06/20/2024
Effective:07/01/2024
Park Avenue Pediatrics, PA Vaccine Policy
At Park Avenue Pediatrics, PA, we are dedicated to serving our patients and families with the best possible acute and preventative medical care. We are committed to practicing medicine in compliance with evidence-based practices established by nationally recognized organizations that include: AAP, CDC, ACIP. We have seen over the past several years seen some outbreaks of various diseases such as Measles, H. Influenzae, Pertussis (Whooping cough) with multiple deaths and the complications from these diseases along with an increasing number of parents refusing immunizations, we have updated our vaccine policy to protect our patients from these serious infections. Park Avenue Pediatrics, PA firmly believes in the effectiveness of vaccines to prevent serious illness. We strongly believe in the safety of nationally approved vaccines. We strongly believe that all children should receive all the required vaccines, as well as, the recommended vaccines according to the schedule published by the Center for Disease Control, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Council on Immunization Practices. As a practice, we firmly believe that vaccinating children and young adults may be one of the most important health promoting interventions we perform as health care providers and that you can provide as parents/caregivers. Recommended vaccines and the schedules are the results of years of scientific study and research on millions of children. Park Avenue Pediatrics, PA has a goal to help parents understand the importance of vaccines and avoid the painful experience of medical complications or death of a child due to vaccine preventable illnesses. We present these facts not to scare or coerce you, but to emphasize the importance of vaccinating your child. Due to vaccinations, most populations have never seen children with polio, Tetanus, whooping cough, bacterial meningitis or chicken pox. The children that are vaccinated decrease the likelihood that the unvaccinated child will contract one of these diseases. As a practice, we understand that some parents may refuse to vaccinate their child despite our best efforts to educate with meaningful intent and scientific data to support our policy. Park Avenue Pediatrics, PA, feels strongly that it is important to provide all our patients with the same level of care and would be unethical to deviate from the established standard of care, which would leave vulnerable children susceptible to potentially deadly infections. We understand that the choice may be an emotional one for some parents. In some cases, we will consider altering the schedule to accommodate parental reservations, as long as child becomes compliant with Core vaccine recommendations by the age of 2 years old. Please understand by not vaccinating your child, we feel you are putting your child at an unnecessary risk for life threatening illness, disability, and even death. We are committed to serve your child’s health needs under the following conditions: as of 07/1/2024, Park Avenue Pediatrics will no longer accept patient families who have no intention of vaccinating their infants. If you are requesting an altered vaccination schedule, we require initiation of vaccinations by the age of 6 months with a plan to complete the primary vaccination series by age two years or start vaccinations within 30 days, in case of older children. Children who establish care after 07/01/2024 and do not comply with above policy will be discharged from the practice with 30 days dismissal notice. We respect a parent’s personal belief and decision-making right for their child. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation of our office policy. Please feel free to schedule additional time to discuss any questions or concerns you have about vaccines with any one of the providers.
PARK AVENUE PEDIATRICS, PA
