Physicians

The page in intended to provide resources for and information about Pediatricians in New York Chapter 2.


Help Kids’ Safe Return to School – Get Caught Up on Recommended Vaccines

COVID-19 disrupted both in-person learning and routine well-child visits for many children over the last year.  As a result, too many children have fallen behind on receiving recommended vaccines1. We all want our kids to be back in school safely, and that means getting caught up on vaccines that were missed over the last year. CDC’s public sector vaccine ordering data show a 14% drop in 2020-2021 compared to 2019, and measles vaccine is down by more than 20%. Kids need to get caught up now so that they are protected as they go back to in-person learning. Catch-up vaccination will require efforts from healthcare systems, health care providers, schools, state and local governments, and families.
Healthcare systems and healthcare providers should:

  • Identify families whose children have missed doses and contact them to schedule appointments
  • Prompt clinicians when these children are seen to deliver vaccines that are due or overdue
  • Let families know what precautions are in place for safe delivery of in-person services

Healthcare provider organizations should:

  • Encourage members to identify and follow up with families whose children have missed doses to get appointments scheduled

Schools and state and local governments agencies should:

  • Send reminders to families about school immunization requirements
  • Follow-up with families of children who are not in compliance with requirements to encourage compliance
  • Use the state’s immunization information system’s reminder-recall capacity to notify families whose children have fallen behind on vaccines

We all should:

  • Communicate directly to families the importance of well-child visits and getting caught up on any recommended vaccines that were missed
  • Help us protect children by doing what you can to get kids caught up on recommended vaccines.

Sincerely,
Nancy Messonnier, MD
Senior Official, CDC COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force Director,
National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases


Post-COVID Immunizations Requirements letter, June 2021


Considering the COVID-19 pandemic, the NYS Education Department is extending the timeframe for students to provide a health examination for school attendance for the 2020-2021 school year.  Effective May 11, 2021 the Board of Regents approved emergency action to amend Commissioner’s Regulations 136.3(b) and (c) for the 2020-2021 school year permitting a student who is unable to obtain a health examination in the required grade due to the COVID19 crisis to have until September 1, 2021 to provide the required health examination to the school.

We encourage schools to communicate this revised timeframe to parents/guardians.  Such communication should inform the parent/guardian that the school district’s director of school health services (a.k.a. medical director) will complete a health examination at the beginning of the 2021-2022 school year for students who do not provide a health examination certificate from a private healthcare provider for the 2020-2021 school year by September 1, 2021.

To assist schools in completing additional health examinations, medical directors may choose to postpone completing health examinations until after December 31, 2021 for students who do not provide a health certificate for the 2021-2022 school year.

Please contact the Office of Student Support Services if you have questions by email at studentsupportservices@nysed.gov or at 518-486-6090.


Heavy Metals in Baby Food


AAP Policy Statement:  The Impact of Racism on Child and Adolescent Health


Coronavirus (COVID-2019) Outbreak –

  • New AAP Red Book Online Resource

Health officials are currently investigating an outbreak of a 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) that began in December 2019 in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, and has now spread to multiple countries, including the United States.

A new entry on this coronavirus outbreak has been added to the Red Book Online Outbreaks section, providing information about the outbreak and its impacts for the pediatric population.  The entry will be regularly updated, and recommendations may change as more is understood about the outbreak.

Overseen by members of the AAP Committee on Infectious Diseases, the Outbreaks section is intended to provide pediatric health care professionals with a quick resource to get up to speed on current outbreaks and how they affect children, along with links to explore further.


Interim Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations for Patients with Known or Patients Under Investigation for 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in a Healthcare Setting


September 21, 2019
Dear NYS AAP – Chapter 2 Members,

This email serves to warn you about anti-vaccination groups that may attempt to create a public disturbance at your offices.

As you may know, earlier this year, New York State passed a law that would eliminate religious exemptions from school vaccination requirements.  Given the outsize leadership role our AAP Chapter played in advocating for, and assisting with passing this legislation, anti-vaccination groups have been targeting our AAP members by protesting their offices, shouting pediatricians down at town halls when they appear with elected officials, and attempting to provoke members while filming them on smartphones for subsequent posting on social media.

These provocations have included yelling statements such as: “You have blood on your hands,” “You have defied your Hippocratic Oath,” “You work for Pharma,” and/or “How does it feel to be a baby-killer!”

Local AAP members have required police escorts to their vehicles and both private practices and hospitals have been targets.  Earlier this week, several anti-vaccination protesters assembled outside the office of a private practice pediatrician who has worked closely with the AAP on advocacy issues.  The group assembled in her parking lot, created a loud public disturbance, and questioned patients who attempted to enter her practice about whether they vaccinate their children.  They distributed anti-vaccination pamphlets to patients and placed them on all cars in the parking lot.  One person did enter the office and claimed to be a potential patient but proceeded to ask questions about whether the practice sees patients with medical exemptions and ‘vaccine injuries.’  We contacted local authorities and have alerted the national AAP office.

Anti-vaxxers claim this is part of an “education campaign” so parents of patients understand what they are “really consenting to” when they permit their child to be vaccinated.

However, it is clear from monitoring anti-vaccine social media groups that anti-vaccination protesters are planning to protest multiple pediatric offices across Brooklyn, Queens, Nassau and Suffolk – specifically targeting pediatricians who do not allow un-vaccinated patients in their practices or who advertise they follow the medically-accepted vaccination schedule.  If anti-vaxxers protest in front of your office, please follow these simple guidelines:

  1. Consider recording their protest using a staff member’s smart phone or similar device.
  2. Do not engage the protesters in any way. Do not approach them. Simply ignoring them is best.
  3. If at any time you feel your safety, the safety of patients and/or staff is threatened, immediately notify the police.
  4. If police are called, do not engage the protesters, let the police do their job and stay inside your office.
  5. Please notify us if this occurs so we can keep track of these events. We are here to assist you in any way possible.

In discussions with the authorities, we expect these protests to continue through Thanksgiving as many children who have appealed medical exemptions will be notified of their decisions near that time.  We then expect protests to shift more towards Albany in January as the next legislative term begins and these groups seek a repeal of the law.

Thank you,

Shetal Shah, MD, FAAP
NYS AAP – Chapter 2 President


Non-medical Vaccine Exemptions FAQ


The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Division of Family and Child Health, Bureau of Early Intervention (BEI) has created an Early Intervention Action Kit with tools for clinicians, childcare providers, and families.  The kit includes referral and health information forms, parent brochures, and other useful information to better inform a referring healthcare provider about the Early Intervention Program (EIP) and know when, how, and whom to refer for evaluation and possible services.  The Action Kit is now available here: https://www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/providers/resources/public-health-action-kits-early-intervention.page.

Hard copies can be obtained by calling 311 and asking for “Early Intervention brochures.”  While this toolkit was created by and for New York City pediatricians, much of the information is relevant to all clinicians throughout New York State.


Do You Have a Family Having Trouble Putting Food on the Table?  SNAP Works. NOEP Helps.

The Nutrition Outreach and Education Program (NOEP) offers free and confidential services to connect hungry New Yorkers with nutrition assistance programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).  SNAP is our nation’s first line of defense against hunger, stretching the monthly food budgets of all who meet program guidelines.  NOEP is available in many counties across the state and throughout all boroughs of New York City.  Find Nutrition Outreach and Education Program (NOEP) coordinators here.


October 30, 2018

The AAP is proud to announce a new resource to the HPV Champion Toolkit: Free downloads of the documentary “Someone You Love: The HPV Epidemic” along with a community viewing guide to help members show this lifesaving film in their practice or community. Narrated by Vanessa Williams, this poignant documentary showcases the lives of five women affected by Human Papillomavirus (HPV), the virus that causes several types of cancer.  Their intimate stories shed light on the risks, myths, and hard truths of this widespread epidemic.  Approximately 80 million Americans currently are infected with HPV and 14 million people become newly infected each year (CDC, 2018).


October 22, 2018

Please read this health advisory with updated information regarding the current measles exposures in New York State.


October 2018

The NYCLU has released our updated Teenagers, Healthcare, and the Law guide book.  The guide has been a critical resource for service providers and minors across the state about their ability to provide and receive confidential sensitive services, including sexual and reproductive healthcare.

Download the guide book here.


June 2018

The NYS Office of Mental Health’s (OMH) will launch the first State-operated intensive outpatient service for Maternal Depression by the end of the month at Hutchings Psychiatric Center in Syracuse.  Additional programs are expected to open later in the-summer.  Additionally, OMH is in the process of making Project TEACH resources specific to maternal depression available statewide.  OMH will also be sponsoring several trainings throughout the summer and fall of 2018 to increase .awareness of maternal depression, symptoms, screening and treatment options.  OMH will provide two Webinars in the months ahead, as well as a conference on Maternal Depression for medical practitioners and mental health professionals in the Fall of 2018.  Read more here.


New Paid Family Leave Webinars for Health Care Providers

Since the January 1, 2018, launch of New York State’s landmark Paid Family Leave benefit, millions of New Yorkers are now eligible for job-protected, paid time off to bond with a newly born, adopted, or fostered child, care for a family member with a serious health condition, or assist loved ones when a family member is deployed abroad on active military service.

Health care providers play a critical role in certifying medical documentation in a timely manner and raising awareness of Paid Family Leave among their patients and their families.

Resources Available to You

Complete details and resources for health care providers are available at ny.gov/PaidFamilyLeave, including request forms, downloadable guides, and more.  You can also call the Paid Family Leave Helpline at (844) 337-6303, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. for more information or assistance.

Paid Family Leave is now live and helping New Yorkers care for their loved ones when they are most needed.  Please join an upcoming webinar to learn how you can help your patients use this important benefit.


Health Barriers to Learning: The Prevalence and Educational Consequences in Disadvantaged Children   https://www.childrenshealthfund.org/hbl-literature-review/ describes the HBLs and the supporting evidence base for their impact on academic success.  It also describes the disproportionate prevalence of HBLs in disadvantaged children, the extent of unmet need for services for identification, management and treatment, and each HBL’s impact on learning.  The report offers recommendations for better identification, management, and treatment of these barriers.


Overview: Small Practice Shared Services Focus Groups


The National Center for Medical Home Implementation (NCMHI) in the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is pleased to announce the launch of its new and improved Web site, www.medicalhomeinfo.org.

The Web site provides pediatric medical home information, tools, and resources for practices and clinicians, specifically pediatricians. Visit the Web site to learn about the following:

  • Education and training opportunities
  • Tools and resources for pediatric medical home implementation
  • Evidence supporting the pediatric medical home model
  • Information about pediatric medical home initiatives in 50 states and the District of Columbia

 

Career Center

We are now able to post opportunities for pediatricians, and are members are able to post their CV’s and search for positions.  Try it out!