About Dr. Anne Church

Mission Statement:
We are dedicated to this community and providing direct, affordable, preventive, high quality, holistic healthcare services for children and adolescents (Birth to 18 years old) in conjunction with their families, as well as weight and behavioral consultation services for area pediatricians and family practitioners.

Philosophy of Care:
Family-centered care recognizes that the family is the constant in a child’s life and that service systems and personnel must support, respect, encourage and enhance the strength and competence of the family.

We acknowledge the importance of good health in our lives and that humans cycle through varying degrees of stress/crisis and have remarkable ability to adapt. The role of the professional health care provider is to offer expertise and logically problem-solve with the family in deciding on a joint plan of care that is in the very best interest of the child.

The Nursing Science model of care provides a unique emphasis on care, trusting family-friendly relationships and the teaching healthful self-care rather than merely a focus on sickness. Alternatively, this practice hopes to focus on promoting wellness throughout the developmental life process and helping each child achieve their optimal level of health.

Donations:
The North End Children’s Health Clinic became a Non-Profit 501(c)(3) Corporation in 2006. All donations to this extremely worthy cause of promoting mental and physical health for our Treasure Valley children are gratefully appreciated and are tax deductible. You may send your checks to the above address, directly to our Idaho Advantage Credit Union account or click on credit card to enter your information securely.

Clinic Services

• Well Child Care Exams/Immunizations
• Minor Illness/Prescriptions
• Screening Exams/School & Camp Physicals
• Minor Injury Treatment/Laceration Repair/Wart Removal
• Childhood Obesity
• Behavioral Consultations

Specifics of Services

Well Child Care Exams/Immunizations
Well Child Visits are recommended at Birth, 2weeks, 1 month (optional), 2, 4, 6, 9, 12, 18 months, 2 years old and yearly thereafter. At each well-child exam, parent concerns, an update as to what has occurred since the last visit, immunization, safety, development, nutrition, behavior and topics of interest are discussed. A complete physical examination is given and a plan for optimal health development is made with the family. The focus of these visits will be in anticipation of developmental changes and prevention of common childhood problems. We are proud to be a provider of the State of Idaho Vaccines for Children program and provide vaccines at minimal cost to eligible clients as well as information regarding immunizations and vaccine schedules.

Minor Illness/Prescriptions/Injury Treatment/Laceration Repair/Wart Removal/Prescriptions
The chief concerns of the parent and patient are discussed and a physical exam is done of the body areas related to the presenting problems. We are able to do minor screening tests, such as urine and strep throat testing, although major blood testing and X-Rays are commonly done at St. Lukes with results confidentially faxed to us. We have numbing medicines that will be used before procedures to lessen any pain. We can do suturing, streri-strip (butterfly) or dermabond laceration closures. First aid, home care and alternatives to medicines will be discussed and needed prescriptions will be written appropriately as necessary.

Screening Exams/School & Camp Physicals
Screening exams to determine health state and/or need for appropriate referral to a specialist can be done. If a Well-Child Exam has been done during the last year all sports and camp physical forms will be completed free of charge. Any additional screening test (e.g. urine screen) that is required by specific camps, schools or sports programs that have not already been done will be a separate charge.

Childhood Obesity
This is a growing concern for Americans and one that needs very early intervention. Skeletal size will be compared with weight and graphed per age. Lipid Screening blood tests including cholesterol and triglycerides are recommended. Nutrition, eating habits and food preparation is discussed. A joint plan of care with the family is agreed upon. Weekly visits (at reduced rates) are required as lifestyle changes occur. The importance of addressing this issue very early in a child’s life is important particularly in affecting heart and circulation function for future years.

Behavioral Consultations
Rare is the child without some behavioral difficulties, for every child experiences the ups and downs of life’s trials, but some
have a harder road and need more guidance. When parents want more assistance in identifying what the specific problems are, which may need expert help, this is a first step. Dr. Church has most recently worked in developmental pediatrics dealing with a wide variety of Autism Spectrum and Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorders as well as school difficulties, depression, aggression, disruptive behavior, mood and anxiety disorders.


ABOUT DR. ANNE CHURCH, CPNP

Education:
• Pierce Park Elementary School, Hillside Jr. High School, Boise High School
• Seattle University – Liberal Arts • Spurs (Sophomore Women's Honor/Service Sorority) • Academic Grant Award
• University of Washington - Bachelor of Science in Nursing 1973
Behavior Training at the Child Development Center
• High Scholastic Action
• Public Health Nurse certificate
• University of Colorado Medical Center - Master of Science 1976 Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner
• Perinatal Clinical Nurse Specialist
• National Foundation/March of Dimes Scholarship • Magna Cum Laude
• Case Western Reserve University - Doctor of Nursing 1999
• Magna Cum Laude

Brief Professional Work History
• 3 yrs. Staff Float Nurse Children's Medical Center, Seattle
• 5 yrs. NICU, Charge RN Children's & Mt. Zion Hospital, San Francisco
• 2 yrs. ER Supervisor, Idaho
• 10 yrs. University Nursing Assistant Professor/Consultant
(UMASS, PITT, UCSF, UHM, CUA and special projects in Bangladesh and Indonesia for World Health Organization/United Nations)
• 1 yr. Pediatric Clinical Nurse Specialist (PICU/Quality Improvement Project), Seattle
• 2 yrs. Community Health Nurse, Idaho and Washington
• 2˝ yrs. Navajo Indian Health Service • Supervisory Clinical Nurse/Pediatric Charge RN
• 10 years Pediatric Nurse Practitioner

Dr. Church is a fourth generation native Boise, Idahoan living in the North End. She enjoys skiing, reading, theater, cooking, music, swimming, biking and river rafting. Her relations have been active in politics and police work. Through her later Boise school days she volunteered at the Elks Rehabilitation Center and was Vice-President of the Blue Angels Junior Auxiliary. She was Silver Sage Girl Scout Council Senior President in 1967 and that year attended National All-States Encampment Opportunity backpacking on the Appalachian Trail. She performed in many productions including the Morrison Center Inauguration and has directed the opera Amahl and the Night Visitors. She was asked to join the BSU Nursing Honor Society in 1984 and was President of the Idaho Nurse Practitioners in 1985. In 1988 the American Nurses Associations included her in their National Distinguished Service Registry of Certified Nurses in Advanced Practice. Dr. Church is a member of the Idaho American Academy of Pediatrics, Sigma Theta Tau National Nursing Honor Society, the American Nurses Association and the Nurse Practitioners of Idaho.

MAP
The clinic is located in the Main St. Plaza office building where Main, Grove and Fairview intersect at 16th St. DOWNTOWN. If coming to Boise on the I-184 connector, take the RIVER STREET exit. Follow the Brown Bogus Basin Ski Area signs. Turn left on 15th St. (North toward the foothills). Then turn left on Grove St. (West). Go 1 block and cross 16th St. and you will see the hedge that surrounds our back parking lot. Follow the hedge all the way around to the right to MainSt./Fairview and enter the first driveway of the Main Street Plaza office building. There is a ramp and elevator near the main entrance.

From the North End take 16th St. southwest, cross Main St. and turn immediately right into the first parking lot. The back entrance of the Main St. Plaza has a tan awning and steps to the second floor and Suite 206.

About Nurse Practitioners
Idaho was the first state in the USA to have Nurse Practitioners (NP). The story goes when the ol’ doc in Council, Idaho passed on, the only health care provider around was his Registered Nurse. As there was a nationwide physician shortage with no MD to move into the small community, she went off to the University to receive advanced education and in 1965 returned to Council to become the first NP. That was nearly 40 years ago. University of Colorado instigated the first formal NP program in Pediatrics. Since then many University Master Level programs for Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioners, Nurse Anesthetists, Clinical Nurse Specialists and Nurse Midwives in all specialty areas have come into being. Initially, NPs practiced primary care in rural areas and with underserved populations, but this has changed dramatically and these advanced nurses are utilized in nearly every healthcare venue. Most recently on July 1, 2004, (the day the NCHC opened), Idaho became the 38th state to grant independent NP practice. Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioners practice within their scope of practice and actively collaborate with physicians and other health care experts to assure their clients receive the very best care.

Who are nurse practitioners?
Nurse practitioners (NPs) are registered nurses (RNs) who are prepared, through advanced education and clinical training, to provide a wide range of preventive and acute health care services to individuals of all ages. Today, most NPs complete graduate-level education preparation that leads to a master’s degree. NPs take health histories and provide complete physical examinations; diagnose and treat many common acute problems such as infections and fractures as well as chronic problems such as asthma and hypertension; interpret laboratory results and X-rays and other diagnostic studies, prescribe and manage medications and other therapies; provide health teaching education and supportive counseling with an emphasis on prevention of illness, health maintenance and support of healthy lifestyle behavior; and refer patients to other health professionals as needed. NPs provide high-quality, cost-effective care. One study compared the costs of care for two primary care problems and found that the cost of care given by NPs was 20% less than the cost of care given by physicians. Numerous studies conclude that nurse practitioners perform as well as physicians in their specialty area of practice, in patient diagnosis, management of specific diseases and patient outcomes. NPs have advocated for all Americans to have access to cost-effective, quality health care, the provider of their choice and to remove barriers limiting consumer access to NP care. NPs promote a holistic approach to health care and emphasize the overall health and wellness of their patients.

This Information provided courtesy of the American College of Nurse Practitioners http://www.nurse.org/acnp/