Current News
The Kidz Docs, a healthcare facility that serves all children - including high-risk children - is still requiring masks in our office at all times for patients 2yrs and up. Thank you for your help in keeping our office a safe place for all patients.
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Thanksgiving Office Hours
Wed, Nov 23: 7:30a-noon
Thurs, Nov 24: closed
Friday, Nov 25: 7:30a-noon
On Saturday, Nov 26, we will resume our regular business hours. As always, there is a doctor on call for emergencies 24/7.
Our office has partnered with Hello Pediatrics to provide expanded telehealth urgent care appointments. This Thanksgiving weekend, Hello Pediatrics will have doctors available for telehealth appts the following hours:
Wed, Nov 23: 5p-10p
Thurs, Nov 24: noon-10p
Friday, Nov 25: noon-10p
On Saturday, Nov 26, Hello Pediatrics will resume regular business hours.
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November 2022
There is a nationwide wave of respiratory viruses, including RSV, influenza, and COVID. Our sick appointments are filling early in the day - please call at 7:30a if you would like your child to be seen for a sick appointment. Our community partners at Hello Peds (telehealth) and PM Peds (urgent care) are also good options for sick appointments. For more on the crisis in pediatric healthcare, please see the following from our American Academy of Pediatrics president: Moira Szilagyi, MD, PhD, FAAP.
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September 2022: Updates
The flu vaccine is here! Please call or send a portal message to schedule your child's flu vaccine appointment. In addition to our regular indoor flu vaccine clinics, we will have three "Saturday drive thru" clinics on Sept 24, Oct 1, and Oct 8 - we expect these appointment slots to fill quickly.
The updated COVID-19 bivalent booster was approved by the FDA for ages 12yrs and up. The updated booster is recommended for patients who have completed their original COVID vaccine series, and are at least 2 months out from their last vaccine/booster. (Updated vaccines for younger children are expected later this fall/winter.) Patients 12yrs and older can call or send a portal message to schedule their bivalent booster vaccine.
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July 2022: Updates
Dr. Shen is retiring from clinical work on August 1, 2022. Please join us in thanking her for her 25 years of service to the the children of our community. Please see the note below from Dr. Shen:
"It has been an honor for me to care for so many families at The Kidz Docs for the past 25 years. Although I am looking forward to my post-retirement plans, I will miss the families here very much. - Cindy Shen, M.D."
Starting Thursday, July 7, The Kidz Docs will be using a new service, Phreesia, to help make checking in to your appointments easier. You can check-in from any smartphone, tablet or computer - and from the privacy of your own home. Please double check on the patient portal that we have your current e-mail address and phone number, and you can use mobile check-in at your next appointment. The first time you check in with Phreesia, it may take a few extra minutes to fill in your information - please take the time to do this before arriving for your appointment.
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Appointments Available - Moderna COVID Vaccine (6mos-5yrs) Update: 6/30/2022
Vaccination for our youngest patients has begun! Our second shipment of Moderna COVID vaccine for kids 6mos-5yrs is here, earlier than expected! We have opened up vaccine clinics on Tuesdays and Fridays. Please call our office to schedule an appointment.
There are additional sites in the community:
Fairfax County Health Dept: http://ow.ly/jG8y50JCEYY
Alexandria City Health Dept: www.alexandriava.gov/Vaccines
Arlington County Health Dept: www.arlingtonva.us/Government/Programs/Health/COVID-19/COVID-19-Vaccine/COVID-19-Vaccine-Clinic-Registration
DC residents: https://mayor.dc.gov/release/mayor-bowser-and-dc-health-announce-covid-19-vaccines-infants-and-children-6-months-and
Montgomery County Health Dept:
https://montgomerycountymd.gov/covid19/vaccine/
Prince George’s County Health Dept:
www.princegeorgescountymd.gov/3730/COVID-19-Vaccine
Children 3yrs and above: www.walgreens.com/findcare/vaccination/covid/19/landing
Children 18mos and above: www.cvs.com/minuteclinic/services/covid-19-vaccine
Nation-wide vaccine locator: Vaccines.gov
There are 2 vaccines available: Pfizer (3-dose) and Moderna (2-dose). Whichever vaccine you start with, you must continue with the same one for the whole series. The Kidz Docs plans to continue with the Moderna vaccine for this age group.
Questions about the safety and efficacy of the vaccines? Check out the following resources:
AAP Healthy Children: healthychildren.org/English/tips-tools/ask-the-pediatrician/Pages/what-should-parents-know-about-the-covid-vaccine-for-kids-under-5.aspx
CHOP Vaccine Education Center: /www.chop.edu/news/health-tips/should-my-child-get-covid-19-vaccine
Your Local Epidemiologist: yourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com/p/fda-meeting-for-5-covid-vaccine-q
If you have a direct, specific question about the COVID vaccine, please send a message to our doctors/NPs via the patient portal. If you'd like to have a discussion about the COVID vaccine with one of our doctors or NPs, please call or request a televisit consult appointment - this way, we can be sure to have time to thoroughly address your questions or concerns.
Vaccines for patients aged 6mos-5yrs were unanimously approved by expert committees advising the FDA and CDC. Both agencies have approved the vaccine. It is recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics, and all your Kidz Docs doctors and NPs!
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Infant formula shortage (updated 5/18/2022)
We know that many of our families with young infants are struggling to find enough formula.
Please see the links below for some helpful information on navigating this situation. In addition, we are working with formula companies to increase the number of samples in our office. If you are currently out of formula, or will run out in the next 2 days, please contact us as we are prioritizing our current samples for these emergent situations.
http://www.healthychildren.org/.../Are-there-shortages-of...
www.hhs.gov/formula/index.html
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Sick appointments are available daily by appointment (no walk-ins), both in-person and via telehealth. All patients and family members 2 yrs and above are asked to wear a face covering. For more information about how we are responding to the pandemic and keeping our staff and you safe, please visit our COVID-19 page.
The current public health emergency is extremely fluid, and we continue to adjust our schedule and procedures to align with the current guidelines. Thank you all for your flexibility as we work to keep our staff and patients safe and healthy! As this situation continues to unfold, we plan to be here for you through it all.
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Email Address: Please use [email protected] if you need to email us any forms for completion.
We invite you to take a few moments to browse our website and familiarize yourself with our practice. We hope that it will serve as a valuable resource for you. You'll find all of the helpful information you need about our practice including sport physical, child immunizations, well child care exams, our doctor and nurse practitioner bios, service details, directions to our office, and new patient forms.
The Kidz Docs looks forward to walking alongside you as you guide your child along a path of optimal health and wellness.
