Our COVID-19 Vaccine Statement and Recommendations

Pediatric Associates Family,

We endorse the COVID-19 vaccine in the 5 to 11 year old age group. This vaccine has been highly successful at preventing hospitalizations and deaths in the other age groups where it has been given FDA Emergency Use Authorization (EUA). It has also been highly effective at preventing symptomatic illness from COVID-19.

We believe in the safety and effectiveness of this vaccine, and we will be offering this to our patients in our offices. We will be limited by supply and storage considerations, but plan to have it available to our patients as best as we can. We also encourage you to have your children receive the vaccine wherever you can schedule an appointment. That could be at the health department, your local community hospital, or the COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic at Nationwide Children’s Hospital.

The support of this vaccine, like our support for other vaccines, is motivated solely by medical evidence and our commitment to the health of your children and our community. We have no financial or political gains for our recommendations. For more information, see our Vaccine Facts Sheet, on our social media pages, courtesy of content expert Katelyn Jetelina, MD (Your Local Epidiemiologist on Facebook), and have a discussion with your child’s pediatrician.

Thank you always for your hard work as parents, and your support of our practice during this pandemic.

Schedule an COVID-19 Vaccination

Pediatric Associates, Inc. offers COVID-19 vaccinations for patients 5 and older in the greater Columbus area. For more information about vaccination availability and to schedule an appointment, please contact our office and request an appointment today!

Updated Flu Shot Clinic Information!

November Flu Vaccine Clinics for Every Office: Update

Hilliard Flu Vaccine Clinics–CALL for an appointment time

Tuesday, November 9, 6:00-7:30pm

Saturday, November 13, 8:30-11:45am

Thursday, November 18, 6:00-7:30pm

Saturday, November 20, 8:30-11:45am

Lewis Center Vaccine Clinics–CALL for an appointment time

Saturdays, all from 8am-12pm:

November 6

November 13

November 20

Whitehall Vaccine Clinics–CALL for an appointment time

Saturday, November 6, 8am-12pm

Pickerington/Canal Winchester Vaccine Clinics (held at the Pickerington office)–CALL for an appointment time

Wednesday, November 3, 6-8pm

Saturday, November 13, 8:30-11:30am

Tuesday, November 16, 6-8pm

Thursday, November 18, 6-8pm

Tuesday, November 23, 6-8pm

Tuesday, November 30, 6-8pm

NOTE: the Pickerington/Canal Vaccine clinics are mostly full for November. Check for openings or cancellations, and stay tuned soon for our December schedule.

Flu VACCINE season is here!

With all of the changes we have been through in the past year and a half, it’s hard to believe that it is time to get our flu vaccines already! We highly recommend children 6 months and older receive an annual influenza (flu) vaccine.  It is best to get this in the fall prior to the flu season.

We have been working very hard to build flu vaccine clinics at all of our sites. However, the pandemic has caused nationwide shortages in healthcare, especially nursing care.  Please bear with us as we continue to try to fill these spots and deliver timely care.  As always, if you are in for a “regular” visit with one of our doctors, we will offer the flu vaccine if we have the supply for your insurance plan. REMINDER: The clinics are by appointment only (no walk-in visits). Thanks for understanding.

Please see below for flu vaccine-only visit times for each office in October. Our November schedule will be published soon!

Whitehall—614.501.7337

October 5, 2021, 5pm-6:30pm

October 7, 2021, 5pm-6:30pm

October 9, 2021, 8am-12noon

October 12, 2021, 5pm-6:30pm

 

Lewis Center (all times 8am-12noon unless otherwise indicated)—740.657.8000

October 9, 2021

October 16, 2021

October 23, 2021

October 30, 2021

 

Pickerington—614.864.3222

October 6, 2021, 6-8pm

October 9, 2021, 8:30am-11:30am

October 12, 2021, 6-8pm

October 14, 2021, 6-8pm

October 19, 2021, 6-8pm

October 23, 2021, 8:30-11:30am

October 27, 2021, 6-8pm

 

Canal Winchester—614.837.7337

Canal Winchester patients will be placed in the Pickerington appointment slots.

 

Hilliard—614.529.0771

Due to staffing issues, the Hilliard office will not be able to offer vaccine-only appointment slots in October, but expect to have clinics in November.  Stay tuned for our November schedule, coming out soon.  Thank you for your patience!

Important Information Regarding COVID-19 Testing

Pediatric Associates, Inc. is committed to the health and well-being of all our patients. We have been receiving a large number of phone calls requesting COVID-19 testing for children without symptoms who have been directly exposed to COVID-19. At this time, we will NOT be performing these tests. There are several options if you are in this situation. Your child can quarantine for 10 days following the most recent exposure, and can return to school without testing. Also, testing can be done by obtaining a home COVID test kit. These are readily available at many schools and libraries. Use the following link to check for availability:

https://coronavirus.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/covid-19/dashboards/other-resources/testing-ch-centers

Our offices will not be providing work or school excuses based on the results of home COVID tests. The results are easily accessible and can be made available if needed to any employer or school.

Prioritizing Your Child’s Mental Health and Wellness

At no time in our history have our children been bombarded with as many distractions, fears, anxieties, and mixed messages than now. Parents can be overwhelmed with the multitude of issues that are involved with raising children like keeping them physically healthy and encouraging good learning habits. Added to those tasks, a parent must also focus on prioritizing their child’s mental health and wellness. In today’s world that can seem an insurmountable task, but it can be accomplished with the right tools.

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