School is back in session and the Fall season is upon us. The hints of summer are all but gone. The leaves are changing to bright yellow, red, and orange. It is a beautiful time of year, and we hope you will enjoy the season with your family. With school back in session, it is also a time for colds and coughs. It is also the time for the flu vaccine boosters for the 2022-2023 season.
FLU VACCINE
The Flu vaccine is available for administration at our office. Please call to schedule your child for an appointment. We will permit all the children in a family to be scheduled together for the flu clinic since it is a brief visit to the office. If your child has an upcoming physical exam appointment, we will be happy to administer the flu vaccine at that time. As a reminder for those with children in day care or pre-school, they are required to get their flu vaccine by 12/31/22. Please do not wait until the last minute.
COVID VACCINE
The bivalent vaccine is now available and recommended for those 12 and older who have completed the primary series of vaccines. The Pfizer bivalent vaccine is to be used for 12 to 17 years old. Moderna bivalent vaccine is for anyone over the age of 18.
It is recommended for those 6 months to 11 years of age to complete the primary series. The vaccine is to prevent severe illness, hospitalization and death in this vulnerable age group.
The CDC link below has a great feature that can help navigate when to get the booster.
CDC: Guide to Vaccine and Boosters
For more information on the bivalent vaccine: FDA: COVID 19 Bivalent vaccines
We hope to be able to administer the COVID vaccine in the office soon. We will send out notification if we are able to do so. We encourage you not to wait for us to get it in our office. Local pharmacies and pop-up clinics in your town or school district may be able to provide the COVID vaccine for your children.
OFFICE UPDATES
We are once again collecting copays and any outstanding balances at the time of your visit. We only accept check, debit, or credit card payments at the window. No cash payments will be accepted.
MASKS AND TESTING
As a health care facility, we are still requiring masking of all individuals 2 years of age and older. We ask that paper surgical masks be worn. Please call us from your car before entering the building, if you or your child do not have a mask.
If your child is ill and needs to be seen, in certain situations, we will permit COVID home test negative results. If you do not have a home test or if there is a concern, we will test you using our CEPHEID PCR test. If you are positive, we will turn your visit into a Telemed.
We are still very cautious due to risk to our unvaccinated infants and toddlers, immunocompromised (from cancer therapy or genetic disorders) children, or children with chronic conditions that would pose them at severe risk of contracting COVID.
We understand that, outside of our office, things have changed. As for right now, we will continue to make decisions based on the safety of our patients and our staff.
KINDNESS MATTERS
We believe in treating our families with the utmost respect. We work hard to accommodate our patients’ needs and work to the best of our abilities to meet patient requests. We have had to make multiple modifications over the last 2 ½ years due to COVID. This has helped us to continue to be here as a practice for your family.
All we ask in return is patience and kindness. We at Branford Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine are a family. Every single person, from receptionist to nurse to provider, is treated equally. If one member of our family is hurt, then we are all hurt. We are not obligated to take verbal abuse, rude behavior or threats. Nor do we take them lightly. Unfortunately, we have had to deal with an increasing amount of these interactions. We ask all our patients and parents to keep all exchanges, even when frustration arises, professional, kind, and respectful. We will do the same.
Branford Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine Practice Policies