WICK NEWS SERVICE

DOUGLAS — Dr. Jonathan Lee-Melk was on a mission as he spoke to the Cochise Regional Partnership Council of First Things First during a Thursday morning workshop.

“I do see a need here in the county,” said the pediatrician for Chiricahua Community Health Centers. Lee-Melk said he’s seen an apparent lack of speech therapists, physical therapists and occupational therapists to serve special health care needs children, which he describes as a frustrating.

“It’s definitely a critical need,” Lee-Melk said. “I personally have a number of kids right now who qualify who aren’t getting therapy.”

At conferences, Lee-Melk said a concern that comes up is the possibility of emphasis being on screening and identification of children with special health care needs.

He said it poses an ethical dilemma.

“What are the ethics of screening and identifying when there are no services to help them?” he asked the council. “I’m hoping with this money we don’t go about screening more — there’s a legitimate ethical question to this.”

The money Lee-Melk was referring to is the money that the First Things First council is given by the legislature to continue its commitment to providing Cochise County preschool ages kids the resources they need to achieve their maximum potential to succeed in school and life.

First Things First is the result of Proposition 203, which was on the November 2006 ballot. The proposition is a citizens initiative that gave a dedicated funding stream from the tobacco tax to early childhood development and health.

The Cochise County council was allotted $1.974 million of the $150 million the tobacco tax generated.

As Lee-Melk and the council discussed the issue, member David Howe pointed out, though not encouraging more screening, that avoiding screening could hurt the area in the future as far as getting help if they weren’t to appear to have a problem because of the lack of identifications made.

Member Melodi Polach emphasized prevention.

“I really do believe that, back again, to a prevention level,” she said. “Teaching parents to bond with their children. … We don’t have to change any culture, just give them the tools.”

But Ana Bae-Limb, vice chair of the council, pointed out one challenge, though, that prevention may not help.

“It’s very, very difficult with parents just being able to absorb and acknowledge it,” Bae-Limb said, explaining some parents fear that there may be a stigma attached to their child’s diagnosis.

Following the workshop, Bae-Limb said it was great to have someone like Lee-Melk in the community to let them know what some of the issues are out there for children aged birth to 5. “We need to know exactly what’s going on in the community,” she said. “He actually gave us some ideas.” “I really hope that our council will invest in that area,” she continued, adding though, that it’s a challenge to figure out the best uses for the money. “We don’t want to waste any money.”

As Lee-Melk walked out of the workshop, he said he felt like it went well. “They’re very receptive,” he said. “I feel like this money’s in good hands.”