H1N1 Vaccines, New Thursday Walk-In Hours, and Other Notes

H1N1 Vaccine Update: Kids Between ages 6 mos and 35 mos old

• We have H1N1 vaccine for children of this age!
• If your child has not been scheduled for this vaccine yet, you may call and schedule them with the front desk
  
• Booster doses for this age group are available as well, and will be until we run out of vaccine; this second dose is recommended 3-4 weeks after the first dose is given
• The CDC estimates that for children of this age, 30% of children are fully protected after 1 dose of vaccine, while approximately 95% are fully protected after the second dose of vaccine

H1N1 Vaccine Update: School-Aged Kids

• The Winnetka School District has announced its vaccination plan for kids ages kindergarten-8th grade: http://www.winnetka36.org/newsfeed.php?ID=6619
• We do recommend the H1N1 vaccine for this age group
• As a reminder, booster doses are recommended 3-4 weeks after the first dose is given for all kids under age 10
• For children not in the Winnetka School District, a reminder that vaccine is available through Skokie, as mentioned previously in this newsletter
  

Office Hours/ Walk-Ins

• In the past, we have not offered walk-ins on Thursday mornings, and have opened the office at 9 AM on those days
• During this busy winter season of December and January, we have adjusted our hours as follows: we have added walk-in hours from 8:30-10 AM on Thursdays
  
• Thus, we will now offer walk-in hours starting at 8:30 AM every day Monday-Friday during December and January on a trial basis to see if this is helpful for you all -- our patients!!

Seasonal Flu Vaccine

• We anticipate getting our next shipment of this vaccine sometime this week, so we hope this will be available soon
• We will update this blog once it is available!!
  

Well Visits: A reminder

• Just as a reminder, the schedule for well-child visits, as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics is as follows
  
• infants: 1 month, 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 9 months, 12 months
• toddler: 15 months, 18 months, 2 yrs, 2.5 yrs, 3 yrs
• after age 3: once yearly every year through age 18 (this has changed from previous, and is different from what was formerly posted on our website!)