COVID-19 (Coronavirus)
Update: May 31, 2020
In order to protect our most vulnerable patients & team members, masks are now required for patients 2 or older, and their family members. Additionally, we allow one parent per child at the visit. Thank you for helping us keep our communities safe!
Update: April 28, 2020
We are so excited to announce the return of well care to our Apex office.
Dear Favorite Patients:
For the past several weeks we at Cary, Fuquay-Varina, and Apex Pediatrics have been remaining flexible during the ongoing pandemic. We have been trying to anticipate the needs of our patients and our community in remaining open, available for checkups, concern visits, or telehealth visits. When this all began, we were pleased to have the flexibility of making one of ours an office where we saw patients with coughs and fevers, while keeping the remaining offices for well-care only. This has been helpful, but has also meant that hundreds of our patients in our Apex office have had to have their visits cancelled or moved to other offices.
As time has passed, and we have seen a dramatic drop in the number of truly sick patients in our office, we will be changing how we see patients in Apex. Those of you who go to Apex as your medical home know that our space there is like two distinct medical offices connected together with hallways. We have a lot of space there, with few connections between them. This weekend after our Saturday sick office is closed, we will be having industry professionals install hospital grade plastic between our “new” half, and our “old” half in Apex. Our entire office will be extensively and professionally cleaned.
The partition with plastic will create a full hallway in Apex on the “old” side with its own entrance, bathroom, multiple exam rooms, and a dedicated provider and nurse who will staff there all day long. Patients needing to be seen here will not be in any waiting room, and will be brought in directly from their car to an exam room by staff wearing masks. We would respectfully request you also wear masks if possible when you come in for your visit, and bring a minimal number of people with you. Once your visit is done, you will leave directly to your car.
On our “new” side, we will resume care as we have previously, with Dr. Steele, Dr. Johnson, Dr. Bowman, and our wonderful nurse practitioners Shana Bailey and Ali Groesser. This space will remain our checkup area, without sharing of staff or patients each day. It is our hope that by doing this, parents will remain confident that they can bring their children in to any of our offices for checkups, their yearly screenings, immunizations, and relationship building that we value as your medical home.
We also added some additional resources related to caring for your children during COVID-19. There is important information on emergency numbers, locations where children can get free meals, and opportunities to help others through this tough time. You can always visit our A-Z Guide for loads of other resources including how to apply for Medicaid and Nutrition Services.
Update: March 20, 2020
Your doctors and nurse practitioners at Cary/Fuquay/Apex Pediatrics are here for you, not only for medical care, but as a source of reliable and sane information. We suggest you look at COVID-19 information from two perspectives.
- Personal Safety: the vast majority of people infected by COVID-19 will have mild illness, especially children.
- Community Responsibility: the CDC and Health Department are trying to limit spread, or at least slow it down. Self-quarantine, containment areas, and social distancing are being implemented for these purposes.
The best way to stay healthy is by practicing good hand washing, remembering not to touch your face, and staying away from large gatherings. Take advantage of the nicer weather and get outdoors. If you or any one in your family is sick, stay home. When needed, cough into your elbow. If your child is sick, please call us.
Important Office Changes
For the time being, our Apex office will be seeing all the patients that are sick with fever or respiratory symptoms like cough. If you child has one of these complaints, then you will be asked to be seen in the Apex office. This will allow us to have both the Fuquay-Varina and Cary office to see our well patients.
If you child has a rash or other non-respiratory complaints, then they will be seen in Fuquay-Varina or Cary. We very much want to protect the children of our community, while at the same time allow us to provide care for those who are sick. We ask you to please not come to our Fuquay-Varina or Cary offices if you are sick or bring along siblings who may be sick.
We ask for understanding and patience as there may be some last minute cancelation of your children’s appointments so that we can continue to provide the very best and safest care to all of our patients. We encourage you to keep your scheduled well care appointments. Children still need to get physicals and the vaccines that protect them from illnesses much more serious than coronavirus. All of our offices have implemented procedures to keep you safe. We are following appropriate CDC recommendations. We are cleaning intensely and often.
For Your Safety
We are here for you, our community, just as we have been since 1976, and we will continue to be here for you when this pandemic is over. Our providers and staff are taking this very seriously and will continue to be vigilant for our precious families.
So what exactly are we doing?
SCREENING
We are screening extensively for COVID-19 symptoms prior to scheduling our patients.
MONITORING OUR TEAM
We are monitoring our staff daily, recording temperatures, and identifying potential symptoms.
SEPARATING SICK & WELL VISITS
Our Cary and Fuquay-Varina offices are designated as our “well” offices. This protection for our patients is key and helps provide a safer zone. NO ONE WITH COUGH OR FEVER IS ALLOWED IN THE DOORS. If you have these symptoms, you will be directed to our Apex location.
PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT
Beginning this week, all employees who have direct contact with patients in our well offices will be wearing a mask. This is to protect us from potential asymptomatic carriers. You may want prepare your younger children for this. For our sick office in Apex, you will see us in full PPE. Thank you to the many wonderful people and businesses who have donated PPE.
SOCIAL DISTANCING
We are practicing social distancing so that no family should be within six feet of another family. We are also requesting that only one caregiver accompany their child to visits. The only exception to this is for our newborn and two-week-old visits.
TELEHEALTH
We are excited to now be offering telehealth. If you have a concern that you feel can be handled virtually, we are more than happy to schedule that for you. Examples may include: medication checks, rashes, behavior concerns, quarantined families, etc. Our nurses are ready to help make that decision daily with you.
KEEPING YOU INFORMED
We are constantly updating our website with the latest information, sending out email newsletters like this, and posting on our social media sites. (If you don’t already follow us on Instagram or Facebook, you should!)
In short, stay home, stay safe, and if you do need to see us, we are here for you!
Resources
In the lists below you will find our recommendations for accurate and helpful resources.
What else can you do? Shut off the TV and give yourself and your children a break. When possible, keep their schedules normal. If your district is open, send them to school. Look for anxiety symptoms – such as moodiness, trouble sleeping and separation anxiety. Talk to your children about their fears. Reassure them. If you or your kids are feeling stressed or overwhelmed, consider looking at this simple but helpful tool from ImaginAction.
Reliable Web Sites
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
- COVID-19 at HealthyChildren.org
- Coronavirus (COVID-19): How to Talk to Your Child
- ImaginAction
ImaginAction helps you be more in control over how you feel. - COVID-19 Parent & Caregiver Guide
- Meals for Kids During COVID-19 School Closures
- How to Help: Information about Volunteering and Donations
Flu Season
First, and most importantly, we recommend that all children 6 months and older receive the flu vaccine. This is the best and most effective way to prevent your children from getting the flu. If you haven’t already, please call one of our offices to schedule a nurse visit to receive the flu vaccine.
Tamiflu
At this time of year, we receive lots of letters from urgent care clinics in the area stating that a child has been diagnosed with the flu and been given Tamiflu, usually appropriately, but sometimes inappropriately. Tamiflu is ONLY indicated in children 2 weeks and older who have been symptomatic for LESS THAN 48 hours. When given in the first 48 hours of the illness, Tamiflu has been shown to reduce symptoms by only 1-2 days. Therefore, do not expect your child to improve immediately after being given Tamiflu.
After 48 hours, there is no evidence that Tamiflu has been shown to be effective and should’t be given unless your child is critically ill from the flu (meaning your child is in the ICU in the hospital). There are only a few, rare, reasons to give Tamiflu to children who have been exposed to influenza. We can explain those situations to you if this case should arise.
Just like antibiotics, inappropriate use of Tamiflu can lead to increase in resistance, decreasing the effectiveness of Tamiflu. If you have more questions refer to the CDC web site or call our office.
Vaccinations
Our Vaccine Policy
We believe in the effectiveness of vaccines to prevent serious illness and to save lives.
We believe in the safety of our vaccines.
We believe that all children and young adults should receive all of the recommended vaccines according to the schedule published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics.
We believe, based on all available literature, evidence, and current studies, that vaccines do not cause autism or other developmental disabilities.
We believe that thimerosal, a preservative that has been in vaccines for decades and remains in some vaccines, does not cause autism or other developmental disabilities.
We believe that vaccinating children and young adults may be the single most important health-promoting intervention we perform as health care providers, and that you perform as parents/caregivers. The recommended vaccines and their schedule are the results of years and years of scientific study and research, with data gathered on millions of children by thousands of our brightest scientists and physicians.
These things being said, we recognize that there has always been and will likely always be controversy surrounding vaccination.
The vaccine campaign is a victim of its own success. It’s precisely because vaccines are so effective at preventing illness that we even discuss whether or not they should be given. Because of the safety and effectiveness of vaccines, many of you have never seen a child with polio, tetanus, whooping cough, bacterial meningitis, or even chickenpox.
Over the past several years, some people have chosen not to vaccinate their children with the MMR vaccine after publication in Europe of an unfounded suspicion that the vaccine caused autism. This claim was later discredited and retracted. Unfortunately, decreased vaccination rates have resulted in a rise in the number of measles cases across Europe.
Please understand that delaying or “breaking up” vaccines to give one or two at a time over several visits goes against expert recommendations and can put your child at risk for serious illness or even death. Doing these things also goes against our medical advice.
As medical professionals entrusted with the lives of children we believe strongly that vaccinating children on schedule with currently available vaccines is the right thing to do. With rising rates of pertussis being seen in this country we have made the decision here at Cary, Fuquay, and Apex Pediatrics to require our patients to meet certain vaccine standards to be part of the practice. This is to protect the health of your child, our patients, and our community.
Finally, if you should refuse to vaccinate your child despite all our efforts and recommendations, we will ask you to find another health care provider who shares your views.
We write this statement not to scare you, nor to coerce you, but to make you aware of the facts, and to emphasize the importance of vaccinating your child.
Please feel free to discuss any questions or concerns you have about vaccines with any one of our providers. Please also recognize that we will do everything we can to convince you that vaccinating your child according to the recommended schedule is the right thing to do. It is our job to advocate for children and their health is our priority.
TYPICAL VACCINE ADMINISTRATION SCHEDULE:
2 month series (3 shots): Pentacel (DtaP, IPV, HiB), Prevnar, Hep B, and oral Rotateq
4 month series (3 shots): Pentacel (DtaP, IPV, HiB), Prevnar, Hep B, and oral Rotateq
6 month series (3 shots): Pentacel (DtaP, IPV, HiB), Prevnar, Hep B, and oral Rotateq
1 year series (4 shots): MMR, Varivax, Hep A, and Prevnar
15 month series (2 shots): DTaP, HiB
18 month or 2 year (1 shot): Hep A
4-6 years old (2-4 shots depending on combination used): MMR, Varivax, DTaP, IPV
11-12 years old: TdaP, MCV4, HPV (2 doses needed)
16-17 years old: MCV4, Meningitis B (2 doses needed)
To meet our practice standards, the following are required:
1 year standard: Each infant should have 3 doses each of DTaP, IPV, HiB, and Prevnar by 1 year of age.
2 year standard: Each toddler should have the 1 year standard + 1 dose each of MMR, Varivax + boosters of DTaP, HiB, and Prevnar (total of 4 each) by 2 years of age.
6 year standard: Each child should have the 2 year standard + boosters of MMR, Varivax, DTaP and IPV. Note that Hep B is required for Kindergarten entry.
12 year standard: Each child should have the 6 year standard, + TdaP booster and MCV4.
16 – 17 year standard: Each child should have the 12 year standard + MCV4 booster
Vaccination Facts from the Centers for Disease Control
Bear in mind that diseases we vaccinate are not gone. The number of cases of measles last year was more than any single year since the 1990’s; most of the cases in children who have not been vaccinated either because of age or by choice.
See the Downloads list below for fact sheets about each vaccine.
Downloads
- Vaccine Facts and Perspectives
- Baby’s First Vaccines
[en Español]
CDC VIS fact sheet - Chickenpox
[en Español]
CDC VIS fact sheet - Diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis
[en Español]
CDC VIS fact sheet - Haemophilus Type B (Hib)
[en Español]
CDC VIS fact sheet - Hepatitis A
[en Español]
CDC VIS fact sheet - Hepatitis B
[en Español]
CDC VIS fact sheet - HPV (Human Papillomavirus)
[en Español]
CDC VIS fact sheet - 2014 Influenza Inactivated
[en Español]
CDC VIS fact sheet - Meningococcal
[en Español]
CDC VIS fact sheet - Measles, Mumps & Rubella
[en Español]
CDC VIS fact sheet - Polio
[en Español]
CDC VIS fact sheet - Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine
[en Español]
CDC VIS fact sheet - Rotavirus
[en Español]
CDC VIS fact sheet - Td
[en Español]
CDC VIS fact sheet - Tdap
[en Español]
CDC VIS fact sheet
Reliable Web Sites
- CDC vaccine information.
- Vaccinate Your Baby
- Autism Science Foundation
Scientific reports about the association between vaccines and autism - HPV information handout
Our information sheet with information about the HPV vaccine. - HPV Information handout (PDF)
Recommended Reading
- Vaccinating Your Child, Humiston and Good
- What Every Parent Should Know About Vaccines, Offitt & Bell
ADHD
Our office performs ADHD screening for our families and helps them navigate the confusing landscape of ‘attention’ in school and at home. Please call to set up a consult with one of our providers if you or the school has concerns.
Downloads
Reliable Web Sites
- ADDitude
Strategies and support for ADHD and LD
Asthma
Asthma affects one in ten children and is one of the most common chronic diseases of childhood. As a practice, we are committed to helping you and your child control their asthma symptoms so that they can have a normal and active lifestyle.
Our patients with asthma are closely monitored. We will see your child in the office every 6 months at a minimum – At their well child exam, and again six months later. During your visit, your child may undergo pulmonary function testing and you may be asked to complete an Asthma Control Test. These tools help us understand how well your child’s asthma is controlled.
Your child will also have an examination and we will review his/her symptoms and medication use.
Questions on how to use a spacer properly? Check out these videos!