The goal of the pediatric clinic coming to Stanstead, Le Tandem, is to bring children into adulthood as simply as possible. Le Tandem has had a clinic in Magog for the past two years, Dr. Audrey Pierrat, the president of the board of directors said in an interview Saturday at the open house in Rock Island. The Magog clinic serves 200 families, she said, a quarter of whom are from Stanstead. The clinic focuses not only on medical issues, but also on social, economic, educational, and legal aspects of children’s lives. It serves children age 0 to 18. “We don’t just treat the symptoms,” Pierrat said. Rather, they try to get to the root of the problem. Studies show that vulnerabilities in children age 0 to 5 are increasing in the Townships, she said. “Families are often isolated.” It could be financial or language differences. Anne-Marie Fournelle, Le Tandem’s executive director, bases her strategy on studies and findings of Dr. Gilles Julien. Toxic stress affects brain development, Pierrat said, adding that they can see the effect in brain images. Julien developed an approach to social pediatrics by working with children and their families. See full story in the Monday, Dec. 16 edition of The Record.
Le Tandem pediatric clinic gets to the root of childhood issues
By Steve Blake, Special to The Record