Memorial Day Holiday (added May 2013)

East Bay Pediatrics will be closed on Monday, May27 for the Memorial Day Holiday. There will be a physician on call for urgent matters which cannot wait until the office reopens. Saturday drop-in hours will still be available in the Berkeley office on May 25 from 9:30am-12noon. See Calendar for details.

New Ear Infection Guidelines (added March 2013)

The American Academy of Pediatrics recently published new guidelines for ear infections. Learn more on the Hot Topics page!

Email your Doctor!

Health information is protected by the HIPAA Privacy Act. Login to the secure website www.relayhealth.com to email your doctor or order prescription refills. You will need to register yourself then add your child as your dependent.

Please use email communications for non-urgent matters as they may not be checked immediately. If you have an urgent medical issue or if you need a prescription within 2 days, please call the phone advice nurses at (925)254-9203, option 6 during business hours. Urgent medical issues after hours can be addressed by the physician on call at the (925)254-9203, option 4.

Calling After Hours (added March 2012)

If you have an urgent medical problem with your child when the office is closed, a physician from the practice is on call. (925)254-9203, option number 4. Check the Child Health page to see if this website answers your question. Remember, if you call after 10pm, the doctor is probably asleep! Make sure you speak slowly and keep your message brief. Include the following information:

• Your name and phone number (speak slowly and give area code)
• Your child's name and age
• A brief description of the problem
• Leave the phone number again (slowly)

If you do not receive a call within 30 minutes. Please call again.

Please note that the physician on call does not have access to the schedule and cannot make an appointment for your child.

Vaccine schedule supported by Institute of Medicine (added January 2013)

Read more on the Hot Topics page.

New Booster Seat Law (added January 2012)

As of January 1, the rules for booster seats in California have changed. Please see the Hot Topics page for more information.

We are live on ELECTRONIC Health Record ! (updated January 2012)

East Bay Pediatrics has been live on Electronic Health Record (EHR) for three months now. Your doctor may show off the electronic growth chart or may send an e-prescription directly to the pharmacy. Of course, your child's care is our highest priority and we hope that this transition will improve our ability to offer the best quality of care. During this transition period, you may still see us with your child's paper chart for a few more months.

Of note, email through relayhealth.com is still available. Learn more below.

Acetaminophen (Tylenol) dosing (added August 2011)

The FDA has recently recommended that infant concentrated drops of acetaminophen, the medication in Tylenol, no longer be available because of concerns of overdosing our youngest patients. McNeil, the makers of Tylenol, has already stopped making the concentrated formulation. Other brands are still available. Please read your labels when giving any medication, and in particular fever reducers to your child. East Bay Pediatrics has updated our medication dosage chart.

Whooping Cough Vaccine required for School Entry (updated June 2011)

For school entry fall 2011, California students entering 7th -12th grade will be required to have documentation of a pertussis booster vaccine. (Pertussis is the bacteria which causes whooping cough and was responsible for at least 10 infant deaths in 2010.) This vaccine is given in the form of Tdap, which includes vaccines for tetanus, diptheria, and pertussis. It is given at age 11 years and lasts for 10 years. Many middle school or high school age children have already received the vaccine in our office. You can check your immunization record on the printout which we give you at your child's physical exam under "Tdap." For more information, see the California Department of Health website.

Prevnar 13 (added June 2010)

Upon the recommendation of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), we would like to inform you about a new vaccine – Prevnar-13. This vaccine will replace Prevnar-7 and provide additional protection against diseases caused by Streptococcus pneumonia – a major cause of meningitis, blood infections and ear infections (otitis media).

The vaccine is recommended for all children from 6 weeks to 59 months of age.

• Four doses are recommended: 2 months, 4 months, 6 months and 12-15 months of age.
• Children who have not yet received all 4 doses of Prevnar-7 will complete their 4 dose series with Prevnar-13.
• Children who are under 5 years of age and have received 4 doses of Prevnar-7 should receive one dose of Prevnar-13 to provide the additional protection afforded by Prevnar-13.

Prevnar-13 does not contain thimerosal. The most common reported side effects from Prevnar-13 include fever, local injection site reaction, irritability and a skin rash. We feel that the significant benefits of Prevnar-13 far outweigh the risks associated with the vaccine.

Morning Drop-in Hours NOW 5 days a week (updated January 2010)

Morning Drop-in is now available in both offices Monday through Friday except national holidays (see calendar for specific days). No appointment is needed for patients arriving in either office between 8am-8:45am on weekdays. Please note that your child may not be seen prior to 9am on that day.

Extended Evening Hours

Announcing extended evening hours! East Bay Pediatrics is proud to offer office hours until 7:30pm on some Tuesdays and Thursdays in the Orinda office. If your child has an illness or emergency after normal business hours, please be sure to call the office in advance.

RN Voicemail box (updated December 6 , 2010)

East Bay Pediatrics is happy to announce that our phone advice line now has a voicemail option! If you are on hold and wish to leave a message for a nurse, follow the instructions on the hold tape. NOTE: This voicemail box is for NON-urgent issues only. If your child is sick or may need to be seen by a physician, please hold on the line. Please remember to spell your child's first and last name and leave a phone number where you can be reached. Examples of messages which can be left on the voicemail:

• Your child needs a refill for a medication used regularly. Refill requests should be made at least 48 hours in advance.
• You want to know whether your child is up-to-date on his or her vaccines
• You want to schedule a visit for vaccines only (note: if flu vaccine only see drop-in instructions). Please call at least 48 hours in advance so that your child's chart can be ready for the visit.
• Your doctor asked you to make a follow up appointment more than 3 days away.

Calling All Artists! (added December 2009)

We would like to invite our patients of all ages to contribute artwork for our Berkeley office. We plan to display the artwork in the waiting room and will change the pictures from time to time in order to accomodate all children who want to see their artwork on the wall. Everything from toddlers' scribbles to teenagers' fine art is welcome. We will provide the paper, if desired: 11x15 heavyweight white paper. Please include your child's first name and age.

 

Richard Oken, MD

Myles Abbott, MD

Mary Jones, MD

Marcia Charles-Mo, MD

Sarah Handelsman, MD

Tracy Evans-Ramsey, MD

Juliana Damon, MD

Christina Vo, MD

Jennifer Miller, MD

Wiliam Rhea, MD

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