December Community Courier

The Original 3 PANK Musketeers (or a Gator, a Bearcat, and a Blue Devil)

Employee Anniversary

The office has been blessed to have Mandy Tackett working at Pediatric Associates for the past 20 years. You may have encountered Mandy at our Union/Florence or Crestview Hills offices over this time. Mandy’s professional demeanor and kind heartedness is what makes her special. Providers, parents, patients and staff members have praised her for her outstanding communication skills, good judgment and level headedness. Mandy was awarded our prestigious “Montee Award” in 2022 for her dedication and excellence at the front desk. Mandy is often called upon to do additional work in the office and she is always up for the challenge. Mandy is a team player and everyone enjoys working with her. Mandy enjoys camping and outdoor activities with her family when not in the office.
Congratulations to Mandy for her 20 year Anniversary of employment at Pediatric Associates. We could not run the office without you!

Holiday Hours

We hope that you and your family are healthy this holiday season and into 2023. In case you need us over the holidays we will be here to help. We will be open every day in December except Sundays. If you have urgent needs on Sundays or when our office is not open we will have a provider on call to talk to you and advise you how best to treat your child. We may close early some of the days between December 26 and 29 so please call early if you think you need an appointment these days.

For Our Patients That Are 21 and Older

Thank you for allowing us to provide your medical care! In 2023 we will no longer be caring for patients that are 21 or older. There are numerous providers in our area that provide adult medical care. These providers have relationships with adult specialists and hospital systems should you need this level of care. Please schedule an appointment with a new provider and request to have your records transferred to them. Again, thank you for the trust in us for all these years. We wish you all the best in the next chapter in your life!

COVID Booster and Scheduling Update

We recommend the bivalent booster for our patients 6 months and older. This is an updated booster that protects against the newer strains of COVID, including the recent Omicron variants. The FDA and CDC just approved this booster for ages 6 months to 4 years and we have them in the office. Just as the flu vaccine is recommended annually to protect against the recent strains of flu, we anticipate the COVID vaccine having an annual booster moving forward. Getting this vaccine will help keep our children and young adults healthy and, if they do get COVID, the vaccine will help prevent severe illness and hospitalization.

Please call the office to schedule your initial or booster vaccines to keep your children and the community protected from COVID.

Travel Health Services

Are you planning to travel internationally over the upcoming holidays, for spring break, or even next summer? PANK has a very helpful Travel Health Program. If you are planning any upcoming travel outside the United States, please call our office for information regarding what may be needed for your child in preparation for travel. This includes reviewing required vaccines, recommended medications (covering a variety of topics such as traveler's diarrhea and altitude sickness), COVID entry requirements for each country, and much more info to keep your child healthy and safe while abroad. Please contact our office as soon as your trip is planned so we can make sure all requirements and recommendations can be completed well in advance of your trip. To access the Travel Health Services at PANK you can either call the office or contact us at travel@pediatricassociatesnky.com or watch our Travel Medicine video .

Website Resources

Did you know we have a lot of useful information on our website from the AAP and Dr Barton Schmidt? Check it out here .

Influenza Update

We are seeing a lot of Influenza A right now. It is not too late to get your flu shots. Many flu seasons have a double wave with an initial outbreak of Influenza A followed later with a second outbreak of Influenza B. Some patients are unlucky enough to get both in the same season. Remember that infants getting their first ever vaccine need a booster dose 4 weeks after their initial one. Please call us to schedule your visit.

Flu Advisory

Need an immunization certificate for your child?

Families now have access to the State of Kentucky Immunization Registry!
Click here to access your child’s immunization certificate or scan the QR code

Lauren's Mental Health Resources

We are aware of the extended wait times in the Cincinnati Children's emergency department. There are a lot of patients with mental health concerns who are needing immediate assistance in the ER. We want to take the time to offer outpatient resources to ensure you feel your mental health needs are being met. Please call the office if you feel your concern needs to be triaged and we can assist you in making the decision about what is the best place for your child to receive help. Although the ER is always warranted for emergency crisis management, we want to avoid this route if possible.

We are pleased to offer behavioral health services including counseling and medication management in our office. Unfortunately we have a long wait list at this time. We will do our best to try to accommodate your child's needs and this may mean seeing outside providers highlighted in the link below.

Other outside resources that are also available.