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Well-care during COVID, Oct. 2020
 

Dear Callie Pediatrics families, 

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It is a privilege to provide care for your children, especially in these stressful times.  As your child’s "medical home" (see below), we thank you for trusting us with your family’s health care, and bringing your child for a well-visit in 2019.

 

If you received a text, your child is overdue, or almost overdue, for his/her well-visit.  Annual well-visits are ESSENTIAL because that is how we get to know your child (his/her growth, development, needs, concerns). Knowing your child also helps us to provide the best care when s/he is sick, injured, has behavioral or other  concerns, or needs to be referred to specialists (in contrast to an urgent care, where your child and his/her history is not known).  Federal law also requires that insurance plans cover an annual well-visit because it is so essential.  

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Our top priority continues to be ensuring that all newborns, infants, children, and adolescents are up-to-date on their comprehensive well-child care, including an in-person, complete physical exam, developmental screenings, and vaccines.  The American Academy of Pediatrics and public health experts are very concerned that delays in vaccines could result in secondary outbreaks with vaccine-preventable illnesses.  

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We have taken all precautions to prioritize your family’s safety during these visits:  

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  • Separate entrances and exam rooms  “well” visits (6636 door) and “sick/possibly infectious” visits (6640 door) 

  • All doctors and staff wear masks for all visits and rooms are cleaned thoroughly and disinfected between every patient.

  • Patients should be accompanied by only one caregiver.  

  • Parents, caregivers, and patients over the age of 2 should wear a mask or face covering (such as a bandana).  

 

For the health and safety of our community, especially the most vulnerable, please continue to follow CDC social distancing guidelines.  

 

We look forward to seeing you soon!

 

The Providers and Staff at Callie Pediatrics 

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*  A MEDICAL HOME means that we (as your pediatric team):  

  • Knows the health history of your child/teen;

  • Listens to your concerns and needs, as well as those of your child/teen;

  • Follows up with any other health care providers your child receives care from, when necessary;

  • Works in partnership with you to make sure that the medical and non-medical needs of your

  • child/youth and family are met;

  • Creates a trusting, collaborative relationship with you and your child/teen;

  • Treats your child/teen with compassion and an understanding of his/her strengths;

  • Develops a care plan with you and your child/teen when needed;

  • Respects and honors your culture and traditions.

COVID-19 UPDATE, effective 18 March 2020

 At Callie Pediatrics, our main concern is the health and well-being of our patients and their families.  We understand there is a lot of fear and anxiety right now--we are working very hard to protect all patients and families when they come to our office.

 

Fortunately, children who have tested positive for COVID-19 in other parts of the world and the U.S. have mostly had mild infections. However, it is essential to recognize that children and teens who may not themselves have symptoms can still be “carriers” of the virus and expose others who may be at greater risk for more severe infections.  That is why it is essential to follow CDC and state/local guidelines, in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in our community (washing hands with soap and water for 20 seconds; avoiding group gatherings and playdates;  “social distancing” (staying six feet away from others in public); and for people over 60 and with chronic diseases to stay in their homes).  

 

In order to reduce the risk to our patients and their families, we have implemented the following safety procedures at our office, which follow CDC guidelines:   

 

  • Phone triage: If your child has more severe sick symptoms (difficulty breathing or shortness-of-breath), please call our office to talk with one of our providers. If you think your child's symptoms are mild, go to this link to help you distinguish.  
     

    • When you call about more severe symptoms, our provider will find out more about the symptoms, your travel history, and if you have been in close contact with anyone who has tested positive for COVID-19.  Our provider will then advise that you stay home with the child, so s/he can recover and not put others at risk; or that you bring them to our office to be examined; or that you bring your child to the ER if it is an emergency situation. 
       

  • Office: All patients with a scheduled appointment are first screened OUTSIDE our main entrance. Sick and well patients are then directed to different entry doors, designated exam rooms, and separate sides of the office.
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    • ​we ask that each child, whether sick or well, only be accompanied by ONE ADULT (see below). Please avoid bringing siblings to minimize exposure risk.
       

    • ​​The CDC advises that all people over 60, and adults with chronic health conditions, to self-isolate. We thus ask that people over 60  avoid the office (like other public places) unless there is absolutely no alternative.  We also ask that any adult who has untreated symptoms (fever, cough, difficulty breathing) and has traveled to high-risk areas avoid our office and seek treatment. 
       

    • sick (possibly infectious) patients.  If a room is not available right away, the patient and parent/caregiver will be asked to wait in their cars until we can bring them directly to an exam room.  If a  patient presents with upper respiratory illness, we can administer a rapid influenza and strep diagnostic tests. As of March, COVID-19 tests are still limited to those with symptoms who have been in an affected area or in contact with someone who tested positive (Pima County Department of Health)
       

    • well patients:  we want patients who are scheduled for well-exams to keep their appointments so they don’t fall behind and are protected from other serious illnesses. As noted above, we have taken all precautions to ensure that patients being seen for well-exams and non-infectious issues (e.g. acne, ADHD med checks, etc) will be seen on a separate side of the office by a dedicated provider and staff who is not seeing sick patients.  

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