This Page is a General Repository for Office Emails and General Communications
9/5/24 - Flu Season is Here - Schedule Your Flu Vaccination
Flu season is here, and our office is eager to help protect you and your family against the flu. Getting a flu vaccination is the single best way to protect against getting the flu—a serious illness that can lead to hospitalization or even death. The flu vaccine is recommended FOR ALL CHILDREN over the age of 6 months. Entire families can be vaccinated if insurance allows (including breastfeeding and pregnant mothers). People 65 years of age and older should get the vaccine from their own physician; that age group requires a higher dose vaccine that we do not stock.
All of the Flu vaccines that we will be administering this year are trivalent (prevent against 3 strains of the flu) and are preservative free. We are only offering Flu SHOTS this year, no mists.
IMPORTANT – PLEASE SEE BELOW!
The CDC recommends getting your Flu vaccines by 10/31/2024. We are offering 3 options to receive your Flu shots for your families this year:
During your normally scheduled well appointment: Just tell the receptionist that you would like to vaccinate your child (and any other family members that you want to add or are present) and we will accommodate. To minimize the number of visits and overall traffic in the office, we ask that you try to get as many family members at the visit as possible to vaccinate the entire family.
Scheduled shot only appointments for your family: The receptionists have our midweek Flu shot schedule and will work to accommodate as much as possible.
SATURDAY FLU CLINIC (RECOMMENDED):
Saturday 10/5/24 – 9am – 4pm (A second clinic will be announced later in the month)
Because of the anticipated high volume of patients, we will not be able to address other medical issues. If you have a medical concern for your child, please make an appointment during our normal scheduled appointment times (Sat 9:00-12:00)
These are Appointment Only – no Walk Ins. These Saturday hours typically fill up very fast, so we recommend scheduling and securing your spot.
We DO NOT recommend getting your child’s Flu shot at a pharmacy. We do not know if they are providing preservative free. They do not have your child’s medical history, and the shots administered will not automatically transfer to our records. The bottom line is that we want to be your medical home and provide continuity of care. We are certain of what we administer and how we do it. We cannot say the same for other outlets.
Whenever possible we will bill the insurance. If we do not participate with the insurance, then the fee (for adults) will be $35. If the parent has a form of Medicaid or an HMO that requires a PCP to be listed, then the parent will have to go to their own physician for the vaccine.
To schedule, just call us at (516) 216-5910
For more information regarding the Flu Vaccine and Vaccine Information Sheets: http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/vis/vis-statements/flu.pdf
7/18/24 - NEW VIRTUAL FOOD ALLERGY SUPPORT GROUP 8/24/24!!
Food allergies can be an extremely challenging thing to manage. We are so lucky that our own nurse manager, Sue Kelly is an expert in the field and has extensive experience in educating and supporting families.
She has graciously offered to create and facilitate a Food Allergy Support Group to provide guidance, education, lifestyle management and simply a support structure with others managing the same challenges.
This is a FREE ZOOM with an expert in the field. Visit our website to learn more and register:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIodOuhrDIoGNbr5wHjmILoiJRfGfk8IeQi
6/17/24 - Lab Results Immediately Visible on the Patient Portal
You may be aware that earlier this year Change Healthcare (one of the biggest healthcare IT providers) suffered a significant cyber attack. While this had NO IMPACT on us, or our patients data, it did knock out the interface for our lab results and patient portal.
We are pleased to announce that our EMR provider and Change Healthcare have rectified the interface. This means that once again, all lab results will be immediately available for viewing on your patient portal as soon as they have resulted. As always, please be sure to read the associated guidance along with results.
If you have any questions, please contact the office (516) 216-5910
5/10/24 - Managing Ticks and Lyme Disease Prevention/Treatment
As we are all spending more time outdoors with Spring (and Summer approaching) we want to share our detailed handout (ENCLOSED) outlining what Lyme Disease is, how to prevent and what to do in the event that you find a tick on your child.
IMPORTANT REMINDER - CALL US IN THE EVENT OF A TICK ON YOUR CHILD. WHEN POSSIBLE, SAFELY REMOVE THE BUG, SAVE IT AND BRING IT INTO THE OFFICE.
**PLEASE DO NOT MAIL ANY TICKS - PLEASE BRING THEM IN PERSON**
5/9/24 - Bring Your Child’s Bathrobe to Your Child’s Check-Up!
Our goal is to always help kids feel as comfortable in our office as possible! Starting around age 4 we typically ask kids to wear a gown for their check-up so the doctor can conduct a thorough exam. We are happy to provide them, however sometimes, we find that they can make kids uncomfortable.
To make your visit easier, we are suggesting that you bring your child's bathrobe with you to your check-ups! They can wear their favorite robe, rather than our clinical gown and hopefully feel a bit more comfortable. Our goal is to provide the best medical care as possible for your family, but your child's experience at our office really matters to us!
5/7/24 - Teen Talk Workshop
We're happy to share the resource below from our friends at Inspiring Wellness. Please click the QR code or go to the URL on the flier to learn more.
Teen Talk provides a virtual platform for middle school students to explore and develop essential social skills while fostering self-love, building self-esteem, and forging meaningful connections with peers, family, and friends.
4/16/24 - Check Up and Form Season Has Arrived!
We are rapidly approaching “Forms Season” forms needed for school, camp etc. We completely understand the stress and pressure of submitting these on time, thus we want to provide clear expectations about our process (see below).
**IMPORTANT - If you child is due for their wellness visit, we CANNOT complete forms until they are seen for their check-up. If you think your child may be due for their visit, PLEASE call ASAP to make their appointment so we can accommodate your schedule needs. If you wait until we are inundated with forms, it will take us longer to complete and return them.**
Forms can be expected to be completed in up to 7 business days. Many practices charge for forms to be completed – we do not
If you need your forms quicker than 7 business days, there is a $20 rush fee
Forms can be submitted by:
Dropping them off in person
By Fax (516) 216-5907
E-mail – info@happyandhealthypediatrics.com
Traditional Mail – 77 Jericho Tpke. Mineola, NY 11501 Ste. 175
Forms can be received back to you by:
Patient Portal, this is the best and most efficient means. Once the forms are completed, they are uploaded to the patient portal. You can access them immediately and print or send from your personal computer!!
Picking them up in person
By Fax
By Mail – please include a self-addressed stamped envelope
DUE TO HIPPA LAWS, FORMS CANNOT BE SENT BACK VIA E-MAIL
Please understand, every form is reviewed and then signed by one of our physicians – it is very time consuming. This process has been developed so we can effectively manage the high volume of forms that we receive.
1/18/24 - For the first time in 3 Years - Now Welcoming New Patients!!
Providing quality, safe and comprehensive care, along with a terrific patient experience is our top priority! To maintain adequate physician availability and access, we stopped accepting new patients and created a waiting list in 2021. With recent updates to staffing and infrastructure in the practice, we are thrilled to be able to begin comfortably welcoming new patients, while creating NO burden on existing patients!
If you, or anyone you know had been waiting, or is looking to join the practice, we recommend calling to register. As in the past, we cannot guarantee how long we will be able to keep this window open. For more information, call (516) 216-5910
For those interested in learning more about Happy and Healthy Pediatrics, we will be hosing a LIVE ZOOM with Dr. Rubin on Saturday, 2/17/24 @ 10:00am. If interested, please visit our website, happyandhealthypediatrics.com or just click the link below:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZItdu2srTMuE9ATEx0n_-6rl_F1RMZf3Zq1#/registration
11/9/23 - Latest CDC guidance on Covid isolation and precautions:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your-health/isolation.html
11/1/23 - As an update to our prior message, we were limited by Moderna, on the amount of the Covid vaccine that we received. Due to a very high demand, we have scheduled all of the initial allocation that we have received. We have additional orders places, however, we are not going to book additional appointment until the orders are received (to eliminate the possibility of having to reschedule you due to supplier delays). We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience, however, we are at the mercy of the supplier.
11/1/23 - We now have the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine that has been approved for children 6 months - 11 years old. For those interested in the vaccine for their children, please call the office to schedule an appointment - (516) 216-5910.
10/11/23 - Due to Increased Demand We have Opened a Second Saturday Flu Clinic
SATURDAY 10/28/23
APPOINTMENT ONLY - CALL SOON AS THESE FILL UP FAST. THERE WILL NOT BE A THIRD SATUDAY CLINIC
These are appointment only – no walk ins. These Saturday hours and these typically fill up very fast, so we recommend scheduling and securing your spot.
To schedule, just call us at (516) 216-5910
10/9/2023 - Important Vaccine Updates:
We have been getting numerous calls regarding availability of 2 new immunizations (the new RSV immunization and the new formulation of the Covid vaccine). Please read below to determine if applicable to you/your child.
RSV (Vaccine Name - Beyfortus) - This is a brand new immunization for newborns up to 8 months of age who are born during, or who are entering their first RSV season (October – March) to protect against RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus). Some children who have high risk conditions may be eligible in their second RSV season from 8-19 months of age.
RSV is a common virus that spreads during fall/winter months. While many children and adults contract this virus often, it can be extremely dangerous and can even life threatening in infants. This new immunization can be a game changer for this age group. For more information, click here: https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2023/p-0803-new-tool-prevent-infant-hospitalization-.html
**We have ordered this vaccine and expect it to arrive over the next few days. As this is a new immunization, we are unsure whether insurance companies are going to cover it. If someone requests this vaccine, we are going to bill your insurance company, however, if it is denied, it will be the patients/parents financial responsibility. Please discuss with your provider during your next visit.
Covid 19 Vaccine – There have been changes to the formulations of all Covid 19 vaccines. For parents who are interested, we will be stocking the Moderna product that provides protection for age groups 6 months – 11 years old. There has been a backlog for this product. We expect to have it in the next 1-2 weeks. It is appropriate to give the Moderna even if your child’s last dose was Pfizer. Your child is eligible if it has been > 8 weeks since their last Covid vaccine.
For more information, click here: https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2023/p0912-COVID-19-Vaccine.html.
We will be communicating again, once we have these vaccines in stock and they are available for administration. We are not scheduling appointments yet, since we don’t know when our shipments will arrive. No need to call just yet just please sit tight until our next e-mail.