I am sitting in a massive hotel suite at the Marriott on Hilton Head Island having traveled here to run a three day CME meeting which begins tomorrow. I got here around 1 o’clock and enjoyed the warm sun and the pool before manning the registration desk.
With all the enthusiasm about this new venture of mine and the flood of emails and calls from well wishers, I am beginning to believe this will be a huge success. Two people today gave me great ideas in their emails…one was to have the website include a ‘birmingham pediatrics community’ feature where members of the practice can post ideas, arrange to meet other parents with kids like theirs and just ‘hang out’ in cyberspace and another was to add to the ‘recipe of the week’ and allow/encourage submissions of family friendly healthy dishes that are popular in your own homes. I love the idea of a virtual cookbook on my site! I also love the fact that this concept which I had hoped would grow to more than just a pediatric practice seems to be taking off. My hope of having an office focused on more than just treating illnesses and having an involved and energized patient base is happening! One of my plans is to have a monthly Birmingham Pediatrics activity like a nature hike or a trip to the zoo or the Detroit Science Center or a visit to a farmer’s market that would be on the calendar and would be open to anyone in the practice interested in going along. I also hope to sponsor a couple of 5 and 10K races and encourage folks from the practice to sign up on the Birmingham Pediatrics + Wellness Center team and we can all run together. An unexpected side benefit I am seeing more and more each day is the wealth of talent among the parents of my patients. I am excited to learn about others’ businesses and hobbies and how I might integrate them into this new concept of a pediatric practice. I am excited to create a Wellness Center with info and resources and connections on a whole host of levels and with the resources I am now learning about among the families who come to me, the Wellness Center will be a huge success. Keep the ideas coming! I want to help all of us grow and flourish together!
Eat, love and play and each day will be your best!
Molly O’Shea, MD
