Advocacy

Strategic goal #1: Increase access to weight management services. 

CHLN members were active in advocacy and related research in 2025, with the aim to improve access to obesity treatment for youth and families. CHLN members Drs. Meredith Dreyer Gillette, Jordan Carlson and Sarah Hampl and study team completed the pilot of family-based behavioral treatment in Children’s Mercy’s and Freeman Health System’s primary care clinics through the Centers for Disease Control (CDC)-funded Childhood Obesity Research Demonstration (CORD) grant. This pilot demonstrated a small but significant improvement in weight status for children in contrast to a matched comparison group. The intervention was rated as highly acceptable by families. Publication of the main outcomes is pending. Drs. Hampl and Dreyer Gillette remain members of a Family Healthy Weight Program Advisory group to the CDC and American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), and along with Dr. Helena Laroche aided the Swope Health Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), the largest FQHC in Kansas City, in launching their own Family Healthy Weight Program which started in October. This project is supported by a CDC REACH grant, in which these CHLN members are collaborating with Dr. Robin Shook and colleagues from UMKC.

Drs. Hampl and Dreyer Gillette’s advocacy efforts regarding the existing Missouri HealthNet (MOHN) biopsychosocial obesity treatment benefit resulted in MOHN creating an amendment to this benefit to increase access to treatment through removal of several administrative barriers such as required prior authorization. This policy change became effective October 30^th. Supported by a grant from NIDDK, Drs. Hampl, Dreyer Gillette and Laroche are partnering with other state colleagues to train healthcare professionals in approximately 30 Missouri FQHC clinics in pediatric and adult obesity evaluation, structural risk factors, weight stigma and treatment and delivery of the intensive/family-based behavioral treatment and medical nutrition therapy that are covered by MOHN. Clinic training began in 2025 and roughly 1/3 of the primary care providers have been trained thus far.

Drs. Hampl and Sweeney are meeting monthly with MO HealthNet’s (Missouri Medicaid) Pharmacy and Medical Directors of the Medicaid Managed Care Organizations to coordinate efforts for obesity care and track the utilization of GLP-1 medications, which began being covered in January. Dr. Hampl and Dr. Amy Braddock an adult obesity medicine colleague from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Medicine presented to the Missouri Behavioral Health Coalition/Primary Care Health Home Medical Directors in April and on behalf of MO HealthNet, gave a statewide webinar on this policy change in July.

Dr. Hampl represented CHLN as a member of a grassroots advocacy group convened by the Obesity Action Coalition which aided MO Senator Patty Lewis in developing legislation requiring commercial insurers to cover comprehensive pediatric obesity treatment. This legislation was scheduled to be introduced in January, 2026.

Strategic goal #2: Increase the effectiveness of healthcare professionals’ delivery of weight management services.

Nationally, CHLN member Dr. Lauren Ptomey authored the American College of Sports Medicine’s position stance on physical activity for individuals with disabilities. CHLN member Dr. Libby Milkovich was a co-author of a new AAP policy statement on digital media. Dr. Dreyer Gillette worked with the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery on psychosocial care guidelines. CHLN member Dr. Chelsea Kracht wrote for the Society of Behavioral Medicine’s Outlook newsletter on home disruptions to healthy habits.

With colleagues from the Missouri Council for Activity and Nutrition’s (MOCAN) Healthcare Workgroup, the University of MO Continuing Education Department and MO Dept of Health and Senior Services, Drs. Hampl and Dreyer continued work on a statewide plan for comprehensive multidisciplinary pediatric and adult obesity treatment training for healthcare professionals. Live and pre-recorded, some of these trainings launched in July and others will launch in 2026. Drs. Dreyer Gillette, Hampl and Cristina Fernandez served as hub team members for the University of MO Telehealth Network’s Pediatric Weight Management ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes), which began its 5th year in August. These members and Dr. Sweeney gave didactics at this ECHO. Dr. Dreyer Gillette leads and Dr. Hampl is a hub team member of a new Intensive/Family-Based Behavioral Treatment of Obesity ECHO which began in July, and presented didactic sessions to this new group. This ECHO serves as a route for behavioral health professionals and RDs to qualify to be recognized as providers of intensive and family-based behavioral treatment by MO HealthNet. Dr. Hampl is aiding Dr. Ann Davis in her NIH-funded iAmHealthy CPG grant to train PCPs in four states as part of a set of interventions to improve pediatric obesity care.



CHLN clinical faculty and other members gave local, statewide and national talks during 2025. Audiences included primary care and behavioral health providers, medical residents, registered dietitians and other healthcare professionals. Drs. Hampl and Sweeney along with Weight Management Clinic colleagues Celtina Reinert, PharmD and Lora Edwards, RD gave a well-attended workshop to local and regional pediatric PCPs at Children’s Mercy’s annual Clinical Advances in Pediatrics conference in September. In March, Dr. Sweeney spoke at the Advanced Therapies for Pediatric Obesity Conference to national audiences. Dr. Hampl presented at the AAP National Conference and Exhibition on the work of the AAP cross-organizational workgroup on the intersection of eating disorders and obesity in youth in September. CHLN member Dr. Jannette Berkley-Patton spoke to Jamaica, West Indies clinicians about UMKC School of Medicine’s experience with the Diabetes Prevention Program, while member Dr. Stephani Stancil presented on eating disorders in youth at the American Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics’ annual conference as well as an NIH pharmacology lecture series.

Strategic goal #3: Increasing awareness of public/community agencies regarding weight management and healthy lifestyles.

At the national level, the 2024 US Physical Activity Report Card for Children and Youth which was led by Dr. Jordan Carlson appeared in the Make America Healthy Again Report and in new federal legislation proposed in Congress. His free transit work was featured in a national news article. Dr. Milkovich was featured in an article about digital media by the Children’s Hospital Association. Dr. Hampl was interviewed about childhood obesity treatment by nine national news outlets.

At a state level, Drs. Dreyer Gillette, Laroche and Hampl continued participation in MOCAN and its healthcare workgroup, which Dr. Hampl co-chaired. CHLN member Dr. Sarah Behrens provided subject matter expertise on early relational health to both the Kansas Department of Health and Environment's Family Advisory Council and the Kansas Early Childhood Recommendations Panel. CHLN member Dr. Lisa Mische-Lawson provided expertise related to disability and drowning prevention for the Kansas Unintentional Drowning Prevention Plan.



At the regional/local level, CHLN member Dr. Dana Bakula serves on the board of directors for the Renewal, Empowerment, Support and Time in Kansas City organization. Dr. Stephanie Stancil presented talks on eating disorders and emerging treatments in youth to the Univ of Missouri-Kansas City Center for Advancing Faculty Excellence annual conference. Dr. Milkovich was interviewed by local public radio station KCUR about the AAP Digital Media policy statement.