Elizabeth R. Bien (Dr. Libby) recently moved here with her husband and daughter from Virginia. She graduated from the Medical College of Georgia in 2005. She’ll be working at our Roswell location. Welcome back to Georgia, Dr. Libby!
Lara Burer, CPNP recently completed training as a Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner at Emory University’s Master’s Degree program. Prior to training as a practitioner, Lara had extensive experience as a Registered Nurse, working with children in the pediatric ICU, operating room, and hospital floor.
Lara and Dr. Libby share our commitment to providing excellent medical care, and helping our patients stay healthy, happy, and safe!
Influenza update
So far, there has been very little influenza activity reported in our area. But you can be sure that flu season will be here soon! The CDC recommends influenza vaccines for all children. It helps them stay healthy, and prevents them from spreading flu in the community. We have two more flu clinics scheduled: Tuesday, November 4, and Saturday, November 8. If you’d like to have your child vaccinated against the flu, call soon—before it’s too late!
Website update
We’ve done a lot of work on our website, www.pediatricphysiciansPC.com. There, you can find downloadable copies of our office forms, including new patient registration forms, records requests, and change of address forms. We also have an extensive area of suggested reading and web links, including dozens of articles on children’s health written by our own doctors.
Dr. Monica
Dr. Monica Marlowe is no longer part of our practice. We wish her well with her future endeavors.
At Pediatric Physicians, we're happy to offer flu shots as well as other recommended vaccinations to parents of children in our practice. Parents, please check with your insurance carrier to make sure your vaccines will be covered before you come in.
Call us now to make an appointment for a flu vaccination for you and your children!
You'll get the same excellent care at both offices, but there are a few
differences. Both offices are open to see patients by appointment only Monday thru Friday from 8:30 to 5:00. In addition, for the time being, only the ROSWELL office has Saturday hours by appointment from 8:30 to 11:00. The ROSWELL office also opens early on Mondays at 7:30 for walk-in patients, no appointment necessary.
Because we use an all-electronic medical record, your child can be seen at
either office. Our doctors and staff at both sites always have access to all
of the records.
Welcome Back!
It was a busy summer for some of our doctors, but it's time to welcome back
Dr. Jennie Biggs and Dr. Michelle Kelly from their maternity leaves. Dr.
Jennie will continue to work primarily out of the Roswell office, while Dr.
Michelle will usually be at Windward.
We See Newborns at Four Hospitals
The doctors of Pediatric Physicians, PC are happy to come see newborns
in the hospital. We are on staff and see newborns at Northside-Main Campus,
North Fulton Regional, Emory-Johns Creek, and the new Northside-Forsyth
campus. Although many pediatric groups no longer go to hospitals to see
newborns, we do. If you're having a baby at one of these hospitals, please
tell them you'd like for us to be notified. If there seems to be any
confusion or they say that we don't come to the hospital, please call our
office number at any time to speak to our staff or our on-call doctor. We
are happy to come see your baby!
Job Opportunities at PPPC
We're looking for additional clinical staff to hire, including nurses and
medical assistants. If you're interested or know a friend who's looking for
a job, contact us!
Two new additions to our family!
Drs. Jennie and Michelle are home with their new daughters--Clara Kathrine Biggs, Kelby Victoria Wiklund, and their families are doing great!
We're looking forward to our doctors returning to work in about three months. In the meantime, we've got two great physicians, Drs. Henry and Lora, filling in for the summer.
Pertussis, also known as "whooping cough," is a very serious illness among young babies and newborns. It can cause seizures, brain swelling, and death in the very young. Older kids and adults can get pertussis, too; for them the illness is a severe cough that can persist for months. Though children are routinely vaccinated against pertussis starting at age 2 months, there has been an increased incidence of pertussis in very young babies who are too young to be protected by vaccines themselves. Pertussis is also increasing among older kids and adults-as time passes, the immunity from their childhood vaccinations wears off.
A vaccination against pertussis is now available for adults. Known as Tdap or "Adacel," this vaccine can be safely given to provide effective protection against not only pertussis but also diphtheria and tetanus for adults up to age 64. The AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) and ACOG (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) both recommend that women of child-bearing years and their partners receive this vaccination to help protect them and their children against pertussis. At our practice, we strongly urge everyone in families with newborns to get this important vaccine.
At Pediatric Physicians, PC we will be happy to administer Tdap vaccine to families of our patients. The vaccine should not be given to anyone who has had a tetanus booster within the last five years, and should not be given to pregnant women. The best time for women to get this vaccine is before or immediately after pregnancy.
If you have HMO-style insurance, your insurance may not pay for vaccines for adults at our practice. Please check with your insurance to ensure coverage. If your insurance doesn't cover this vaccine through us, you may be able to get it through your primary provider, or at a county health department at a reduced cost.
If you'd like to receive this vaccine, mention this to the receptionist when you check in at your next visit with us. Please help protect all of our babies by staying up to date on your immunizations!
With summer approaching, please remember to give us 5-7 days to complete your child’s camp forms. We get many of these forms this time of year, and we need time to review these and complete them accurately. Thanks for dropping your forms off early.
Singulair news from the FDA
Singulair is a prescription medication used to treat asthma and allergies. On March 27, the FDA announced that they’re investigating if a link is possible between Singulair and mood problems, suicidal ideas, or suicide. It’s not clear at this time that side effects of this kind are really being caused by Singulair, or if they occur in children. The investigation is in the early stages. The FDA has not recommended that anyone stop taking this medication, but it is a good idea to keep in mind that these sorts of side effects might be possible. If you think your child is having side effects such as these, or you wish to discuss changing your child’s medication regimen, please make an appointment to see your doctor.
Why did Dr. Roy have his head shaved? To raise money to fight children's cancer through the St. Baldrick's Foundation! We raised over $1200 to help cure childhood cancer, and had a great time too.
Thanks to all who offered their support and donations! If you would like to help support this worthy cause, visit the St. Baldrick's donation page.
Before
After!
Monday Early Clinic
At our Roswell office, we're open to see walk-in patients on Mondays at 7:30 am. Bring your child to be seen by one of our doctors without an appointment from 7:30 to 8:15, Monday mornings only. If this service is popular, we'll expand the "Early AM Clinic" to more days. Stay tuned!
Babies on the Way!
Dr. Jennie and Dr. Michelle have babies on the way! They'll be on maternity leave starting in May. During their absence, we'll have two experienced doctors filling in. Dr. Lora Wold has been working in the Atlanta area since completing her pediatrics residency at Emory in 2000. Dr. Henry Frechter has worked with several Atlanta practices since moving here in 2005. They're both excellent, board-certified pediatricians, and we're glad to have found such good help.
Product Recalls
At http://www.recall.gov, you can get the latest information on product recalls that affect your family. Toy recalls are listed under the "consumer products" tab. You can also search a database of recalled toys, food, and other items, or sign up for an email recall alert newsletter.
Dr. Roy's New Book
Dr. Roy's second book, Solving Health and Behavioral Problems from Birth Through Preschool: A Parent's Guide, is now for sale. This second book will help parents understand the most common childhood maladies and misbehaviors and know what the best options are for action. The topics addressed range from abdominal pain, ear infections and vomiting to issues with eating, sleeping and toilet training. Dr. Roy includes the most recent research in each area, and shares vignettes from his own practice.
At Pediatric Physicians, PC we have traditionally given school vaccines at the five year visit. However, some children enrolled in certain schools or the Georgia pre-K program are required to have proof of all of these vaccines before they turn five years old. To avoid families having to return for extra visits, we will now routinely give these vaccines at the four year visit. This will meet all of the local eligibility requirements, and is in agreement with the nationally established current vaccine schedule. Children who have already had their four year visit without vaccines will be caught up at their next routine well visit.
We're happy to announce that Dr. Jina Brown joined Pediatric Physicians, PC in June, 2007. She is a great addition to our staff of Board Certified Pediatricians. For more information about Dr. Jina, see her bio.
Dr. Rhona Tiongson has left Pediatric Physicians, PC, and has retired from clinical practice to spend more time with her family. We wish her well, and thank her for her many years of dedicated service to children and their families.
Vaccine Update
Prevent Cervical Cancer
A new vaccine, called Gardasil, is now available to prevent cervical cancer. It can be given to girls starting at age 9. Three doses are needed for full protection. We recommend this vaccine for all of the young women in our practice.
At this time we have been unable to confirm that insurance companies will cover the cost of this vaccine. If you are interested in getting this vaccine for your daughter, please contact your insurance carrier to inquire about coverage before your next well visit. If your insurance will not cover the cost of the vaccine, you'll be responsible for payment. Please ask your child's doctor for more information about this vaccine when you're here for her next check-up.
Rotateq is a new oral vaccine that helps prevent infection by rotavirus, the main cause of wintertime diarrhea and vomiting illness. Many families have been through a rotavirus infection in their children, and it is an experience that is hard to forget. In younger children, the severe vomiting and diarrhea can sometimes lead to severe dehydration requiring hospitalization.
The rotavirus vaccine is now recommended and given routinely at 2, 4, and 6 months of age. Under CDC guidelines the vaccine must be started by age 12 weeks.
Chicken Pox: A Second Dose of Vaccine Will Be Recommended
A second dose of chicken pox vaccine ("Varivax") is now recommended for all children at age 5 who have not had natural infection. If your child is older than 5, we will offer the catch-up dose at your child's next routine well visit.
At Pediatric Physicians, we are committed to offering the best, safest, and most effective vaccines available. All of the vaccines we carry are thimerosol preservative-free*. We use a computerized record to keep track of exact lot numbers and injection sites. For more information about vaccine safety, visit http://www.immunize.org/safety/.
We also strive to ensure that your child is fully protected with the fewest possible injections. We use combination vaccines, when available, to minimize the number of shots your child will need to receive. Visit http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr4805a1.htm for more information about combination vaccines.
*The only exception to this is the influenza vaccine. We do receive a limited supply of preservative-free flu vaccine each year, but not enough to offer this to everyone. Most of the flu vaccine available comes only in multiple-dose vials that contain preservative.
Dr. Roy's first book, A Guide to Getting the Best Healthcare for Your Child, is now available for sale!
In this book, Dr. Roy reveals the secrets of pediatrics that could help every parent and child. The best ways to choose and use all aspects of pediatric care are covered: traditional medicine, alternative medicine, hospitals, emergency rooms, telephone calls, insurance, sources of medical information and more. Click below for more information and to purchase the book.
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The content of this site is not a substitute for medical advice: It is not intended to, and does not, provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. All content, including text, graphics, images, and information, is for general informational purposes only. NEVER DISREGARD PROFESSIONAL MEDICAL ADVICE, OR DELAY IN SEEKING IT, BECAUSE OF SOMETHING YOU HAVE READ IN THESE CONTENT RESOURCES. NEVER RELY ON INFORMATION IN THESE CONTENT RESOURCES IN PLACE OF SEEKING PROFESSIONAL MEDICAL ADVICE.
