Vaccine policy One of the best ways to keep your children healthy is to make sure they are up to date on their vaccines. At our practice, we do not accept patients who do not receive their recommended vaccines on the recommended schedule (unless there is a medical contraindication diagnosed by one of our physicians.) This is for the safety of your children, and the safety of our other patients, their families, and our staff. There is nothing more important than the health and safety of your children. That’s why all of the physicians at Pediatric Physicians, PC have always been strong advocates of vaccinations. Making sure the children in our practice are fully vaccinated is the single most important thing we can do to keep your children and our communities safe. This doesn’t just apply to the children who are patients in our practice—it’s just as true for the children of your doctors, and of our staff. Our doctors have 20 of their own children, and 2 grandchildren, all fully and completely vaccinated, on time and on schedule, using the same vaccines we have in our office. Our staff has a combined 52 children and 8 grandchildren, all fully vaccinated. Unfortunately, not all children can be safely vaccinated. We see patients with immune problems, and cancer, and organ transplants—children who can’t be vaccinated. We also see special needs kids and premature babies at special risk for complications from infections. We need to do our absolute best to make sure that our office and waiting rooms are safe for all children, even those who can’t be protected with vaccines. That makes it especially important that every single child who can get their immunizations gets them. On time, to protect all of us. What about delaying vaccines? That’s a very bad idea. It puts your child, and the other children you see in our office, at risk. And there is no evidence whatsoever that delaying vaccines makes them safer. The schedule that we follow is the one backed by science. It’s safe and effective. Anything else is just making it up and hoping for the best. At Pediatric Physicians, PC, we expect every single one of our patients must receive their recommended vaccines on time, following the established safe schedule. For children who for medical reasons cannot do this, we will of course accommodate whatever vaccines are recommended for your individual circumstance. If your child has fallen behind on immunizations, we will be happy to work with you to come up with a schedule to get your child caught up. We encourage families to seek out reliable, honest, and science-based information on vaccines. We’ve listed some good resources below. We also encourage families to discuss questions about vaccine issues and other health matters with our doctors. For families who’ve decided against vaccinations or want to delay vaccinations, we urge you to reconsider. Vaccine-preventable diseases are surging because of these unfounded fears, and you’re putting your children, your children’s friends, and the other children at our practice at risk. This is not a path we can agree on. We cannot accommodate you, and you will be dismissed from our practice. Good resources about vaccinations: Dr. Roy’s blog frequently features vaccine-related news and stories. The Centers for Disease Control features comprehensive and authoritative vaccine information, including Q&As, information on schedules, and details about vaccine side effects and safety. The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, a world-premier facility, hosts this comprehensive site, featuring Common Concerns About Vaccines, Are Vaccines Safe, and A Look at Each Vaccine. A non-profit group, the Immunization Action Coalition, hosts this user-friendly site. Their board of directors includes the biggest names in vaccine research, and their material on vaccine-preventable diseases and sections about vaccine safety concerns are comprehensive and easy to read. For those interested in the history and personalities behind vaccine controversies, this well-documented article reviews how one researcher’s flawed and misleading study led to the current MMR-autism scare. Deadly Choices: How the Anti-vaccine movement threatens us all by Paul Offit. How did anyone come to view vaccines with distrust? The anti-vaccine propagandists have twisted science to scare generations away from one of the safest and most effective public health interventions in the history of mankind. You think their lies won’t affect you? Think again. Pediatric Physicians - Happy, Healthy, Safe