Coronavirus Update

The CDC, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Maryland Dept of Health are recommending continuing child and adolescent well care visits according to the standard schedule during the COVID-19 pandemic. As you know, well child visits include important developmental, academic, and mental health screening, monitoring of growth, a thorough physical examination, vision and hearing screening, routine blood work, and vaccinations. If your child is due for a well-baby exam, a check-up, or a sports physical, please call today and schedule.

We are also available to see patients for many other needs. We are generally scheduling all appointments in-person unless there has been direct contact with a COVID+ individual. For those who have had direct contact with a COVID+ individual we will schedule a virtual visit and then if that patient needs to be seen in-person, we see the patient later in the afternoon on the same day in designated “isolation” rooms with air purifiers.

For everyone’s safety, we will be asking screening questions before scheduling appointments in the office. This includes whether you or your child has a fever, cough, sore throat, headache, fatigue, etc., and whether anyone in the house has been exposed to someone with COVID-19, has undergone testing for COVID-19, or is being quarantined for COVID-19. In most cases screening criteria are easily met. If screening criteria are not met, we can evaluate your child by telemedicine, or can reschedule the visit.

Other office policies instituted during the pandemic to reduce viral exposures of our patients, their families, and our staff:

• All appointments must be scheduled in advance. We have cancelled our walk-in hours.
• We ask that everyone coming into our office wears a face-covering or mask that covers the nose, mouth, and chin. Please, no mask with valves.
• Our staff will wear masks for all interactions. Additional protective equipment includes gloves, gowns, and face shields.
• Providers continue to wash their hands frequently and sanitize their stethoscopes and other medical equipment after each patient encounter.
• We continue our practice of thorough room cleaning between all patient visits, frequent cleaning of common areas, and professional cleaning of the entire office at the end of each day. Books, magazines, and toys have been removed from exam rooms to reduce viral transmission.

We thank all our families for their cooperation and for their efforts to keep everyone safe.