We understand the difficulties that come with a cystic fibrosis diagnosis. We bring together a team of specialists with unique training and experience to offer physical, emotional and social support and care to help you manage the disease.

Because cystic fibrosis is a complex condition that can affect many different body systems, we provide comprehensive care and tailor our services to your child’s needs and yours. We make sure your family has whatever support you need.

We don’t yet have a cure for cystic fibrosis, but we can offer treatments and services that make the condition more manageable and to:

• Ensure adequate nutrition  
• Help make breathing easier 
• Lessen the impact of disease complications 
• Prevent lung infections  

Services we provide include: 

• Breathing exercises and techniques  
• Chest physical therapy 
• Counseling  
• Education  
• Exercise  
• Medication  
• Monitoring and follow-up 
• Nutritional guidance   
• Oxygen therapy

Specialists who may be involved in your care include:

• Dietitians
• Nurses
• Physical therapists
• Pulmonologists
• Respiratory therapists
• Social workers

Our staff helps hundreds of kids every year manage obesity, diabetes and other endocrine disorders. If your child is diagnosed with one of these conditions, it can mean big lifestyle changes. Our certified diabetes educators and registered dieticians are here to help your child and your family adjust to these changes and stay healthy.

For children with obesity, losing weight and eating healthy foods can be difficult. Our Healthy Lifestyles Clinic provides care and counseling for these kids and their families. We work together with nutrition experts and providers in adolescent medicine and endocrinology to give your child the best chance for reaching a healthy weight.

While obesity can lead to type-2 diabetes, type-1 diabetes happens when the pancreas stops making insulin. Both types require a healthy diet, and our certified diabetes educators (CDE) and our registered dieticians provide education and coaching for your child and their family.

Our team understands the impact diet can have on diabetes management. They will help you develop a plan for what, when and how much your child eats that will help keep them create healthy habits. Our nutritional services include help with:

• Infant nutrition
• Childhood diabetes management
• Food allergies and intolerances
• Gastrointestinal problems
• Weight gain or loss
• Failure to thrive

Children with type-1 diabetes, along with some children with type-2 diabetes, need to use insulin. Our CDEs will help you learn how to monitor their blood sugar, along with the best way to inject insulin. If your child is age 13 or older, we will teach him or her these skills as well.

Children’s Hospital endocrinology and diabetes outreach clinics are also available in Soldotna, Wasilla and Fairbanks.

Please fill out the following forms to get started with or return to your child’s care with us:

• Endocrine and Diabetes New Patient Paperwork
• Endocrine and Diabetes Return Patient Paperwork

Good nutrition helps keep growing children on the right track – especially when they’re facing illness, injury or other health challenges. The nutritional support team at Children’s Hospital at Providence provides complete individualized guidance focused on the unique needs of infants, children and adolescents.

We offer family-focused care in a family-friendly environment. We’ll assess your child’s health, diet and nutritional needs and talk about a customized care plan. If your child has related conditions, ranging from developmental disorders to diseases such as diabetes, cancer or kidney failure, we’ll work across specialties to develop responsive and personalized therapies.

Providence specialists monitor and manage your child’s progress and needs throughout clinic care, hospitalization if needed, and home care. We work together to help your child feel better, get well and get back to a happy and healthy life.

Children’s Hospital at Providence provides a variety of services to help infants, children, teens and families meet nutritional and dietary needs.

After thorough evaluation of your child’s health, condition and nutritional needs, we’ll work as a team to develop a multispecialty plan for individualized care. Our services include:

• Assessment of oral-motor and oral-sensory problems
• Blood, lab and other diagnostic testing and monitoring
• Collaboration with and referral to specialists for related conditions
• Counseling and education about your child’s condition, therapies, meal planning and food choices
• Education for your family about nutritional needs, feeding approaches, schedules and therapies
• Evaluation of your child’s age-appropriate developmental skills
• Evaluation, testing and consultation regarding nutritional status, needs and progress
• Follow-up assessment and care
• Information about available resources and support, including community programs
• Inpatient hospital care, including IV nutrition, feeding tube placement, tube feeding and other medical care and nutrition management
• Multispecialty care, including consultations and collaboration with specialists and referrals
• Nutritional therapies planning and guidance
• Recommendation and assistance with special equipment to assist feeding
• Swallowing therapy
• Testing for allergies and food sensitivities
• Weight management consultation, counseling and care

In addition to specialists to diagnose and treat your child’s specific health conditions, your child’s care team may include these and other care providers:

• Gastroenterologist
• Nurse
• Nutritionist
• Pediatrician
• Physical therapist
• Registered dietitian
• Social worker
• Swallowing therapist

Our pediatric pulmonologists treat children with a wide range of respiratory disorders. Pulmonary problems such as asthma, cystic fibrosis and pulmonary hypertension can mean you need to take steps every day to keep your child well. Our specialists coach you on these steps, as well as helping families manage children who have tracheostomies and ventilators.

We use the latest treatments to help your child. Our team works closely with allergists and immunologists to help your child stay manage their condition. If your child has sleep apnea or other problems with sleep, then our sleep medicine specialists can help.

Our Pediatric Pulmonology and Sleep Medicine team includes doctors who are board-certified in pediatric pulmonology as well as pediatric allergists and immunologists.

We diagnose and treat:

• Asthma
• Cystic fibrosis
• Pulmonary hypertension
• Sleep issues 

We also teach you and your child how to live with and manage:

• Sleep medicine treatments (such as CPAP machines)
• Tracheostomies
• Ventilators

Pediatric nephrologists are specialists who treat children with kidney disorders, and pediatric rheumatologists treat children with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and other rheumatic diseases. Our specialists are experts in these pediatrics conditions, and we strive to support your family as you navigate your child’s illness.

Children’s Hospital nephrology and rheumatology providers care for pediatric patients at the Pediatric Subspecialty Clinic two to three times per month.

If your child hasn’t been seen in the Pediatric Subspecialties Nephrology Clinic, please fill out the Nephrology New Patient Paperwork.

Our pediatric primary care is specially designed to support children with complex medical and developmental needs. We work closely with families to offer personalized, coordinated care for everyday illness and common conditions.

When your child has complex needs, it’s important to have all their providers in one place. Our clinic is co-located with pediatric specialists in pulmonology, neurology, gastroenterology, endocrinology, nephrology, rheumatology, dieticians and social work. This means you won’t have to travel far for specialized care, and your child can feel safe knowing their regular doctor is still on the team.

We know how important convenient care is for your family. Special services offered at our pediatric primary care clinic include:

• A dedicated triage nurse who can determine what kind of care your child needs and coordinate their care
• Intentional scheduling of well-care appointments with specialty visits
• Longer-than-usual primary care visits
• Preventive screenings and immunizations
• Prompt sick care
• Telemedicine visits when appropriate
• Valet parking

We treat a variety of common conditions, such as ear infections, fevers, rashes, vomiting and the bumps and bruises of childhood. We can also diagnose and treat chronic conditions, including:

• Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
• Asthma
• Behavioral health conditions
• Constipation
• Eczema
• Developmental issues
• Growth concerns

• Well Child Clinic questionnaires by child’s age:
  • Newborn: 0-7 days
  • Newborn: 2 weeks
  • Newborn: 2 weeks 1 month
  • 2 months old
  • 4 months old
  • 6 months old
  • 9 months old
  • 12 months old
  • 18 months old
  • 2 years old
  • 2 ½ years
  • 3 years old
  • 4 years old
  • 5 years old
  • 6 years old
  • 7-8 years old
  • 9-10 years old
  • 11-12 years old
  • Confidential Teen questionnaire (12-18 years old)
  • 13-14 years old
  • 15-17 years old
  • 18-21 years old

• NICHQ Vanderbilt Assessment Scale Parent Informant

• NICHQ Vanderbilt Assessment Scale Teacher Informant

• PHQ-9 Depression Screen

• Healthy Children
• Center for Young Women's Health
• Young Men's Health
• CDC Vaccine Information

• Help Me Grow
• Program for Infants and Children
• Anchorage School District Early Intervention
• Stone Soup Group
• ADHD Educational Rights
• Understood.org
• ADDitude
• Alaska Autism Resource Center

• Thread Alaska 
• Alaska 2-1-1
• Jennifer Aist Lactation Consulting & Education Services