Vaccine Policy

Vaccine policy

Science and medical experience have proven that vaccines save lives, protect against illness, and stop deaths from preventable diseases. Not immunizing your child risks your child’s health for life, and may also threaten the health of your family. Moreover, you may cause others to become sick from a preventable disease.

We require our patients to follow accepted medical guidelines for vaccinations. Your child must have these vaccines to be seen by our providers:

• DTaP vaccine to help protect against diphtheria, tetanus (lockjaw), and pertussis (whooping cough).
• Polio vaccine to help protect against a crippling viral disease that can cause paralysis.
• MMR vaccine to help protect against measles, mumps, and rubella (German measles).
• Varicella vaccine to help protect against chickenpox and its many complications including flesh-eating strep, staph toxic shock, and encephalitis (an inflammation of the brain).

These vaccines are recommended:

• Hepatitis A and hepatitis B vaccines to help protect against serious liver diseases.
• Rotavirus vaccine to help protect against the most common cause of diarrhea and vomiting in infants and young children (and the most common cause of hospitalizations in young infants due to vomiting and diarrhea).
• Hib vaccine to help protect against Haemophilus influenzae type b (a cause of spinal meningitis).
• Pneumococcal vaccine to help protect against bacterial meningitis and infections of the blood.
• Influenza vaccine to help protect against the flu. This vaccine is recommended for all people beginning at 6 months and older
• Meningococcal vaccine to help protect against very serious bacterial diseases that affect the blood, brain, and spinal cord.
• HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccine to prevent viral infections in teens and adults that cause cancers of the mouth and throat, cervix, and genitals.

Vaccine Refusal Policy

Because we are committed to protecting the health of your children through vaccination, we require all of our patients to be vaccinated. For both new and established patients – all infants are required to be up to date on all recommended vaccines according to the AAP/CDC guideline by age 7 months. Children ages 2 years and over are required to stay up to date on their vaccinations. As medical professionals, we firmly believe in the effectiveness of vaccines to prevent serious illness and to save lives. Parents who refuse to comply will be asked to find an alternative medical home.