Pacific Medical Centers: keeping kids up to date with vaccinations

From Pacific Medical Centers

The American Academy of Pediatrics has estimated that roughly 40 percent of children in the United States have missed scheduled vaccinations - when you include teenagers, this can reach almost 80 percent. According to the CDC, social distancing measures have decreased accessibility for routine immunizations, leaving children at a higher risk for vaccine-preventable diseases.

Given all of the uncertainty with back-to-school routines, healthcare providers are looking to prevent further disruption in standard immunization and wellness checks, which are typically part of many kids' back-to-school routine.

To address this issue, Pacific Medical Centers just launched a Back-to-School toolkit for parents.

BACK TO BASICS TOOLKIT

For children, summer physicals and immunizations do more than satisfy school requirements. They also provide peace of mind to families, knowing normal development and preventive measures are on track. Now is the time to take care of these basic health needs, before cold and flu season is upon us.

The toolkit includes the following focus areas:

• Back to Basics Checklist - a checklist to help families stay on track with well-child exams
• Recommended Immunizations - a breakdown of exam reminders
• Child and Adolescent Health Flyer - an overview of the importance of regular child and adolescent health maintenance appointments
• Healthy Lunch Plates and Nutrition 101 for Parents
• Women’ Health and Men’s Health - appointment reminders

Pacific Medical Centers (PacMed) is a multi-specialty medical group with nine neighborhood clinics in the Puget Sound area. Founded in 1933, the PacMed network is one of the largest throughout the Puget Sound and offers patients more than 150 providers for primary and specialty care. PacMed’s culture focuses on its mission of delivering high-quality health care focused on the individual needs of its diverse patient population with an emphasis on improving the quality of health in the community.