The Weight & Wellness program at Children’s Nebraska is not a diet program — the focus is on medical weight management and our goal is to help your child be as healthy as possible. Our team includes experts from multiple specialties who are ready to assist your family in developing healthier habits. A referral to our program is less about numbers on the scale, and more about the level to which health behaviors are affecting overall well-being.
Make An Appointment
Ask your child’s pediatrician for a referral to the Weight & Wellness program. Once we receive the referral, we will contact you with more information.
For questions about the program or enrollment requirements, feel free to call us at:
Omaha Clinic Phone: 402-955-4080 | Fax 402-955-4078
Lincoln Clinic Phone: 402-955-8770
About the Program
When your child joins Weight and Wellness, we don’t just focus on helping them attain a certain weight. Weight management is a part of that, but we prefer to focus on combining medical care, behavioral care, nutrition, and physical activity to achieve overall improved health and wellness.
Our program focuses on four areas:
Medical Care
Children’s medical providers will look at your child’s overall health and work with your family to determine a plan of care that will include:
- Monitoring of growth
- Lab values and overall health
- Reducing screen time
- Improving sleep habits
- Continuous monitoring of weight-related illnesses (comorbidities), such as liver health, sleep apnea, and diabetes
Behavioral Care
Social workers and psychologists will help you create a strategy for your family’s routines and provide assistance with navigating emotions, stressors, or other barriers that might be affecting health choices.
Nutrition
Registered Dietitians will complete individualized nutrition assessments and provide nutrition education that will help your family develop meal and snack routines, be mindful about food choices, and focus on eating from all the food groups.
We also provide resources to help your family with weight management. For example, our ENERGY Nutrition workbook and videos provide guidance about topics such as reading food labels, serving correct portion sizes, and cooking healthy recipes to ensure that your whole family is getting essential nutrients.
Physical Activity
Fitness professionals will guide your family in planning a healthier activity routine, provide educational resources, help your child cut down on screen time, and address sleep habits.
How to Get Started
Your child will need a referral to start the Weight & Wellness program. Once we receive the referral, we will contact you with more information.
To learn more about the program or requirements for participation, you may call us the Omaha Clinic (402-955-4080) or the Lincoln Clinic (402-955-8770)
Our Specialists
What To Do Next
For Patients
Ask your child’s pediatrician for a referral to the Weight & Wellness program. Once we receive the referral, we will contact you with more information. To learn more about the program or requirements for participation, you may call us the Omaha Clinic (402-955-4080) or the Lincoln Clinic (402-955-8770)
For Referring Providers
Provider referrals may be submitted via the electronic medical record or fax. Providers outside of the Children’s system may refer using our online portal, Physician’s Connect. First-time users will need to complete the enrollment process by clicking “Request New Account” For help with referring a patient or if you are unable to log on to Physician’s Connect, please call us at 402-955-4080.
-
Referral Requirements and Process
Your patient must meet one of the following requirements:- BMI > 85th percentile with co-morbidities
- BMI > 95th percentile alone
After you have submitted a referral, our staff will contact families to invite them to an informational meeting about our program. The meeting will offer time for questions and an opportunity to schedule an initial Weight & Wellness Clinic appointment if desired. If our staff is unable to contact the family, we will keep the referral on file for one year.
For referral criteria or to discuss options for management of high-risk patients, you can reach the Omaha Clinic at 402-955-4080, or the Lincoln Clinic at 402-955-8770.