity Medicine Association on child and adolescent obesity. Dr. Dreyer Gillette spoke on Obesity and Weight Management for Children with Developmental Disabilities at the 2024 AAP Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics Virtual Course. Dr. Kimberly Randell led a policy intent submitted to the AAP requesting a dedicated clinical guideline comprising the AAP's recommendations for prevention and mitigation of adolescent relationship abuse. Trauma is a known contributor to obesity.

Drs. Dreyer Gillette, Hampl and Cristina Fernandez served as hub team members for the University of MO Telehealth Network’s Pediatric Weight Management ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes), which began its 4th year in August. These members and Dr. Sweeney gave didactics at this ECHO in 2024. Drs. Dreyer Gillette and Hampl are hub team members of a new Intensive/Family-Based Behavioral Treatment of Obesity ECHO, for which planning was done in 2024.



Drs. Hampl and Dreyer Gillette continued to work with the MO Council for Activity and Nutrition’s (MOCAN) Healthcare Workgroup, the University of MO Continuing Education Department and MO Dept of Health and Senior Services on a statewide plan for comprehensive multidisciplinary obesity treatment training for healthcare professionals. Launch of these online trainings should occur by mid-2025. These members and Dr. Laroche also collaborated with colleagues at Washington University-St. Louis and MU to prepare to launch an NIDDK-funded training project on obesity treatment in MO FQHCs in 2024

Strategic Goal #3: Increasing awareness of public/community agencies regarding weight management and healthy lifestyles.

At the state level, Drs. Dreyer Gillette, Laroche and Hampl continued participation in MOCAN and its healthcare and healthy weight advisory workgroups. Dr. Shook received a MOCAN health professional award and presented at a MOCAN quarterly conference. Dr. Hampl remained the co-chair of the MOCAN Healthcare Workgroup and Healthy Weight Advisory Committee. This combined workgroup completed development of a five-year strategic plan in 2024. Dr. Laura Plencner gave proponent testimony to the Kansas House of Representatives Committee on Taxation, regarding establishing a child tax credit.

At the national level, Dr. Jordan Carlson presented the 2024 US Physical Activity Report Card for Children and Youth on a national webinar through the National Physical Activity Alliance and was interviewed about this report by USA Today. Dr. Carlson’s bus transit research, with CHLN member Dr. Jannette Berkley-Patton of UMKC, was highlighted in several local and national media stories advocating for public transportation. Dr. Matt Chrisman spoke about promoting a research-driven SNAP toolkit among college students to the Society of Public Health Education members and lay people. Dr. Anna Gorczyca as a member of the Cooperative Extension- National Diabetes Prevention Program Workgroup discussed the process of partnership and collaboration for supporting the evidence-based diabetes prevention lifestyle change program in Cooperative Extension at their National Health Outreach Conference. Dr. Hampl was interviewed about childhood obesity treatment by five national news outlets, including the New York Times.