When the office is closed after hours, what should I do if my child is ill or injured?
Any truly life threatening emergency including but not limited to significant bleeding, seizures, severe respiratory distress, cyanosis (turning blue), poisoning, anaphylactic shock, head trauma with loss of consciousness, etc should call 911 or go directly to the nearest emergency room. In non-life threatening situations, we recommend you call the regular office telephone number which will ring through to the answering service. They will have the provider on call contact you and recommend an appropriate course of action which may involve an ER visit, office appointment during regular office hours, or home treatment.
If you do not get a call back from the on-call provider within 30 minutes, please feel free to try again as there may be a technical problem with the pagers or phone system or the provider may be tied up with another emergency.

When the office is open and my child is ill or injured, should I take them to the Emergency Room or to your office?
Any truly life threatening emergency including but not limited to significant bleeding, seizures, severe respiratory distress, cyanosis (turning blue), poisoning, anaphylactic shock, head trauma with loss of consciousness, etc should call 911 or go directly to the nearest emergency room. In non-life threatening situations, we recommend you call the office so that one of our nursing staff can recommend an appropriate course of action which may involve an ER visit, office appointment, or home treatment.
Should you need care urgently and have been unable to reach our office to schedule an appointment, you may present to the office for an acute problem and you will be worked into our schedule. A nurse will assess your child upon his/her arrival to determine if they need to be brought back immediately. However if their need is not emergent, their wait time may be a little longer as we will need to work them in after patients who are already scheduled.

If my child is ill, when should I call the office? When should they be seen in the office?
We cannot write out or tell you what to do for every situation you might encounter. In general it is good to "trust your instincts." That is to say, you should call our office whenever your child is ill or injured to the extent that you think you need medical advice or are nervous, worried, or concerned about their well being. When you call, one of our nursing staff will recommend an appropriate course of action which may involve an ER visit, office appointment, or home treatment. Realize that no web page is a substitute for personal medical care. However, for more information about specific symptoms, you may browse our web page, "The Sick Child" by clicking here.

Why must my child be seen before I can get a strep test (or other labs) or x-rays?
In order to properly and accurately diagnose and treat any patient, they must be seen and examined to 1) confirm the problem and 2) exclude (or treat) possible complications. Only after seeing the patient, can a trained medical professional know which tests are necessary and which x-rays, if any, need to be ordered. Diagnosis over the telephone or without first seeing the patient is at best imprecise and at worst, dangerous.

When my child is ill, can't you just call in antibiotics to the pharmacy? Why must they first be seen in the office?
Most illnesses and fevers in children are caused by viruses, which usually improve with supportive care and do not require antibiotics. Antibiotics have risks that include allergic reactions and other side effects.  The best pediatric care requires that we examine our patients, make an accurate diagnosis, and only then decide if your child needs antibiotics (or other treatment).

Where can I go for more information about specific symptoms?
For questions about specific symptoms of illness or injury, click here.

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