Vaccines prevent serious illness and save lives. 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.
Vaccines are safe, effective, and save lives. We no longer accept new families who do not plan to immunize their children. Parents of current patients who are not adequately vaccinated will be asked to formulate a plan, in consultation with their pediatrician, to immunize their children.
Based on all available literature, evidence and current studies, vaccines do not cause autism or other developmental disabilities.
Vaccines prevent serious illness and save lives. 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. 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. The recommended vaccination schedule is the direct result of decades of extensive scientific research, data collection and analysis by our brightest scientists and physicians.
The vaccine campaign is truly a victim of its own success. It is precisely because vaccines are so effective at preventing illness that we are even discussing whether or not they should be given. Many parents have never seen a child with polio, tetanus, whooping cough, bacterial meningitis, or even chickenpox. Moreover, they are unlikely to have ever known a friend or family member whose child died of one of these diseases. Such success can make us complacent or even uninformed about the importance of vaccinating. Such an attitude, if it becomes widespread, can only lead to tragic results.
Some children in our practice are too young to be immunized, or have other medical conditions that leave their immune systems weak. These children rely on the protection that is derived from their close contacts receiving their immunizations, also known as “herd immunity.” Parents who choose not to immunize or under-immunize their children not only put their own children at risk, but jeopardize the health of our most vulnerable patients. Recently we have been experiencing the consequences of parents not immunizing their children. We are witnessing outbreaks of measles and whooping cough, which are potentially deadly illnesses that were once nearly eradicated in the United States.
We are making you aware of these facts not to scare 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 help you understand that vaccinating according to the schedule is in your child’s best interest. However, if you still have doubts, please discuss these with your primary doctor. In some cases, we may alter the schedule to accommodate parental concerns or reservations so long as the minimum requirements are met. Such additional visits may require additional co-pays on your part. Furthermore, please realize that you may be required to sign a “Refusal to Vaccinate” acknowledgement in the event of lengthy delays.
As medical professionals, we feel very strongly that vaccinating children on schedule with currently available vaccines is absolutely the best thing to do for all children and young adults. Each doctor at this practice has immunized their own children according to the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended schedule.
Thank you for your time in reading this policy. Please feel free to discuss any questions or concerns you may have about vaccines with your pediatrician.
POMONA PEDIATRICS IMMUNIZATION HIGHLIGHTS
- First MMR (measles/mumps/rubella) received before 2 years
- First Varicella (chicken pox) vaccines received before 2 years
- DTaP (diphtheria/tetanus/pertussis) vaccine four doses before 2 years
- PCV-13 (pneumococcal) vaccine four doses before 2 years
- Hib (Haemophilus influenza type B) vaccine four doses before 2 year
- Children over the age of 2 have different minimum requirements. Ask your doctor.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
