SAFEST Choice FAQs

1. What kind of commitment is expected of a participating health center?
   After watching a one-hour webinar, participants will attend ten 75-minute ECHO sessions over the course of five months. All ECHO sessions take place on Monday mornings. Each participating health center will be expected to present one patient case at an ECHO session over the course of the five months.
   
   There will be some additional opportunities to engage outside of the regularly scheduled ECHO sessions, including through supplemental activities between sessions and extra technical assistance on selected topics. We also have a web platform where the participants can engage with the learning community outside of the sessions. There will be additional time available with our faculty to address topics of interest as they arise.
2. How many staff members are expected to participate in the ECHO sessions?
   This will depend on the size of the health center and staff availability. Priority will be given to health centers that can commit to having three (3) or more participating staff members. Those with fewer participants may be put on a wait list. We ideally want at least one person from each enrolled health center to be present for each ECHO session.
3. Is there a requirement for data collection and reporting?
   The program will not be collecting information from electronic medical records, however there will be an initial survey of the clinic upon joining the learning collaborative that takes approximately 15 minutes. There will also be a number of brief surveys of participants to measure changes in knowledge, confidence and self-reported practice change and a few select interviews.
4. Is there a minimum number of annual prenatal/pediatric patients required to participate?
   There is no minimum.
5. How is a "Champion" defined for this program?
   A Champion is loosely defined as a health center staff member who is interested in the topic and works with the program to help organize/prioritize/schedule ECHO sessions within their health center. The Champion is the main contact and liaison within the health center for the learning collaborative.
6. How much will the stipend be?
   This depends on the number of participating health centers, but approximately $3,250 for each participating practice (i.e., Prenatal, Pediatric).
7. How is the stipend expected to be allocated?
   For some it may go toward supporting the Champion’s involvement in the program (see question 5). For others it may go toward equipment, resources, or other needs related to the learning collaborative. This will vary based on the needs of each health center and will be up to their discretion. However, we will collect this information.
8. What do we do after screening if there are no FASD diagnostic clinics in our state?
   This will be explored thoroughly in the ECHO sessions; participants will be given evidence-informed interventions, resources, ideas, and examples of how to offer help and care for people living with an FASD and those with a suspected FASD.
9. What if my CHC is interested, but is not in your geographic priority areas?
   In this case, we have a waitlist and will keep you updated about potential involvement in the future. We also have resource materials about FASD that we can send to you.
10. Who will be on the faculty team? What are their areas of expertise?
    As part of the ECHO model, participants will learn alongside an interprofessional team of faculty members, who join the ECHO sessions as both teachers and learners. Many of our faculty are regionally and nationally recognized experts in the fields of FASDs and SBIRT (Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment). Other areas of expertise include developmental and behavioral pediatrics, maternal-fetal medicine, substance use disorder treatment, community building, and trauma-informed and culturally-reflective care.
11. What have past participants said about the program?
    "I enjoyed the case presentations from my peers, which helped me feel less alone in the challenges of my practice."
    
    "After completing safest choice I am a better physician, and my patients receive better prenatal care."
    
    "Alcohol use and pregnancy is pervasive, and SAFEST Choice empowered me to promote positive changes in my pregnant patients. Knowing about the problem of prenatal alcohol exposure is important, but SAFEST Choice went beyond the epidemiology and taught me various skills to effectively engage with my patients surrounding the theme of prenatal alcohol use."
    
    "... more information [and] more substantive than expected ... very glad we signed up."
    
    "SAFEST Choice taught me to speak about alcohol use without becoming caught in stigma and stereotype."
    
    "... nice to have collaboration between sites and different professionals who can offer feedback."