Vaccine Info

Vaccines save lives! We strongly recommend immunizations.   We follow CDC and AAP guidelines and do not recommend any delays or omissions in immunizations. However, should you have any doubts please discuss these with our health care provide in ADVANCE of your visit.

Why so many vaccines? click here for an explanation

• We firmly believe in the effectiveness of vaccines to prevent serious illness and to save lives.
• We firmly believe in the safety of our vaccines.
• We firmly believe that all children and young adults should receive all of the recommended vaccines according to the schedule published by the Centers for Disease Control and the American Academy of Pediatrics.
• We firmly believe, based on all available literature, evidence and current studies, that vaccines do not cause autism or other developmental disabilities.
• We firmly believe that vaccinating children and young adults may be the single most important health-promoting intervention we perform as health care providers, and that you can perform as parents/caregivers. The recommended vaccines and their schedule given are the results of years and years of scientific study and data gathering on millions of children by thousands of our brightest scientists and physicians.

Because of vaccines, many of you have never seen a child with smallpox, polio, tetanus, whooping cough, bacterial meningitis or even chickenpox, or known a friend or family member whose child died of one of these diseases. Such success can make us complacent or even lazy about vaccinating. But such an attitude, if it becomes widespread, can only lead to tragic results.

We are making you aware of these facts not to scare you or coerce you, but to emphasize the importance of vaccinating your child. We recognize that the choice may be a very emotional one for some parents. We will do everything we can to convince you that vaccinating according to the schedule is the right thing to do. However, should you have doubts, please discuss these with your health care provider in advance of your visit.

Please be advised, that delaying or “breaking up the vaccines” to give one or two at a time over two or more visits goes against expert recommendations, and can put your child at risk for serious illness (or even death) and goes against our medical advice as providers at Well-Being Pediatrics. Furthermore, please realize that you will be required to sign a “Refusal to Vaccinate” acknowledgement in the event of lengthy delays.

Finally, if you should absolutely refuse to vaccinate your child despite all our efforts, we will ask you to find another health care provider who shares your views. We do not keep a list of such providers nor would we recommend any such physician. Please recognize that by not vaccinating you are putting your child and other children at unnecessary risk for life-threatening illness and disability, and even death.

Vaccinating on schedule is the best way to protect your child. Effective immediately, we require all patients to begin vaccination by 104 days of age, and to be on schedule at 23 months. Older children must stay on schedule to remain as patients.

If your children are currently patients at Well-Being Pediatrics and are not on schedule, you are asked to begin a catchup program and sign this statement letter indicating your intent to comply. We are allowing a grace period of 90 days beginning 3/1/16 for you to catch up. If your child is not on schedule by 6/1/16 we will no longer be able to provide care for them.

If you are committed to withholding recommended vaccines, you have 30 days, from the date of this letter, to find a new pediatrician/pediatric practice for your child. During those 30 days we will see your child for illness only.

We recognize that there has always been and will likely always be controversy surrounding vaccination. As medical professionals, we feel very strongly that vaccinating children on schedule with currently available vaccines is absolutely the right thing to do for all children and young adults. Thank you for your time in reading this policy, and please feel free to discuss any questions or concerns you may have about vaccines with any one of us.

Sincerely,
Well-Being Pediatrics