CoVID vaccine
How has CoVID-19 changed everything?
Because the pandemic has led to unprecedented disruptions in virtually all aspects of healthcare and life as we know it, it is important to take a moment to understand how this impacts your experience with our team at Mission Pediatrics. The pandemic has brought forth the very best in some people and the very worst in others. Political and sociological divides have fractured relationships and workforce/supply chain deficits have pulverized businesses, including ours. But like a phoenix rising from the ashes, we are resilient and working diligently to recover. We understand you have undergone tremendously stressful experiences, and we seek to treat your situation with understanding and compassion. But we ask you to also be patient with us –knowing we are doing the best we can, given the circumstances. We are legally obligated, and our licensing is dependent upon our following federal, state and local guidelines when it comes to how we operate. Thus, for example, you and your children may be required to wear a mask in the office, have a telemedicine visit or get your temperature checked. We may also have to limit the number of guests who attend a single patient visit or handle fevers differently without your entering an office. These regulations are not negotiable –as our ability to operate depends upon them. We also know that other doctors may not always follow the rules, but we believe it is important to be ethical and honor the law. And for this reason, if you have known or highly suspected CoVID-19 infection, even if it is mild and you are unconcerned about it, you may have to experience a telemedicine triage visit or parking-lot exam as a result. Some patients do not want to have a phone appointment –thinking that they absolutely must be seen in person. Sadly, this may not always the safest option, and when it comes to this matter, it is our decision. Remember that telemedicine is not a way to avoid providing you or your child care; instead, it has been incorporated into the way we do business to allow an advanced care practitioner or doctor to carefully assist in triaging your situation to best determine if you can safely be seen in the office. This is a costly enterprise, and it is just as inconvenient for you as it is for us. But it is the new way we must do business. Your patience and kindness, even if it is inconvenient, is necessary for us to continue a meaningful doctor-patient relationship. If you cannot abide by these expectations, we respectfully ask you seek healthcare at another facility.
Parents are growing fearful and even more mistrusting of even the most basic of childhood vaccines. Some people have emerged from the pandemic with great mistrust of doctors. We understand that the “moving goal posts” of continually changing medical recommendations and conflicting messages from the medical community have contributed to this mistrust. Since our team is composed of parents with children, just like you, we have all lived through the flurry of changing information –just as you have. But it is our job to correct misunderstandings and to rebuild trust where we can. Since CoVID related subjects and discussions have become so unbelievably politically charged, we will be handling the CoVID vaccine and discussions separately. It is our first goal to rebuild trust in the standard regimen of childhood vaccines.