Influenza vaccine is recommended for everybody over 6 months of age. In order to protect our youngest infants who are too young to be vaccinated themselves, vaccination is strongly recommended for household contacts of infants under 6 months. Vaccination is also strongly recommended for children younger than 5 years, especially those younger than 2 years, and for children with underlying medical conditions. Patients with asthma, diabetes, heart disease, neurologic conditions, extreme obesity and other conditions are especially at risk for severe influenza and should be vaccinated.
Many people don’t understand what “the flu” is. It is not the vomiting and diarrhea illness that people often refer to as the “stomach flu.” Influenza is a potentially severe illness that often causes fevers of 103-104 for several days with cold symptoms, cough, body aches and other symptoms that makes its victims miserable for days. 193 children died from influenza in the United States last year, and thousands were hospitalized. Influenza often spreads through a community by passing between children at school or elsewhere, who then bring it home and infect their families, often including elderly or medically complex family members who are at high risk of serious illness from the disease.
Influenza vaccine saves lives. Though it is not perfect at preventing disease in every vaccinated person, there is strong evidence that people who do get the flu despite having been vaccinated develop less severe disease than they would have had without the vaccine.
Influenza is starting to rise nationally and in our community. Though we encourage vaccine every year before November, it is NOT TOO LATE! We have plenty of vaccine in the office. Please call our office if you would like to arrange an appointment for your child to receive the vaccine.
We are open 365 days a year so Call Us First before heading to Urgent Care. We are your medical home.
A few reminders to our families with children on ADHD medication:
Patients for whom we prescribe ADHD medication must be seen at least every six months. Many times that will consist of an annual physical and then a medication check 6 months later. Some children need to be seen more frequently, if instructed by your provider. If your child is overdue for an appointment, your provider might require they be seen before additional medication can be sent to your pharmacy.
We ask that all medication refill requests be made with at least 48 hours advance notice. Without this notice, our office cannot guarantee uninterrupted medication refills. Advanced refill requests allow your provider time to review your child’s chart and contact you with any questions or concerns. With frequent medication shortages at pharmacies recently, these advanced refill requests will also help reduce any gaps in filling your child’s medication.
MyChart is a wonderful, streamlined way to request medication refills! You may also send non-urgent questions or updates in regards to your child’s ADHD medication via MyChart. If you do not have an appointment scheduled but your child will be due for an upcoming medication check appointment- you will receive a reminder message via MyChart. Please be sure to check incoming MyChart messages from our office!
We would love to take this opportunity to congratulate our incredible Nutritionist Katelyn Morley (Castro), MS, RD, LDN, CEDS on her recent wedding. As you can see, she is going by Katelyn Morley now.
For more information on Nutrition Services provided by Katelyn, please click here.
To our many, many families who have seen our requests around the office and by email to please complete our questionnaires on MyChart before you come to the office for your appointment! These surveys really do help us to provide better and more efficient care to our patients and families, and they are most helpful when completed prior to your visit. Please reach out to our wonderful team if we can help you in any way with this request.
We are proud to report that the Reach Out and Read organization, of which Framingham Pediatrics has been a member for many years, and on which we reported in a recent Newsletter, has been named a recipient of this honor by New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof. To read more about this honor, click here.
How long have you been at Framingham Pediatrics? 5 years
Favorite ice cream flavor: Coffee
Fun Fact: I went into labor while working with my childhood pediatrician, Dr. Hicks. It was a full circle moment when my daughter became a patient of hers as well.
Favorite Disney movie: Finding Nemo
What is the best part about working at Framingham Pediatrics? Definitely seeing chubby babies and making my coworkers laugh. But on a more serious note, all the doctors are willing to teach and there's something new to learn everyday.