​Pediatrics has been in the news lately related to coronavirus. This NY Times article points out some important public health issues for our children.

As you may already know, East Bay Pediatrics is open and available for well visits for our families. The Orinda office is for well children only and we only have 1-2 doctors seeing patients each day in order to limit the number of people in the office at one time. Families are requested to bring only one caregiver for children over 3 months of age and wear as mask when in the office if over 12 years of age. 

Also, please do NOT allow yourself or your child to eat, inhale, or inject cleaning solutions into the body. If this happens, please call poison control immediately at (800) 222-1222.

It has been over a month since the Bay Area entered its shelter in place ordinance and we have some signs that it is working to curb coronavirus spread! East Bay Pediatrics continues to support our patients and families during this time. 

• We are OPEN and available for visits both in-person and by video or phone. Please CALL to make an appointment. (925) 438-1100
• The Orinda location is for well visits only. The Berkeley location is for sick visits only.
• Children 2 years and under as well as pre-kindergarten patients should continue to come in for their well visits. Others needing forms or vaccinations should also make appointments. Previously scheduled appointments may be rescheduled for your safety.
• Drop-in is temporarily unavailable. Please call to make an appointment - even on Saturdays! Many visits can be done by video with your doctor.
• When coming into the office, please bring only one caregiver with children over 3 months of age.
• All parents and patients over 12 years of age should wear a mask when entering our locations.

All of these guidelines will keep our patients and staff as safe as possible. We thank you for your cooperation and look forward to seeing you either in the office or by video!

Our hearts go out to the senior home suffering from a coronavirus outbreak in our own town of Orinda. We have had many generous donations of personal protective equipment (PPE) - thank you!! - and plan to share what we can with them. 

Closures to be aware of: 

• Pediatric After Hours Clinic (PAHC) on Telegraph is now closed on weekdays. We continue to have phone advice nurses who can set up video visits with the PAHC doctors in San Francisco. 
• Berkeley location parking lot will be closed on Saturdays. If you need to come into the office, please find street parking. The meters are on "holiday" at this time. 
  
  

We are open. Our goals during this time are to help you care for illnesses or injuries and to make sure our youngest patients (age 2 and under and pre-kindergarten) are vaccinated. 
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• Please call. We are available for phone consults, video visits, and in-person visits. 
• One caregiver only for patients 3 months of age and older. In order to maintain a safe distance, we request that only one parent or caregiver enter our office. Newborns may come with both parents. 
• Video and phone visits with your doctor are available. Please call 925-254-9203,option 6 during business hours to set up a visit. 
• We are actively rescheduling well visits to fit in Orinda for our youngest patients and to the summer for our older patients. Please be patient as we need to call or send a portal message to each of our families.

Many of our families are struggling with shelter in place rules and having children at home. Here are some resources to help:

• On Monday, April 6 from 2-3pm, Assembly member Rebecca Bauer-Kahan who represents Assembly district 16, is hosting a livestream event with Dr. Christine Carter on Parenting in the time of COVID-19. RSVP Online
• Dr. Liz Angoff, a local Educational Psychologist who we work with closely, is sharing her wealth of knowledge about tools, strategies and lessons via a resource listserv. If you are interested in her resources and guidance, check out her website.
• The American Academy of Pediatrics website for parents, Healthychildren.org has many pages of support, including information for families of children with special health care needs and learning at home including screen time tips. 
• commonsensemedia.org has added a section on Coronavirus support.
• If you haven't already, watch the video that we posted on 3/27 to get advice on how to keep your family safe.

East Bay Pediatrics is now up and running for Telemedicine visits! These visits can help keep you in touch with your doctor and ideally out of the emergency room. Please review these guidelines for Telemedicine visits:
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• Call our office to set up a visit. (925) 254-9203 option 6. A nurse will triage your call and schedule your visit with the doctor. In a few cases, the nurse may ask you to make an in-person visit. (see 3/16/20 announcement)
• Check if you have the right AV equipment. You need a computer, tablet, or phone which has audio and video capability. If you do not have such a device, we can also schedule a telephone (voice only) visit.
• Make sure you are on the Patient Portal and Give consent. You will receive a portal message with instructions on how to login to the visit and with a request for your consent to the visit online or by phone. If you are not on the Patient Portal, we will set you up!
• We will bill your insurance. State regulations state that Telemedicine visits should be paid by your insurance company the same as in-person visit. You may incur the same co-pay or deductible charge for the visit as you would with an in-person visit.

We continue to have only well visits in Orinda and only sick visits in Berkeley. You may be asked to reschedule your visit to fit these criteria.