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Getting our COVID 19 vaccinesSm

Everyone in the Child & Adolescent Health office is vaccinated!

 

COVID-19 virus and vaccine updates 

Dear Families,
 
No doubt you have heard that the FDA and now the CDC, upon the recommendation of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, has approved the Pfizer vaccine for 12-15 year olds. The American Academy of Pediatrics has also endorsed it. Since vaccinations for 16+ have begun over the past several months, we have heard of no serious side effects reported from receiving a COVID-19 vaccine in younger individuals. Please visit this MGB link if you have questions about the vaccine. MGB COVID-19 vaccine information.
 
We are not able to offer the COVID-19 vaccine yet as it is being distributed in larger quantities than we could manage. MGB has dedicated sites that you can access through your patient gateway, which may look like you can schedule it with us, but it redirects you to a MGB site. Other options are CVS, Walgreens and other local pharmacies and state sites thru Mass Covid-19 Vaccine Finder. This is not a plug for CVS but their website has been the easiest recently, Walgreens allows you to schedule as a guest for 12-15+ rather than creating an account that is required for 16+. We also discovered that you can get vaccine 1 in one location, and vaccine 2 elsewhere. So college students or people who may be relocating, in some states, can start the vaccine process.

 

Please note that is not recommended to receive another vaccine within 2 weeks before or after your COVID-19 vaccine, so plan your appointment accordingly. 

You will no doubt hear much controversial information over the coming days/weeks. There is a great deal of misinformation being spread thru some news stations and social media. Remember, we are still flying this plane as we are building it as the saying goes. The medical communities around the world have gathered tremendous data and have learned a great deal over the past year+. Some of this learning just comes with time. So although there have been many changes, they have been the result of things we have learned. Protecting people, especially those most vulnerable, has always been the ultimate goal.
Although not perfect, Massachusetts has continued to be a leader throughout this pandemic in so many ways.
 
Looking forward to a new normal summer!

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Information on the spread of the novel coronavirus is changing daily and may be causing you confusion or concern for your family. Please be assured that Child and Adolescent Health Specialists is closely monitoring the situation and is getting very frequent updates through our Affiliated Pediatrics and Mass General Brigham network , Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Centers for Disease Control (CDC), World Health Organization (WHO) , other physician and health organizations as well as other physicians around the globe.  

LIMITING EXPOSURE TO THE VIRUS

We have implemented many measures at Child and Adolescent Health to try and help limit spread of the virus and continue to review these daily.   The most important mode of transition remains direct close contact with an individual who is contagious with the virus.  As a medical facility, we continue to assess the potential for this to occur in our office, and we are asking for your understanding as we have implemented the following procedures to reduce the risk of exposing our patients or our staff to the disease:

  • All appointment requests regarding any respiratory symptoms (possible COVID-19 symptoms) will need to be reviewed and approved by a nurse or MD in our office before an appointment can be scheduled. Our staff will be taking pertinent information, and then discussing with the clinical team in our office to determine what should happen next. Someone from our office will call you back with a plan. We ask for your patience given the increased number of phone calls we are receiving, and we are working with a reduced staff at the moment.
  • We are conducting triage and telehealth visits, by telephone and video when this is appropriate, including sick visits, Developmental-Behavioral follow up appointments, consultations and therapy, in place of in person visits. We are conducting videocalls with Zoom for Partners Healthcare Providers, which can be done thru your computer or phone app, thru the Patient Gateway. Please test your Gateway account several days before your appointment to make sure you can login for your appointment. Trying to troubleshoot at the time of your appointment takes valuable time from meeting with your provider.  Zoom Visit FAQ's.   Instructions on starting a virtual visit.   Call our office 781-383-8380 if you have not been enabled for Patient Gateway. Copayments and deductibles may apply as they would for in office visits for follow up, consultations, therapy and sick unrelated to Covid-19. Note: So far we know that Anthem and Fidelity do not pay for phone telehealth visits. All Massachusetts plans are allowing telephone visits. If you have an out of state plan or a self funded plan you will need to call and ask if 98966,98967,98698,99441,99442,99443 are covered codes. If not you will have to do a video call.
  • Because you can have mild symptoms or even none, and have the Coronavirus, everyone should remain at home and avoid public spaces, avoid even small family gatherings and play dates, and stay away from anyone who has high risk for complications, to reduce spreading the illness to others. 
  • We request that parents or caregivers who have fever, nasal congestion, sneezing or cough please call us in advance of your child’s appointment so we can assess whether you should be coming to our office as well. If there is no alternate person to bring your child, we will discuss whether rescheduling the appointment would be more appropriate.
  • We are practicing social distancing at our office, asking you to maintain 6 feet distance between other patients and our staff to the extent this is possible.
  • We are reorganizing our scheduling to reduce contact between patients.
  • Any patient/parent or caregiver will be required to wear a mask once you arrive in the office and while you are in the building.
  • We may be contacting you about rescheduling some visits to a future date while we are managing the coronavirus concerns. We appreciate your understanding as this may be inconvenient, but we want to assure you that the safety of your child and our staff is our main concern.

Our ability to remain open and available to care for our patients during this pandemic is our foremost concern, and we are asking everyone to help reduce risk to other patients and our staff.   Please follow all the public health recommendations for “social distancing and good handwashing (through and often for 20 seconds) to reduce spread of this disease. 

It will take the entire country’s effort to reduce spreading this illness, and to protect the most vulnerable individuals among us - older adults, or medically vulnerable individuals among us.

If you have any needs that you can't meet during this time below is a list of resources. Affiliated Pediatric Practices Resourses List.  If you do not find what you need please call us. 781-383-8380.


 Joy wicked local

 O U R   S E R V I C E S

At Child and Adolescent Health Specialists, PC, our physicians believe that the best health-care for children is provided in partnership between families and health professionals. Our team approach to holistic healthcare includes patient and family, your chosen Primary care Physician who will oversee your children's health needs, our Developmental-Behavioral Specialists and Clinicians when needed, and our clinical and administrative support staff, to assure all your children's needs are met in a coordinated manner, on an ongoing basis. 

We value your insight and perspective as a parent. Therefore, we are committed to fostering open communication and mutual respect. We are dedicated to exceeding your expectations.

We are proud to have achieved PCMH and Mass Behavioral Integration Distinction in 2018, to serve the needs of our patients throughout the South Shore in Cohasset, Hull, Hingham, Weymouth and Quincy, to Scituate, Norwell, Duxbury, Kingston, Marshfield, Pembroke up to the Bridgewaters. Our specialists see patients from local area towns, as well as Cape Cod, Plymouth, Carver, up to Mansfield, and Brockton area towns. 

Child and Adolescent Health Specialists is proud to be affiliated with Affiliated Pediatric Practices. APP is a group of pediatricians who came together to share best practices and expertise to provide the highest quality care to children. This affiliation also allows us inside access to Specialists in the MGHfC and Partners Healthcare Network. We look forward to continuing to grow and improve with their expertise and our partnerships with our families. 

  • General Pediatrics and Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics
  • An inviting, child-friendly, state-of-the-art office environment
  • Convenient office hours Mon-Sat with early morning, evening and every Saturday appointments
  • Access to one of our pediatricians available 24/7 - Call our main number 781-383-8380 after hours or Holidays to reach the physician on call
  • Specialization in developmental, behavioral and mood disorders, and learning problems
  • CIC Trained Healthcare Providers in Concussion Management and ImPACT testing
  • On-site behavioral health clinicians and speech therapists
  • Referral and Cordination of patient healthcare needs by your Primary Care Physician, with appropriate area specialists
  • X-ray, lab, children's dentistry, adult medical and dental offices, and physical therapy in our building

Health Care Billing 101
Each year brings about changes in insurance coverage. Please review our Healthcare Billing 101 to understand how insurance billing works in our office. We want to make sure you aren't surprised to discover that you have to pay for your appointment because your insurance is not correct.

 

Please click on this link to read about our Privacy Practices

Please click on this link to read our Policy for Divorced Parents/Custody Issues.

Our Affiliations

Our doctors are pleased to be on the staff of South Shore Hospital as well as members of the Affiliated Pediatric Practices with  Mass General  Brigham Hospital. South Shore Hospital is the largest and most comprehensive health care facility in the region. Additionally, our doctors will coordinate care with Massachusetts General Hospital for Children, Boston Children’s Hospital, and Tufts Medical Center and other appropriate specialists for additional subspecialty services.

 

Office Hours

(Hours subject to change)
Monday: 8:00am – 5:00pm
Tuesday: 8:00am – 5:30pm
Wednesday: 8:00am – 5:30pm
Thursday: 8:00am – 6:30pm
Friday: 8:00am – 5:30pm
Saturday: 8:30am – 12:00pm

Summer Office Hours

(Hours subject to change)
Monday: 8:00am – 5:00pm
Tuesday: 8:00am – 5:00pm
Wednesday: 8:00am – 5:00pm
Thursday: 8:00am – 6:00pm
Friday: 8:00am – 5:00pm
Saturday: 8:00am – 12:00pm