caregiver nasalWelcome to Glendale Pediatrics

We are here to partner with you in the care of your growing family

Click here for resources on how to talk to your kids about racism.

Click here for mental health resources.

IT'S NOT TOO LATE TO GET YOUR FLU VACCINE! If you haven't already scheduled, call now to ensure availability.

We have both quadrivalent, preservative-free injectable and nasal flu vaccines available. 

You can get your flu vaccine when you're in the office for a doctor's visit. Sibs/parents welcome. Or you can make an appointment in the office for a vaccine-only visit.

Anyone with a history of anaphylaxis (severe life-threatening allergic reaction) to eggs will be asked to make an in-office appointment with their doctor for the flu vaccine.

Links for influenza VIS: injectable and nasal. Links for caregiver consent: injectable and nasal.

HOLIDAY SCHEDULE:

Thanksgiving:   close at 4 pm on Wednesday 11/25, remain closed on Thanksgiving, open in the morning only on Friday 11/27 and Saturday 11/28.

Christmas:   open in the morning only on Christmas eve, Thursday 12/24, remain closed on Christmas 12/25 and Saturday 12/26. Will re-open on Monday, 12/28.

New Year's:    open in the morning only on New Year's Eve, Thursday 12/31, remain closed on New Year's Day 1/1 and Saturday 1/2. Will re-open on Monday, 1/4.

WE HAVE A NEW PHYSICIAN ON OUR TEAM!

We are so excited to welcome Dr. Vivian Saavedra to Glendale Pediatrics! Dr. Saavedra comes to us from Children's Hospital Los Angeles, where she was held in high regard, and she rotated through our practice as a pediatric resident. We were impressed with her then and are subsequently thrilled that she is joining our team! She started with us in mid-July. We are booking appointments now with Dr. Saavedra, so feel free to make your next appointment and get to know her!

COVID-19:

We are here for you! You are not alone as we work through this pandemic together. Please consider us a resource for you and your family.

Here are some measures that we have put in place to keep you safe:

1) We have restructured our office days.

All well appointments, vaccines and non-illness appointments are separated by time from our ill visits. We are seeing well appointments from 8am - noon and from 1pm - 3:30 pm. Ill visits will be scheduled after an office break in the later afternoon. We will adjust these hours as the fall/winter demands change needs.

If your child is scheduled for a well visit and has any symptoms of cough, congestion, fever, sore throat or other possible signs of illness, please call us in advance of your appointment.

2) We are working hard to keep the office safe for everybody.

We are all wearing masks and sometimes face shields and requiring you to wear your masks (over your mouth and your nose). We have intensified cleaning protocols and have restructured our waiting rooms to allow for social distancing. You will be asked a series of screening questions and take your temperature when we confirm your appointment and again when you arrive. We are sanitizing pens and clipboards after each use and thoroughly cleaning all surfaces between patients. 

3) We are asking you to follow these guidelines as well:

We are allowing ONE PARENT PER ONE CHILD visits for children over two months of age. To comply with social distancing recommendations, we ask that any other parents/support/family members stay at home or in the car. Also, PLEASE WEAR A MASK OVER YOUR NOSE AND MOUTH AT ALL TIMES IN PUBLIC SPACES, INCLUDING IN OUR EXAM ROOMS.

4) We are offering TELEMEDICINE! 

We are using Doxy.me for these visits - you receive an email invitation from us when you set up your appointment. You can upload a signed consent to your child's portal. A note from our billing staff:  Due to the pandemic, telemedicine visits are paid by every major insurance company. There may be an out-of-pocket responsibility, just as your insurance company requires when you are physically in the office.

5) We will be offering more TELEPHONE care.

Phone consultations that are longer than 5 minutes and that are independent of a concurrent appointment will be billable services and may be submitted to your insurance on your behalf. 

6) We are keeping the waiting rooms moving.

You will enter our office through the waiting room door on the right. Everyone will have their temperatures taken and you will be asked a series of questions before you check in for your appointment. 

Remember, if you or your child has had a fever and/or cough, DO NOT ENTER THE WAITING ROOM. You will be asked to wait in the car until you are cleared to come directly to the back door to be roomed immediately.

7) We are helping to protect our asthmatics.

If you are coming to the office for cough and have an albuterol or levalbuterol inhaler and/or spacer at home, please bring it. We will not be administering nebulizer treatments in the office during the coronavirus pandemic, as this can be an aerosolizing procedure. 

8) We are keeping up with all the newest data and in continual communication with public health experts.

As always, our doctors are committed to excellence in medical care. We are learning constantly, working hard to keep up with the newest information. We are your source of accurate medical information.

Now, a bit of information about novel coronavirus, as we currently know:

This is a new version of coronavirus that our bodies have not seen before, spread by the tiny droplets that come from our coughs, sneezes and saliva. It also appears to be shed through feces for up to 30 days in children. It is stable on a surface for up to many days if not cleaned, but it is easy to kill with appropriate sanitizers. Because our bodies do not have innate immunity to this virus, it is quite contagious, but the spread is dramatically decreased by wearing a mask, good hand washing, not touching your face and social distancing (at least 3-6 feet away from others). It can cause mild or severe disease. Data indicates that the highest risk populations are those over 50, especially with co-morbid conditions such as high blood pressure, but any age can be infected and affected. 

Children can and do get sick from novel coronavirus, but they generally do not tend to get as critically ill as adults. We do not know at this time if kids are catching it at a lower rate than adults or if they are just more likely to be asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic, but they appear to be protected from severe disease much more than adults. 

What about this Kawasaki-like illness associated with COVID-19? Read CHLA's patient information about MIS-c (or PIMS).

We recommend the following precautions to keep you and your family safe:

1) Socially distance and wear a face mask when outside or in public spaces (for kids over 2y, supervised). Assume that you and your children could be contagious, and modify your behavior to protect others. Wearing a mask is a sign of respect and care to others around you, as well as a way to protect yourself.

2) Wash your hands for at least 20-30 seconds, covering all parts. Teach your kids a song to sing. Here's a good hand washing video you can use to learn the basics: proper hand washing.

3) Take your shoes off before you enter the house.

4) Keep updated. We understand that it can be difficult to know what to believe in the rapidly evolving science of this disease, and we are happy to help discuss your questions with you. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is a good place to start: cdc.gov. Also, the Los Angeles Department of Public Health is publishing daily updates on local infection rates: publichealth.lacounty.gov.

5) Be careful within your home if you suspect a household member could have symptoms of COVID-19. The Los Angeles Department of Public Health has instructions listed here: Home isolation.

6) Trying to decide about returning to in-person daycare or school? Click here for a CDC decision-making tool.

What can you do to get through this period of time at home:

1) Make a rough daily schedule for your family. Include some activity/educational time, fun time, play time. Get outside if you are able to do so in a safe way. 

2) Reach out to the isolated. Because our elders are the ones most vulnerable, they will likely be the ones most isolated. FaceTime Grandma! Make cards or videos for your older friends! If you think about someone, reach out to them - you will make their day and will help them to pass the time. 

3) Look for the positive in each day. It's easy, especially with the uncertainty of the world right now, to dwell on our fears. Kids will pick this up and they may show some signs of anxiety. Make a family plan to share things that you're thankful for each day. 

4) If you or your child is exhibiting signs of stress or anxiety during this time, reach out to us. We are here to help. Los Angeles County is offering free access to Headspace (a mindfulness app) until 12/20. 

PORTAL 

We encourage our patients to sign up for the patient portal. Use the portal to: View/print immunization records. Pay your bill. View upcoming appointments, most recent well child physical date, recent weight and height. Upload/download school forms. Communicate via encrypted email with the MDs and staff (non-urgent only). Call our office to ask a staff member to sign up for the Portal. Once you have signed up, you can access our Portal through https://gpeds.pcc.com/portal or by using the button on this website.

GLENDALE PEDIATRICS IS AN ACTIVE MEMBER OF THE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL LOS ANGELES HEALTH NETWORK

We are an active affiliate office of the CHLA Health Network, a network of high quality pediatricians working hard to improve the care of our patients. 

QUESTIONS?

We hope you find this website useful. Please contact us at (818) 246-7260 during business hours with any additional questions you may have.