Checkups are crucial, even during a pandemic

MercyOne's experts enhance safety procedures and encourage regular checkups

By Maggie Moller, MercyOne Central Iowa

Scheduling your well visits and maintaining immunizations is important, even during a pandemic such as COVID-19. Pediatric clinics across the country have seen a significant decrease in office visits, meaning many children have missed receiving routine immunizations – leaving them at risk for vaccine-preventable illnesses.

Routine well-child visits are essential in providing developmental, laboratory, hearing, vision and dental screenings. That’s why our pediatricians strongly encourage parents or guardians to continue scheduling routine well-child appointments, especially for children under 2 years old.

All our primary care and pediatric clinics have enhanced safety procedures, maintaining guidelines suggested by both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and American Academy of Pediatrics. On your next visit, you’ll notice the following changes:

• Requiring temperature screenings of all patients, colleagues, providers and visitors.

• Requiring masks to be worn by everyone throughout our facilities.

• Following the CDC’s standards for cleaning – with increased frequency and special attention to surfaces that are frequently touched, such as doorknobs and flat surfaces.

• Continuing safe social distancing measures wherever possible.

Our clinics are taking in-person appointments for pediatric patients in need of well care or who have acute complaints. This includes feeding or behavioral concerns, acute injuries and sprains, or constipation. With your safety in mind, we use telephone triage to determine if it is appropriate to see a child in our clinics (prior to scheduling an appointment) or through a virtual visit.

“The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that all well visits be done in person, and with the child’s regular provider, whenever possible, to ensure continuity of care,” says Dr. Sara Schutte-Schenck, department chair of pediatrics at MercyOne Central Iowa. “Our clinics have taken extra measures to keep your child safe when you visit us.”

Don’t delay your child’s wellness! Contact your primary care provider or your child’s pediatrician to schedule an appointment.