Clinical Programs

What can we expect during a Child Wellness or Adolescent Wellness Clinic visit?
Tell me more about Fit 4 You
Tell me more about Strong Kids Strong Teens
How do I know which program is right for my child and family?
How do I make a weight-management clinic visit appointment?

What can we expect during a Child Wellness or Adolescent Wellness Clinic visit?

If you are scheduled to visit the Child Wellness Clinic or the Adolescent Wellness Clinic for an evaluation of your child, you’ll want to come prepared. In this section, we’ll help you find out what to expect before, during and after a visit. We also list the answers to some common questions.

What Patients and Families Can Expect provides general information about your visit to Children’s.

The health-care team

Your child may see many team members during their evaluation. The team members include doctors, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nutritionists, behavior specialists and fitness specialists. The evaluation is done to learn the medical, nutritional and emotional aspects of weight gain in your child.

During and after the visit

In our consultation, we focus on individual as well as family behavior and lifestyle. Our focus is not on diet only, but on helping children and families make healthy choices. Our goal is to improve your child’s long-term health and quality of life. Desire and readiness to change — in both your child and you — are needed for this process to work.

If your child is coming to the Child Wellness Clinic, you will be asked to attend four 3-hour visits that are scheduled on weekdays. Two visits are used to assess your child and include a physical exam and blood work. After we review eating and activity patterns and how the weight concern has impacted your family, we work together to make a specific plan that includes family goals. Two other planned visits include time to work on parenting skills, nutrition education and being physically active.

If your teen is coming to the Adolescent Wellness Clinic, they will begin by seeing a medical provider. In addition to medical guidance, guidelines for exercise will likely be discussed at this initial visit. If your teen is ready, they will then be referred to the adolescent nutritionist for an initial evaluation. You and your teen will follow up with the nutritionist about every month, with at least three visits. These visits will emphasize nutrition education and will include counseling around eating patterns to support adolescent development. Referrals to a behavior change specialist will be made if needed.

We work closely with your primary care provider and other local providers for ongoing follow-up. We may refer you to resources in your community as well.

Other subspecialties

Since children who are overweight are at risk of developing other conditions (e.g., diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, difficulty sleeping, bone and joint problems, and depression), we may refer your child to health-care providers at Children’s who specialize in these other health conditions. You will have access to the wide variety of services provided by a major regional medical center. At this time, surgery is not being used at Seattle Children's for overweight.

Since our team is committed to helping children and teens who are overweight and their families, we are in the early planning phase of designing a structured evidence-based weight management treatment program for both the Child and Adolescent Wellness clinics.

Tell me more about Fit 4 You.

Fit 4 You is a clinical program at Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic that works on obesity prevention by promoting healthy lifestyles during well-child visits.

Families with children who receive their primary care through this clinic can learn about healthy eating. Staff can also put families in touch with many community partners that promote physical activity. Follow-up visits for overweight or obese children are available and include visits with a nutritionist and pediatrician with special interest in pediatric obesity management. Learn more about Fit 4 You (PDF 1.6MB).

If your child receives care at Odessa Brown, be sure to ask about Fit 4 You at your next visit.

Tell me more about Strong Kids Strong Teens.

Strong Kids Strong Teens is a healthy lifestyle program available for overweight and obese youth (8 to 14 years old) and their parents at several YMCAs. The program is a partnership between the YMCA of Greater Seattle, Children’s Hospital and Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic.

This program requires a referral from a health-care provider, and at least one adult family member must participate.

Strong Kids Strong Teens costs $300 per family for non-YMCA members or $225 per family for YMCA members. At this time, insurance does not cover the program fee. When financial support has been available, such as from King County Steps to Health or Partners with Youth funds, Strong Kids Strong Teens programs have been offered at no cost. The YMCA is a membership organization open to all people. Financial assistance, to the extent possible, is available to those in need.

How do I enroll my family in a Strong Kids Strong Teens program?

To enroll, follow these steps:

Review the brochure (King County (PDF 220KB) / Snohomish County (PDF 250KB)) to learn about the Strong Kids program (ages 8 to 11) or the Strong Teens program (ages 12 to 14).
Strong Kids Strong Teens program requires a provider referral. If you, your child and their primary care provider decide the program is right for your child, your provider can review the provider information letter (PDF 174KB) and fax a completed referral form (DOC 119KB) to the Strong Kids Strong Teens program at (206) 987-5087.
Find other helpful information about the program at the YMCA of Greater Seattle or YMCA of Snohomish County.
If you have questions, call the participating YMCA branch closest to your home (PDF 18KB) or contact the Strong Kids Strong Teens recruitment/referral coordinator at Children’s Hospital or (206) 987-2396.

How do I know which program is right for my child and family?

Each family is different. We encourage you to review the program options with your child and their primary care provider to help you decide what is a good fit for your family.

If the clinic-based programs or Strong Kids Strong Teens don’t fit your family’s needs, we can give you other options in the community. Feel free to contact us (link to Contact Us page).

How do I make a weight-management clinic visit appointment?

There are two ways to make an appointment with the Child Wellness Clinic or the Adolescent Wellness Clinic. You can be referred by your child’s primary care provider or another specialist, or you can call us directly. We encourage families to coordinate with their primary care doctor when seeing Children’s specialists.

If your child receives their primary medical care at Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic, you can call the clinic directly to schedule an appointment.

Locations

Child Wellness Clinic
Seattle – Main Campus
Schedule an Appointment: (206) 987-2613
Fax: (206) 985-3121
Mailing address:
4800 Sand Point Way NE
Seattle, WA 98105
Maps & Directions

Adolescent Wellness Clinic
Seattle – Main Campus
Schedule an Appointment: (206) 987-2028
Fax: (206) 985-3121
Mailing address:
4800 Sand Point Way NE
Seattle, WA 98105
Maps & Directions

Odessa Brown Children’s Medicine Clinic
Regional Site
Schedule an Appointment: (206) 987-7200
Fax: (206) 987-7276
Mailing address:
2101 East Yesler Way
Seattle, WA 98122
Maps & Directions

Children's Obesity Action