The Cleft Lip and Palate program supports the child and family through the duration of their care needs, coordinating services and planning necessary treatments through a team approach that includes a pediatric dentist, plastic surgeon, genetic counselor, speech language pathologist, pediatrician, social worker, otolaryngologist and oral surgeon. Services are provided for children who live in Central Washington.
Each child enrolled in this program is followed from birth and is reviewed by the team on a regular basis, depending on the needs of the child and his or her family.
If you have a concern about your child’s development, talk to your primary care physician about a referral or start by taking this simple online developmental screening. You can also call Children’s Village at 509-574-3200 or 800-745-1077.
Yakima Central Washington Cleft Palate team
The Cleft Lip and Palate team at Children’s Village in Yakima has a deep commitment to serve children in Central Washington with the diagnosis of cleft lip and/or palate. The team is made up of over 15 medical and dental professionals who volunteer to meet six times per year to develop comprehensive plans of care for over 70 children. There are from 150 to 190 children in our program in any given year, with an average of 23 new referrals per year. Plans of care developed by the team provide guidance to primary care providers, medical and dental specialists, speech language pathologists, school personnel, and—most importantly—families.
Our team serves the following counties:
- Benton
- Chelan
- Douglas
- Franklin
- Grant
- Kittitas
- Klickitat
- Okanogan
- Walla Walla
- Yakima
The role of the team coordinator
The team coordinator works closely with families, team members and local public health providers to schedule children for team evaluations. The team coordinator also facilitates appointments with specialists as necessary prior to team evaluation, collects reports from specialists, collects data and summarizes current information/recommendations prior to team review. The team coordinator provides care coordination that is critical to the development of the comprehensive and timely plans of care. The team coordinator works with local hospital staff to ensure that the family of a newborn with a cleft lip and/or palate receives timely and accurate information about the condition and resources available for care.