KidsMeds
http://www.kidsmeds.org/

KidsMeds is an online non-profit organization dedicated to providing accurate pediatric drug information to parents of infants and children. Have you ever been unable to find information about your child's medication? Chances are that your local pharmacist does not specialize in pediatric pharmacy or may be too busy to answer all of your questions.

KidsMeds realizes the great need to get this information to concerned parents. We are registered pharmacists who are trained in pediatric pharmacy. We are located in Plymouth, Massachusetts.

KidsMeds offers the following services:

Seasonal information which covers several important subjects from each season.

Pediatric Pharmacist Onlineservice: Here you have the opportunity to forward your medication question to an actual pharmacist who specializes in pediatrics. Each question will receive a detailed response which will be forwarded to your own e-mail account. Because of the generous contributions of our sponsors, this service is provided absolutely FREE!

Administering Medications: Learn how to properly administer medications of all kinds to children. Instructions include oral liquids, inhalers, ear medications, eye medications, nasal inhalers, and rectal administration.

Poison Control Centers: A list of all the centers in the United States. Everyone with a child at home should have the number of the regional poison control center on hand.

FREE InfoSheets: Order from our website. These InfoSheets will be forwarded to your email address and are available on a range of topics.

KidsMeds Electronic Newsletter: Sign up for our FREE monthly newsletter. You’ll receive updates and news related to children’s medications. Keep up to date and find out about important recalls and changes in immunization recommendations. This newsletter is delivered directly to your own email address once a month!

Monthly Focus Topics: Each month KidsMeds presents a comprehensive review on a childhood condition and its treatment, such as Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

Our Pharmacists

Each of the following pharmacists, employed by KidsMeds, Inc., is extensively trained in pediatric pharmacy and offers their expertise by responding to questions posed by parents about children's medications. Our pharmacists also develop and write the KidsMeds' content and monthly email newsletters.

Heidi W. Belden, Pharm.D.

Heidi Belden is the founder and director of KidsMeds, located in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Heidi received her bachelor of science in pharmacy in 1987 and her doctorate in pharmacy in 1993 from Northeastern University in Boston. As a registered pharmacist, Heidi has worked in both retail and hospital settings and has served in many positions from staff pharmacist to director of pharmacy. Her most recent position at The Children's Hospital in Boston, where Heidi was on staff from 1991-1999, inspired her to begin her own company called KidsMeds. KidsMeds is a web-based, nonprofit organization dedicated to providing pediatric drug information to parents and caregivers. Heidi was named the December 1999 "Health Hero" by the American Pharmaceutical Association Foundation for the creation of KidsMeds, and as a "Pharmacist of the Year" by Drug Topics in August 2000.

Dianne Lutz, R.Ph.

Dianne works as a part-time pediatric pharmacist for KidsMeds. She received her bachelor of pharmacy degree from Northeastern University in 1988 and is currently on staff at The Children's Hospital in Boston, where she has worked as a pharmacist since 1988. While at Children's Hospital, Dianne has worked in all the specialty areas of pediatric pharmacy including oncology, neonatal ICU, respiratory (cystic fibrosis), and parenteral nutrition. Dianne is also the mother of 4 children ranging in age from 4 to 9 years old.

Brian P. Belden, R.Ph.

Brian is a part-time pharmacist at KidsMeds, responding to questions from the Pediatric Pharmacist Online service and contributing to the monthly KidsMeds newsletter. Brian graduated from the University of Washington School of Pharmacy in Seattle in 1991. Brian was employed as a staff pharmacist at The Children's Hospital in Boston from 1991-1997. While employed at Children's Hospital, Brian was the evening-shift coordinator pharmacist whose expertise was in the areas of oncology and ambulatory medicine. Brian is also currently employed at CVS Pharmacy in Plymouth, Massachusetts.

KidsMeds Promotional Events

KidsMeds provides literature on children's medication issues and free medicine spoons to new and expecting parents at Babies 'R Us stores in New Jersey and Massachusetts.

April 1999; Boston Bayside Expo, Boston, Massachusetts

April 1999; Participants and Exhibitors; Park Hyatt Hotel, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

May 1999; Participants and Exhibitors; Marriott at Metro Center, Washington D.C.

May 1999; Jordan Hospital, Plymouth, Massachusetts

Stand For Children - Annual Early Childhood Fair:

October 13, 1999; Participants; Grand Hyatt at New York, NYC.

eHealthcareWorld New York 1999 conference: November 1999

Winner of the "Best Site for Kids" Gold Award at the eHealthcareWorld Awards presented on November 4th in NYC. Awards listed in Modern Healthcare Magazine (December 6,1999)

• May 5-6, 2000
  KidsMeds President, Heidi Belden, appeared on a panel of speakers who had developed innovative ways to practice pharmacy. The panel was entitled, "Pharmacists Make A Difference".

MassGeneral Hospital for Children Conference 2000: Humanizing Health Care for Children and Families: The Art of the Relationship.

• May 28-31, 2000
  Exhibitors, Copley-Westin Hotel, Boston, MA.

Community Partnerships for Children: Early Childhood Fairs

• March 2001
  Plymouth and Sandwich, Massachusetts

Additionally, KidsMeds attends numerous local and regional parenting and early childhood fairs in the New England area throughout the year -- distributing medicine spoons, oral syringes, drug information, and poison control information and telephone stickers.

Recognitions

KidsMeds received the Gold Award as the "Best Site for Kids" at the eHealthcareWorld Awards in New York City on November 4, 1999. KidsMeds was chosen for providing a break-through, innovative medical service to children and/or their parents. The names of the award winners were published in Modern Healthcare magazine (December 6,1999).

Founder and President of KidsMeds, Heidi Belden, Pharm.D., was recognized as the December 1999 "Health Hero" by the American Pharmaceutical Association Foundation in an online publication. The article can be found on the Foundation's Connect for Health website located at http://www.connectforhealth.com. Heidi also recently presented KidsMeds at the 25th Annual Meeting of the Massachusetts Society of Health-System Pharmacists on May 5, 2000. Heidi appeared on a panel of locally and nationally-recognized pharmacists, entitled "Pharmacists Make a Difference".

KidsMeds received a grant from the American Pharmaceutical Association Foundation for the continued development of the KidsMeds website in the year 2000. The grant was awarded following KidsMeds innovative practice proposal to expand their pediatric-focused website. For the past 6 years, the APhA Foundation has awarded the "Incentive Grants for Practitioner Innovation in Pharmaceutical Care" as "seed" money to help pharmacists explore new services that enhance their role as healthcare providers.

KidsMeds also subscribes to the HON Principles of the Health on the Net Foundation and has been reviewed and listed as an HONoured healthcare site.