Bellevue, Washington- 1.31.2017:
I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Josephine Young today, from Allegro Pediatrics. As many of you know, Allegro is a leading pediatric agency in the area, and the proud Blue Explorer Sponsor of NBA for 2017 (you can read more on Allegro Pediatrics in the other article as part of our January 2017 Newsletter).
When asked “As a leading pediatric agency in the area, what three main points do you want all families to know about your company?”, Dr. Young answered with the following information:
“Allegro Pediatrics is committed to kids and their families- particularly empowering families. It starts with our partnerships”. She further added how it is a “…privilege for us to be part of their journey… and we need to assess the following: how do we work with families and support them on that journey.” Dr. Young further commented how pediatrics is a “…dynamic field and there is nothing static about it- we need to adapt based on developmental needs, and help achieve potential, and celebrate success.” Dr. Young mentioned how Allegro Pediatrics has been “…working the last couple of years on an integrated model to branch out, and include more care- we hired a psychiatrist, who works part-time to be able to handle all internal referrals, and assist our doctors with the care necessary.” Allegro Pediatrics has further made it their mission to work with other partners on this integrated care model, such as NBA. Dr. Young was adamant about the need to “…handle these cases before they are in crisis”, and added that there is “…so much to offer in terms of safety-net resources, but not enough for antecedent strategies.” Dr. Young’s experience includes working as a pediatrician along behavior technicians- thus, she has seen the importance of liaising and working with psychoeducational counselors, and the entire care team. She sees the importance of building off of past experiences as well. As part of the integrated care plan, Allegro Pediatrics has been “… working with Eastside Pathways: they work with the Bellevue School District and the City of Bellevue, and the Housing Authority, to address the needs of the community, and work together to provide care! It’s a larger segment of the community that we need to work on”, according to Dr. Young.
Alex, NBA’s Development Coordinator, shared how NBA strongly values it’s partnership with Allegro Pediatrics and asked ‘roughly how many students with special needs do you serve?- we are excited that together we can make an impact in the community!’
Dr. Young wasn’t sure of exact numbers, though mentioned that that would be something to look into. She stated “…I imagine it is similar to population demographics of the general population.” She further mentioned that “Allegro has seen up to 20% of their medical visits have a behavioral overlay, with needs going up when they are complex, and there being a need for them to provide resources.” Dr. Young and I also discussed the level of care and awareness available in Washington State, and how the current state of affairs is “…Not just about not enough services, but how there is no easy way to fully capture all of the services available, and vet their effectiveness.” Dr. Young added that “…families need that protection and their needs met.”
When asked: “Do you find that there is increased awareness for students with cognitive and intellectual disabilities in our community? If so, what are three main reasons for this?”, Dr. Young stated that “ Integrated care allows for more individuals to be identified but that there are some historical challenges in identifying them, making it tough, especially when you don’t know how to help.” For her second reason, Dr. Young stressed “parents”, and how they are integral to increased awareness. She further added that she feels “community agencies are more willing to partner together, instead of seeing this as competition to access the same source of funding”, which is definitely a change from prior years. She added that “ Schools are doing a really good job of educating our students about the full spectrum, and so the students are helping to advocate for their peers more; students also have access to more resources (social media etc…), leading us to having a generation which believes they can do something, even for those they haven’t met before.”
When asked: “How can Health Agencies best come together for the wellness of the community, in order to make it thrive?”, Dr. Young brought up the following driving forces: “ Willingness to engage outside of our four walls, desire to engage with other companies, and pursue innovation, meaning what can we do together? What is possible? And the importance of starting there, instead of starting with constraints.”
Thank you once again to Dr. Young for your time, and wisdom. Your insight and support is greatly appreciated! Thank you once more to Allegro Pediatrics for its unwavering commitment to our cause, company, and to increasing awareness for all involved!
To learn more about Dr. Young, please read the information below, which is taken directly from the Allegro Pediatrics website:
Josephine Young, MD, MPH, MBA, FAAP
Chief Operating Officer
Dr. Josephine Young is responsible for the day-to-day operations and supports long-term strategic planning at Allegro Pediatrics. She is committed to ensuring that our practice provides the highest quality pediatric care to meet the needs of the children in our community. Dr. Young received both her undergraduate and medical degrees from Boston University, and later went on to receive her MPH in Health Services Research and MBA in Technology Management from the University of Washington. In addition to general pediatrics, she completed a fellowship at Seattle Children’s Hospital and is also a board-certified specialist in adolescent medicine. Dr. Young has served in her current role as the Chief Operating Officer at Allegro Pediatrics since 2008. Prior to that, she spent more than five years as the Site Medical Director for the practice’s Bellevue office. Dr. Young’s medical career includes roles in a broad spectrum of medical practice settings, both locally and on the East Coast. She is a member of the Technology Integration Committee for the Seattle Children’s Care Network (SCCN), founder and leader of GreenPUG (the national Greenway Pediatric User Group), and serves as Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors for Physicians Insurance, in addition to involvement with a multitude of other committees and programs.