August 2026 Community Courier

Pediatric Associates

August Community Courier

Latest News

Let's Celebrate 5 years with Brady Baker

Please join us in celebrating Brady Baker, PA-C on his 5th anniversary with Pediatric Associates! Since joining our team, Brady has become a favorite among patients and families for his thoroughness, compassion, and sincere commitment to providing exceptional care. In addition to caring for children in the office, Brady serves on our IT Committee, where he brings innovative ideas that help us better connect with and serve our patients. He is also passionate about mentoring the next generation of healthcare providers, frequently welcoming physician assistant students from Mount St. Joseph University to learn alongside him. Thank you, Brady, for your dedication to our patients, your commitment to excellence, and the many ways you help make Pediatric Associates a better place. Congratulations on five wonderful years!

Employee Anniversary

This month we are celebrating Kathy Stanken being with us for 25 years! Many of you will recognize her smiling face from the Front Desk at our Union/Florence office. Her commitment and dedication have made a big impact here at Pediatric Associates. We are so grateful for everything she has given us these past 25 years and are incredibly lucky to have her on our team.

Labor Day Holiday

Pediatric Associates will be closed at all locations on Monday, September 7th due to Labor Day. We will have regular Saturday hours on September 5 for ill visits. As always, a provider will be available for emergency phone calls on September 7.

Our Childhood Immunization Recommendations Remain the Same

We understand that this may be a confusing time for parents, with conflicting messages and a great deal of information being shared about childhood vaccines. At Pediatric Associates, our recommendations for routine childhood immunizations and the recommended vaccine schedule have not changed. There is no new scientific evidence showing that recommended vaccines cause or are linked to autism, and there is no evidence that separating or delaying vaccines reduces the risk of side effects. In contrast, there is very strong evidence supporting the safety and effectiveness of giving vaccines in the combinations and at the ages recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

We remain confident that following the recommended childhood immunization schedule is the safest and most effective way to protect your child from serious, preventable illnesses. As always, we encourage you to talk with your child’s provider if you have questions or concerns about vaccines.

Back to School Physicals and Paperwork

If your child needs a sports physical or school physical for fall, please call today to schedule!

If your child had a well visit within 13 months of the start of school/sports, but needs forms, you can contact us the following ways:

For records only:

You can request to pick up Immunization Records and School Physical forms through our online portal or by calling 859-341-5400 and pressing "4" for medical records.

For paperwork that needs to be filled out or reviewed by us (such as school medication administration forms or sports physical forms):

You can email the completed form to medical records at records@pediatricassociatesnky.com) or drop it off at one of the offices. Please make sure all medication dosages are entered for medication forms and all items on the "History Form" are completed for sports physicals before sending.

Please allow 2-3 business days for records or form completion.

Flu Vaccine Available Now

Flu vaccine is available in any of our offices. We will offer flu vaccine at well visits for children 6 months and up beginning this month. Parents and household members can also receive flu vaccine in our office during their child's appointment, but please CALL AHEAD to ensure we can accept your insurance.

Besides giving vaccines at well or ill appointments, we also have flu clinics scheduled for this fall. We will have Saturday morning clinics at our Crestview Hills location on September 12, October 17and November 7. Patients ages 6 months and up can be SELF SCHEDULED on the portal, or by calling our office, but we ask parents/nonpatient household members CALL TO SCHEDULE for the insurance verification. A limited number of weekday nurse visits will also be available for flu shot scheduling.

The annual flu vaccination is a safe and effective way for people 6 months and older to prevent severe illness, hospitalization, and death from the flu virus. Schedule now to be sure you get the day and time that is best for you.

ADHD Medication for Back to School

As the new school year starts, now is the perfect time to schedule your child's ADHD follow-up appointment if one is due. We typically see our patients with ADHD every 3 to 6 months, depending on their individual needs, and staying on schedule helps ensure your child is set up for success when classes begin.

If your child needs an ADHD medication refill, please call our office well in advance to submit your request. These medications require careful review and cannot always be processed same-day and may require an appointment, so please avoid waiting until the last minute. Planning ahead helps us help your child start the school year on the right foot!

Other News

The Latest Research on Exercise and ADHD

Growing research continues to show that regular exercise is one of the most effective lifestyle tools for helping children with ADHD. Physical activity naturally boosts the same brain chemicals targeted by many ADHD medications, dopamine and norepinephrine, while also increasing brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a protein that supports learning, memory, and healthy brain development. Large research reviews have found that exercising at least 3–5 times per week can improve attention, reduce hyperactivity and impulsivity, strengthen executive functioning, and even enhance mood and social skills. Even a single 30-minute session of moderate exercise has been shown to provide short-term improvements in focus and self-control.

The best exercise is the one your child enjoys and will continue doing, whether it's biking, swimming, martial arts, team sports, or simply playing outside. Consistency matters more than intensity, and making movement a regular part of family life helps children develop healthy habits that last. To read the full article, including practical tips and a breakdown of the latest research, visit our blog: The Latest Research on Exercise and ADHD.

Self Scheduling for Well Visits!

We are excited to introduce self scheduling via our portal for WELL CHECK UPS! We know that life is busy and sometimes scheduling your child’s well visit is best to do when you are thinking of it, even if that is after our regular office hours. On the portal go to the Appointments tab and look in the top right corner for the New Appointment tab. You can schedule for our flu clinics this same way.

Portal access is necessary for this feature. If you would like to enroll in the portal, send an email to portalhelp@pediatricassociatesnky.com. If your child has chronic healthcare needs or ongoing prescription needs, it will still be best to call to schedule well visits to ensure we schedule the optimal amount of time.

Pediatric Associates
2865 Chancellor Dr.
STE 225
Crestview Hills, Ky. 41017
859-341-5400

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February 26 Community Courier

March 7, 2026

Dr. Cindy Spicker is Retiring

March 7, 2026

After 35 years of holding tiny babies, reassuring new parents, and watching generations of children grow, I am stepping away from my pediatric career with a full heart. After much reflection, I will be retiring on July 1, 2026. Being a pediatrician is a calling like no other. To play even a small role in shaping our future has been the honor of a lifetime. I have been especially fortunate to spend most of my career at Pediatric Associates of NKy. Throughout my 31 years here, I have had the privilege of working alongside many intelligent, compassionate and deeply dedicated colleagues. Our office truly feels like a family. We celebrate milestones together, support one another through challenges, and share a common purpose: providing the best possible care for our patients and their families One of the greatest joys of pediatrics is the continuity—caring for patients as they grow from newborns into confident young adults. There is something profoundly special about watching a child you once held in your arms return years later as a parent, trusting you to care for their own newborn. Moments like these are gentle reminders of the deep relationships and lasting connections that make this profession so meaningful. In addition to providing direct patient care, it has been a privilege to help train future medical providers by mentoring young adults early in their journeys. Seeing them grow into compassionate professionals has been incredibly rewarding. I am deeply thankful for my husband and our three children, who supported me unconditionally throughout the years, even when the demands of my work meant time away from home. Their love, patience, and encouragement made this journey possible. As I close this chapter, I do so with immense gratitude—for the families who entrusted me with their children’s care, for the colleagues who became lifelong friends and for a career that has given me more joy and purpose than I ever could have imagined. I will carry your stories and smiles with me always. Fondly, CINDY SPICKER

MYTH OF THE MONTH: "RAW MILK IS BETTER THAN PASTEURIZED MILK"

March 7, 2026

Raw (unpasteurized) milk is sometimes marketed as a more “natural” or more nutritious alternative to pasteurized milk. But the idea that raw milk is healthier doesn’t hold up well when you look at safety and nutrition evidence. What pasteurization means: Pasteurization is a process in which milk is heated to a specific temperature for a specific amount of time and then rapidly cooled in order to kill harmful bacteria and reduce the risk of foodborne illness. Raw (unpasteurized) milk can carry dangerous bacteria. Because it has not been treated to kill harmful microbes, raw milk can lead to infections from Campylobacter, Brucella, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella, and E. coli. These infections can be serious even in otherwise healthy people, and raw milk exposure can be particularly harmful to children. Certain types of E. coli can cause life‑threatening kidney disease in children. Even healthy older children can develop severe diarrhea and dehydration from these bacterial infections. Some of these bacteria are especially dangerous during pregnancy. For example, infections such as Listeria monocytogenes can be passed from a pregnant person to the unborn infant and may result in birth defects, miscarriage, stillbirth, or serious infection in the newborn. Key nutrients are mostly unchanged: A common claim is that pasteurization “destroys” the nutritional value of milk. However, multiple studies have shown that pasteurized milk contains essentially equivalent nutrients compared with unpasteurized (raw) milk products. In other words, pasteurization makes milk safer without meaningfully reducing its core nutritional benefits. The nutrients children commonly rely on milk for remain largely intact after pasteurization: -Minerals such as calcium and phosphorus are unchanged, and these are among the most important nutrients milk provides for growing children. -There may be some deactivation (denaturation) of proteins, but the overall difference is small and does not meaningfully reduce milk’s protein value in the diet. -A few vitamins—especially vitamin C and some B vitamins, may decrease somewhat. However, milk is not a primary source of vitamin C or many B vitamins in most diets, so these small reductions generally have little nutritional impact. Risk vs. Benefits: In summary, the potential risk of infection from bacteria in raw or unpasteurized milk outweighs any claimed benefits, and we recommend against the consumption of raw milk.