Author: Anderson Hills Pediatrics

We believe the COVID-19 vaccine is an important part in protecting ourselves and others during the pandemic. At this time we are excited to announce that we have received a limited supply of COVID-19 vaccines for patients 5 to 11 years of age, and it has recently been approved for emergency use by the FDA and CDC!

Interested in getting scheduled? Schedule online via the Patient Portal or call our team today (513) 232-8100 option 2 then press 2 again). If you schedule through the patient portal, please schedule your child for 2 appointments 21 days apart for their first and second doses.

• Additional important information to know regarding our COVID-19 Vaccination Clinics:
• Where to go: Once in our parking lots, look for yellow signs dedicated to COVID Vaccine parking and park at one of those spaces. If someone does not come to you, call our team at 513-232-8100 option 7 to let us know you have arrived. We will then direct you into the designated location or provide your vaccine from the comfort of your vehicle as long as weather permits. We may ask that you and your child enter our facilities if cold or inclement weather is an issue.
• How to Dress: Make sure those receiving the vaccine have one arm free of clothing. The best option is a sleeveless or loose short sleeved shirt.
• Observation: Based upon medical history, you will be asked to wait in your vehicle between 15-30 minutes after receiving the vaccine to monitor for side effects.
• Feeling Ill?: If the patient starts to feel ill prior to their appointment, please call and speak to a nurse to determine if we should re-schedule.
• Screening Questions: We are required to ask specific screening questions for patients receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. These can be completed at the time of your arrival or through Phreesia’s pre-visit check-in that will be sent to you via email and/or text.

We look forward to providing your 5-11 year old child with their COVID-19 vaccine soon!

JOIN OUR WAITLIST

The COVID-19 vaccine manufactured by Pfizer is currently seeking Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for patients between the ages of 5 to 11 years, but this is not yet approved. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s vaccine advisory committee is scheduled to meet and make a possible determination later in October. The vaccine the 5 to 11 years age group that is awaiting federal authorization and has gone through clinical trials is a different concentration than the adult version. Children also will receive a different dose.

In an effort to provide the best care to your children, we are currently working to receive these vaccines as soon as they become available. Once we know more, we will also set up times for your child to be scheduled for their vaccine.  Interested in having your patient between the ages of 5-11 be included on our COVID vaccine waitlist? You may do so by clicking the link in the top portion of this email communication.

For more information regarding the  COVID-19 vaccination, we have linked a few additional resources below:

• The Science Behind COVID-19 Vaccines: Parent FAQs
• When Can Children Get The COVID-19 Vaccine?
• Understanding How COVID-19 Vaccines Work

For any additional questions, you can reach out to our triage team at 513-232-8100 or submit your non-urgent question through our patient portal. We also are continuing to provide COVID-19 vaccinations to patients 12 years of age and older. We will continue to provide updates on the COVID-19 vaccine as they become available on our website, Facebook, and Instagram accounts.

Thank you for trusting us with your child’s care!

To our patients and their families,

We are aware of the ongoing evaluation of the COVID-19 vaccine safety data, especially as it relates to the confirmed cases of myocarditis (inflammation of the middle layer of the heart wall) in people ages 12 to 29.

As of June 11th, the CDC had confirmed 323 of these cases approximately 1 week after one of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer or Moderna were received. Most of these cases were reported after the second dose and primarily in males.

Recent Vaccine Data

The data indicates there is a “likely association” between the mRNA-based SARS-CoV-2 vaccines. However, in an article (linked below) by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), they recently stated, “’The facts are clear: this is an extremely rare side effect, and only an exceedingly small number of people will experience it after vaccination,’ health officials and medical organizations said in a statement last Wednesday. ‘Importantly, for the young people who do, most cases are mild, and individuals recover often on their own or with minimal treatment. In addition, we know that myocarditis and pericarditis are much more common if you get COVID-19, and the risks to the heart from COVID-19 infection can be more severe.’”

As of the most recent data and health official feedback, it has been indicated that the benefits of vaccination still far outweigh the risks of myocarditis/pericarditis. The CDC, Department of Health and Human Services, and the American Academy of Pediatrics all continue to support the need for vaccination, even in teen males.

Anderson Hills Pediatrics is also in support of this information and continues to provide the Pfizer vaccine to patients 12 years of age or older.

COVID Vaccine Clinic

Our next vaccine clinics are on July 8th and 9th at our Amelia location from 2:00-4:00PM. We welcome your call to get your child/children scheduled for their vaccine at 513-232-8100.

Sincerely,

Your Anderson Hills Pediatrics Team

Read the Full AAP Article

Resource Article

We have begun providing the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to our patients that are 12 years of age and older. Since the Emergency Use Authorization was approved for younger ages, we have been asked many questions related to the science and safety of the COVID-19 vaccine. Healthy Children, the parenting resource from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has a great article to help answer some of your top questions.

• Covid-19 vaccine FAQs

Additionally, the Ohio Department of Health has put together a FAQ document to help assist parents with COVID-19 vaccine-related questions. We are linking this document for your reference as well.

• Ohio Department of Health COVID-19 Vaccine FAQs

Additional COVID Vaccine Clinics Coming Soon!

The authorization of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for ages 12 and older is a vital step in bringing lifesaving vaccines to children and adolescents. With this recent news, we are excited to be able to provide your child/children with the COVID vaccine in one of our upcoming vaccine clinics.

Summarized below are clinic dates/times that are currently available for scheduling. To ensure all patients receive their second doses timely and to ensure we use our supplies appropriately, we are scheduling patients for their first and second dose as outlined in the clinics below. There is no flexibility to the dates/times.

Clinic 1:

• First Dose on 5/20/21
• Second Dose on 6/10/21
• Available Times: 2:00-5:00PM
• Location: Amelia Office

Clinic 2:

• First Dose on 5/21/21
• Second Dose on 6/11/21
• Available Times: 2:00-5:00PM
• Location: Amelia Office

Clinic 3:

• First Dose on 5/22/21
• Second Dose on 6/12/21
• Available Times: 9:00-12:00pm
• Location: Anderson Office

Clinic 4:

• First Dose on 5/28/21
• Second Dose on 6/18/21
• Available Times: 2:00-5:00 PM
• Location: Amelia Office

Clinic 5:

• First Dose on 5/29/21
• Second Dose on 6/19/21
• Available Times: 9:00-12:00pm
• Location: Anderson Office

Clinic 6: 

• First Dose on 6/4/21
• Second Dose on 6/25/21
• Available Times: 2:00-5:00PM
• Location: Amelia Office

Clinic 7:

• First Dose on 6/5/21
• Second Dose on 6/26/21
• Available Times: 9:00-12:00pm
• Location: Anderson Office

Interested in getting scheduled? Call our team today at 513-232-8100 option 2 then press 2 again or schedule through your patient portal. Note: If you are scheduling on the portal, please only schedule for your first dose based upon the dates listed above. Our team will automatically schedule you/your child for the second dose.

What to Expect during your Visit:

Our COVID-19 Vaccine Clinics will work very similarly to how our Flu Clinics operated in 2020.

• Where to go: Once in our parking lots, look for yellow signs dedicated to Covid Vaccine parking and park at one of those spaces. If someone does not come to you, call our team at 513-232-8100 option 7 to let us know you have arrived. We will then direct you into the designated location or provide your vaccine from the comfort of your vehicle.
• How to Dress: Make sure those receiving the vaccine have one arm free of clothing. The best clothing is sleeveless or loose short sleeved shirt.
  Observation: Based upon medical history, you will be asked to wait in your vehicle between 15-30 minutes after receiving the vaccine to monitor for side effects.
• COVID-19 Vaccines with Other Vaccines: It is now okay to receive other vaccines at the same time as the Covid vaccine if necessary.
• Screening Questions: We are required to ask specific screening questions for patients receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. These will be sent to you through Phreesia prior to or upon arrival to your visit.

Additional Resources Related to the COVID-19 Vaccine:

• HealthyChildren.org: The Science Behind the COVID-19 Vaccine: Parent FAQ’S
• HealthyChildren.org: Getting Your Child Ready for the COVID-19 Vaccine

We look forward to providing you/ your child with your COVID-19 vaccine soon!

This Athena Quick Bill Pay is for payment of balances incurred 04/27/2021 and after. To make Payments for balances prior to 04/27/2021, please call our Billing Office, or send via postal mail. Thank you for your patience in this matter.

What to expect at your next visit…

As part of our commitment to delivering a great patient experience, we are transitioning to our new healthcare technology system tomorrow! We believe this new system will make your access to your child’s health information, appointment scheduling, bill pay, and more much simpler!

We are doing our best to ensure this transition goes as smooth as possible with you. However, we do want to make you aware of a few items to expect over the next few weeks or at your next appointment with us:

• Insurance and Demographic Information: You may be asked through Phreesia or our patient care team to provide key demographic and insurance information at your first visit with us on or after April 27th. A few items we will be asking include updated insurance information, confirmation of allergies and medical histories, the option to upload your child’s photo for their chart, and updated policy confirmations.
• Potential Increased Wait Times: We have reduced our schedules this week in an effort to provide care to you timely. However, you may experience a slightly longer wait than usual as we are learning to navigate the system.
• Website: Our website is changing! We are in the process of updating links on our website for the patient portal, online scheduling, quick bill pay, and virtual visits.
• Patient Portal Sign-Up: If you have not already done so, we will be emailing or helping you at your next visit to sign your child or family up for our new patient portal.

Our new and improved online Patient Portal is almost live! This will be the new place you go to manage your child’s health anytime, anywhere. Schedule appointments, send non-urgent messages, submit controlled substance refill requests, and pay bills online without having to wait on the phone.

A few of the key features we love about our new portal are: 

• Web Scheduling: Schedule or change appointments online 24/7. No phone tag. No hold music. Just a confirmation in 1 minute instead of 8.
• Private Messaging: Communicate privately with us any time of the day or night with secure messaging
• Refill Requests: Request controlled substance prescription refills online without having to take time out of your day.
• Online Bill Pay: Pay your bills with a click instead of a check and save your billing information on file for further use.
• And More! We will be working to add more features in the upcoming months.

How do you sign up for our new portal?

• You will be receiving an email from athenahealth in the near future to set up your new portal account.
• Or, you can see a member of our team at your next appointment to help you register your child/children.

Important Notes!

• Do not submit any messages or requests to the new patient portal prior to our go-live date of April 27th. Any messages or requests submitted prior to that date are unable to be monitored or acted upon.
• Your current patient portal with Medfusion will also cease to exist after April 26th. Should you need to access previous medical records, please call 513-232-8100 option 6.

Our patients are our #1 priority and we are working hard to ensure a seamless transition to our new partner, athenahealth.

We appreciate your patience as we make this update.

First of all, take a deep breath and do not fear.  The likelihood of having a severe complication is extremely low, approximate 1 in a million. As a matter of fact, this is a picture of me receiving the J&J vaccine 4 ½ weeks ago and I am doing quite well and am thrilled that by now I should have very good antibodies against COVID-19.

Why have the FDA and CDC paused the use of the J&J vaccine?

All adverse reactions after vaccines are reported to VAERS. 6 women, ages 18 to 48 years, were reported to have cerebral venous sinus thrombosis after receiving this vaccine. These are blood clots that form in structures called venous sinuses, similar to veins, that drain blood from the brain. All of these events happened between 6 to 13 days after receiving the vaccine. These clots appear to be very similar to the clots reported after the AstraZeneca Covid vaccine licensed in Europe. It appears to involve a response of the patient’s immune system that adversely affects the function of platelets in their blood and by causing a decrease of the number of platelets (thrombocytopenia) due the formation of so-called autoantibodies (antibodies formed against your own platelets).

If you have received this vaccine more than 3 weeks ago, your risk of developing a blood clot is quite low.

If you have received the vaccine in the last 3 weeks AND develop any of these symptoms:

• Severe headache
• Backache
• New neurologic symptoms such as change in vision, fainting, weakness, seizures or symptoms of a stroke
• Severe chest or abdominal pain
• Shortness of breath
• Leg swelling
• Tiny red spots on the skin (petechial) or new or easy bruising
  please seek urgent medical care immediately.  It is important to tell the ED that you have received the J&J vaccine as the treatment for these types of clots is different than the typical treatment of blood clots.

If you have non-urgent questions, please contact our office.

Vaccines:  Children’s is participating in mass vaccination clinics that are scheduled across our region.  The effort is called ‘Get out the Vax’ with clinics on the second and fourth weekends of April and May. Free public transportation to vaccination sites will be available.  The regional goal is to vaccinate 80% of those eligible (age 16 and up) by July 4.  More information is available on the Health Collaborative website —including ALL regional vaccine sites and appointment scheduling on cchmc.org.