Below you will find links to patient education resources recommended by the providers at Children’s Health Care.
COVID-19 UPDATES:
Updated 8/19/2022:
VACCINES ARE HERE FOR CHILDREN 6 MONTH-4 YEARS OF AGE!
We will be vaccinating children ages 6 months through 4 years of age in our offices during weekend and evening clinics. Clinics will be announced on our social media pages (Facebook and Instagram). As of right now, we will be giving the Moderna vaccine.
If your child receives the vaccine outside of our office, please bring the card to their next appointment so we can record it into their health record.
For information about the vaccine, vaccine safety, and getting the vaccine after Covid-19 infection, please refer to the CDC FAQ page.
To book a vaccine outside of our office, please click HERE to schedule your vaccine or call 211 or 877-211-6277 for assistance. For more information on eligibility and how to schedule an appointment click HERE.
For information about the Covid-19 vaccine and how it works please see this presentation: covid-19 vaccine
COVID ISOLATION AND QUARANTINE PROTOCOLS
The CDC has a covid quarantine and isolation calculator that can help you determine your specific isolation and quarantine requirements.
Click HERE for the calculator.
In summary:
IF YOU TEST POSITIVE FOR COVID-19 (this applies to vaccinated or non-vaccinated individuals): You must isolate for 5 days (day 0 is the day of the positive test) and monitor your symptoms. If you have no symptoms or have been fever free for 24 hours and your symptoms are resolving after 5 days, you may leave your house but must be masked around others through day 10.
IF YOU ARE EXPOSED: You must wear a mask around others for 10 days. The CDC recommends testing on Day 5 after exposure (day 0 is the last day of exposure). You must continue to wear a mask through day 10 even if your test is negative.
If you develop symptoms, test immediately and isolate if even testing is negative.
If a person is continuously exposed to a person who tested positive and cannot be isolated from that person, the exposed person's quarantine does NOT start until the COVID-19 positive person completes their 10-day isolation period.
Please consult our medical library as well as articles we have written on common childhood illnesses and fever. We also provide dosing information for common medications.
Our blog, written by used and for our patients, provides evidence-based information and real-world parenting tips on a variety of parenting topics, mental health and behavioral topics, safety recommendations, and common childhood ailments including headaches, constipation, rashes, and eye conditions and injuries. We also provide information on managing fever and determining the appropriateness of using an ER or Urgent Care. We also have advice, tips, and education on grief, coparenting, traveling with children, and helping a child through a medical appointment or procedure.
Additionally, we provide parents resources on LGBTQAI+ positive parenting, racism and health, medical literacy, and evaluating medical information.
The frequency of visits is intended to make sure your child is developing properly. Below you will find the schedule we follow at Children’s Health Care. We will measure your child’s growth and assess development at every visit. We have also listed the procedures and testing that may occur during your appointment so you can best prepare you child. Please note that additional testing may be done based on your individual child’s needs as determined by your provider.
- 2-4 days After Birth
- 2 Weeks
- 1 Month
- 2 Months: immunizations
- 4 Months: immunizations
- 6 Months: immunizations
- 9 Months: vision exam
- 12 Months: hemoglobin and lead testing, immunizations
- 14 Months: immunizations
- 18 Months: immunizations
- 2 Years: hemoglobin and lead testing, hearing screening
- 3 Years: hemoglobin and lead testing, lipid screening, glucose screening, hearing screening
- 4 Years: hearing and vision screening
- 5 Years: immunizations, hearing and vision screening as needed for Kindergarten entry
- 6 Years: hearing and vision screening
- 7 Years
- 8 Years: hearing and vision screening
- 9 Years
- 10 Years: hearing and vision screening
- 11 -12 Years: hemoglobin, lipid screening, glucose screening, immunizations
- 13 Years: hemoglobin (females)
- 14 Years: hemoglobin (females)
- 15 Years: hemoglobin, lipid screening, glucose screening
- 16 Years: hemoglobin (females), immunizations, vision screen, urine testing (females)
- 17 Years: hemoglobin (females)urine testing (females)
- 18 Years: hemoglobin, lipid screening, glucose screening, immunizations, urine testing (females)
- 19 Years: hemoglobin, lipid screening, glucose screening, urine testing (females)
- 20 Years: hemoglobin, lipid screening, glucose screening, urine testing (females)
- 21 Years: hemoglobin, lipid screening, glucose screening, urine testing (females)
Here are the current car seat laws in Massachusetts.
For more information about car seat, car seat fitting, accessories, and troubleshooting check out:
Navigating a Mental Health Crisis
Crisis Number: 978-521-7777
National Suicide Hotline: 1-800-273-8255
Lahey Behavioral Health Walk In Clinic: 978-620-1250
More information about nutrition and our nutrition services here.
Recommended reading for you and your children: ChopChop Magazine!
Available in both English and Spanish, the award-winning, quarterly magazine offers nutritious, great-tasting, ethnically diverse and inexpensive recipes, as well as interesting and little-known food facts, Q & As and games. Praised for its engaging content by the national press, American Academy of Pediatrics, James Beard Foundation, and Parents’ Choice Foundation, ChopChop is inspiring kids to cook and to be nutritionally curious and literate. This magazine is also recommended and supported by Children’s Hospital of Boston.
FAN Club is a nutrition and fitness club run by MaryBeth Meehan, CPNP out of our Haverhill office. The group runs for 10 weeks at a time, with the girls group every fall and boys group every winter. Each meeting focuses on healthy lifestyle changes. The group exercises together and learns about easy nutritional changes with a new topic and workout weekly. Please call the office to schedule a consult and goal setting appointment with MaryBeth Meehan, CPNP.
Massachusetts Families of Children with Special Needs
Poison Control Website
Poison Control 24-hour Hotline: 1 (800) 222-1222
Healthychildren.org from the American Association of Pediatrics. Download their app on iPhone or Droid.
Barbara Kneeland is our special care coordinator at Children’s Health Care. Her role at CHC is to assist the families of our children* with special or complex health care needs. Although Barbara has a nursing background, her qualifications for this position come largely from her own life experiences parenting a son living with a disability.
Barbara has an extensive knowledge of the services and benefits available to our families and is also available for consultation to assist with special education issues and help families understand the often overwhelming 504 and Individualized Education Plan (IEP) processes.
Contact Our Special Care Coordinator
Phone: (978) 388-7250
Fax: (978) 462-2922
Email: barbara.kneeland@chcmass.com
Hours: Monday – Thursday
Please be aware that Barbara receives a high volume of calls each day. She always does her very best to return calls the same business day but cannot always guarantee this. Your patience is much appreciated! Email is often an easier way for both families and Barbara to communicate. Please do not hesitate to utilize this option.
*Barbara’s services are available exclusively to the patients and families of Children’s Health Care of Newburyport and Haverhill, Massachusetts.
These websites are helpful resources for families with children with special needs.