Milton Pediatrics News
Milton Pediatrics Wellness Series: Supporting Your Child through Medical Appointments
We had a great time hosting Yoga Night! Thank you to all the patients/families who participated.
Our next Wellness Series event will focus on teaching parents how to help their children cope with well child and other medical visits (coming to the office, eye/ear check, throat cultures, immunizations, etc.). This event is open to all parents of the practice, regardless of the child’s age. It will be on Tuesday, May 7th, from 6:00pm-7:00pm in our office. It will be hosted by Mariah Stevens, MS, CCLS, a child life specialist.
More details, including how to RSVP, can be found here. We hope to see you there!
Farewell to Dr. Cohan
With mixed emotions, we are celebrating Dr. Cohan’s retirement today, after 46 years of practicing pediatrics. Dr. Cohan joined Drs. Robinson and Lapey in 1978, and helped grow Milton Pediatrics into what it is today. We are so appreciative of all he’s done for his patients, his students, and his colleagues, and we are sad to see him go.
You can find his retirement letter here.
Milton Pediatrics Wellness Series: Yoga Night!
Please join us for an evening of yoga at our office on April 4th, for ages 7-11 years old! We’ll have a space nearby for parents to wait and enjoy some refreshments.
You can find more information here.
New COVID-19 Isolation Guidelines from the CDC
The CDC recently relaxed their recommendations on isolation while infected with COVID-19. Please see the following articles for more information:
Dr. Jin Recognized as one of Boston’s Top Doctors!
Congratulations to Dr. Jin, who was recently named as a Top Doctor by Boston Magazine!
Changes to Flovent Availability
With recent changes in the manufacturing and availability of the asthma medication Flovent, your doctor may switch you to a different medication, depending on insurance coverage. Each type of inhaler is used in subtly different ways (e.g. whether you need a spacer device or not, how to hold the inhaler, how to inhale the dose correctly, etc.). These videos can be useful for learning the proper technique for your inhaler.
Dr. Wong Receives the MassArt Common Good Award!
Congratulations Dr. Wong on receiving the inaugural MassArt Common Good Award from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design, for all her amazing work in researching, writing, and developing music healing programs across Boston.
The award recognizes individuals and groups who push the boundaries of advocacy, teaching, placemaking, design thinking, and making in the realm of arts and culture to advance the public influence of the arts and their role in problem solving.
Beyfortus/nirsevimab update (new antibody treatment for RSV)
UPDATES (11/28/23):
Unfortunately, due to the national shortage of Beyfortus, we no longer have doses available in our office, and don’t anticipate further supply until next year.
The FDA and CDC have approved a new medication to protect young infants against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). This new medication is called nirsevimab, trade name Beyfortus, and it is a long-acting monoclonal antibody product, which has been shown to reduce the risk of both hospitalizations and healthcare visits for RSV in infants by about 80 percent. Nirsevimab is not an immunization, per se, in that it does not use the body’s immune system to produce its own antibodies against RSV. Rather, it is an injection of long-acting antibodies that directly target RSV.
Nirsevimab has been approved as a single dose for infants 8 months and younger entering their first RSV season – in other words, 8 months and younger beginning in October of 2023. It has also been approved for a small group of older infants and toddlers with increased risk of severe RSV disease, such as children who are severely immunocompromised. It is safe to give with vaccines.
Helpful links about nirsevimab:
Flu Clinics
We will be offering flu clinics for patients 6 months and older. Please call our office to schedule!
- Saturday September 16th from 9a-11:45a
- Sunday September 24th from 9a-11:45a
- Wednesday October 11th from 5:40p-6:45p
- Sunday October 22nd from 9a-11a
- Saturday October 28th from 9a-12n
- Saturday November 4th from 9a-12n
- Wednesday November 8th from 5:30p-6:40p
COVID-19 Vaccinations
Milton Pediatrics offers the Moderna COVID-19 (2023-2024) vaccine in our clinic for patients 6 months to 18 years of age. It is available at your child’s checkup, or at individual nurse visits in the office.
- 6 months – 4 years*: Patients who have never received any COVID-19 vaccines, or patients that have received a Moderna COVID-19 vaccine before
- 5 years – 18 years: All patients
*Please note: Children ages 6 months – 4 years who have previously received a Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine cannot receive the new Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. We are only stocking the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine; children in this age category (6 months – 4 years) who were previously vaccinated with Pfizer must receive the new Pfizer COVID-19 2023-2024 vaccine.
- vaccines.gov | Find and schedule vaccination appointments
- COVID-19 Vaccine Resources & FAQs | Reliable, evidence-based information regarding the vaccines and the newer bivalent boosters
- CDC | Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines including boosters
Surgeon General’s Advisory on Social Media
The U.S. Surgeon General recently released an important advisory regarding social media and youth mental health. It also includes helpful recommendations on how parents and children can protect against these ill effects (pages 17-18).
End of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency
With the end of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency, Milton Pediatrics has ended universal masking in our offices, in step with other local hospitals and institutions.
Please note that the end of the Public Health Emergency does not mean that COVID-19 has gone away, and we will still be taking precautions to protect patients and staff. Face masks will still be welcome and available for anyone who chooses to wear one. Physicians and staff are also happy to “mask up” for any family that wishes they do so during their visit.
Patients and attendant caregivers are still required to wear a mask if they:
- Have a fever or other flu-like symptoms
- Have a known COVID-19 infection and are in their isolation period
- Have a known exposure to COVID-19 in the past 10 days
There may be times in the future when more universal masking is again needed; we hope that we can all be flexible as circumstances change. In the meantime, we are looking forward to seeing more of your faces soon!
Adderall and Stimulant Medication Shortages
Our office is aware of the ongoing and frustrating shortages of Adderall and related stimulant medications. We unfortunately do not have an up-to-date list of which pharmacies have which medications available. Instead, we recommend reaching out to all your local pharmacies (CVS, Walgreens, and smaller private pharmacies) to check for stock regularly, as it changes daily. We advise against changing to an alternative medication, if at all possible.
Thursday, January 19th: Closing early
Please be advised that our office will be closing early at 3:00pm on Thursday, January 19th. Thank you for your understanding!
Liquid Tylenol (acetaminophen) and ibuprofen shortages
With the ongoing shortages of liquid Tylenol (acetaminophen) and ibuprofen, we wanted to share this useful information from the Massachusetts AAP chapter.
You can also find dosing information about these medications on our website, here.
High Call Volumes
We wanted to let all of our patients know that we are working very hard to return all your phone calls and schedule appointments during this very busy time for pediatric illnesses.
Our website has lots of helpful information on common viruses and other illnesses circulating at this time, as well as medication information and dosing for treating fever.
Thank you again for your patience and kindness — Happy Holidays!
Dr. Wong and Dr. Burghardt in the news!
Congratulations to Dr. Wong for being featured for her work regarding music and medicine! You can find the article here.
And congratulations to Dr. Burghardt for her work with Harvard’s Center on the Developing Child, including a recent meeting with Catherine, Princess of Wales.
Photo credit Crimson Staff Photography
Information About RSV
Rates of RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) infection have been rising throughout the country this autumn. Here are a few helpful resources regarding RSV, including when to call and see your doctor:
Formula Shortage
We understand that many families may have questions regarding the current formula shortage, and would like to share this helpful article from the AAP. It includes information on ways to find formula, and why we don’t recommend watering down or making homemade formula.
COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic: Update
Our COVID-19 vaccination clinics are paused temporarily as we await a new shipment of vaccines. We will update our website as soon as these clinics can resume.
Formula Recall
The FDA just announced a recall of certain Similac, Alimentum, and EleCare infant formulas. Please check your powdered formulas and discard or return all recalled items by going to www.similacrecall.com
More information can also be found via the the CDC.
Office Holiday Hours
The Boston office will be closed on December 24th, 27th, and 31st.
The Braintree office will remain open during the holidays aside from Christmas Day itself.
COVID-19 Vaccination Clinics: 5-11 year olds
The CDC and ACIP have approved the emergency use authorization of the Pfizer-BioNTech pediatric COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5 to 11 years old (a two-dose series, three weeks apart, followed by a booster dose 5 months after this initial series). We are currently vaccinating patients in this age range in our office on Thursdays; please call to schedule an appointment. We also encourage families to take advantage of any opportunity to schedule a vaccination appointment through state and local health care organizations and agencies by visiting vaxfinder.mass.gov.
The physicians at Milton Pediatrics support the positions of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the Centers for Disease Control that the COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective, and an important part of the nation-wide strategy to end the COVID-19 pandemic.
If you have questions about the COVID vaccine, please visit our COVID-19 Vaccine Resource page for reliable, evidence-based information.
For applicable forms (e.g. vaccine consent form, pre-vaccination checklist) please visit our Forms page.
COVID-19 Vaccine Clinics (tentative)
We eagerly await the CDC’s recommendation regarding the Pfizer vaccine for 5 to 11-year-olds. When the vaccine is authorized for emergency use, we intend to schedule vaccine clinics for these ages as soon as possible. Please check back soon for more details!
Flu Vaccines
Flu Clinics are now available. You can book them directly through your Gateway account or call the office for availability. We will be adding additional clinics as we move forward. Thanks for your patience.
COVID-19 Vaccine for Children and Adolescents
The AAP and CDC continue to recommend those ages 12 and older receive the COVID-19 vaccination. Studies have consistently shown the vaccines to be highly effective and to pose minimal risks. If you have questions or concerns about vaccinating yourself or your child, please see our vaccine resource page for reliable information.
We do not currently receive stock of any COVID-19 vaccine at Milton Pediatrics, though we have applied to obtain doses from the state if and when smaller offices are given allotments. If you or your child is eligible now, you can go to https://vaxfinder.mass.gov/ to find a vaccination site near you. All ages can also pre-register for a COVID-19 vaccine, and you will receive instructions about available appointments when you or your child is eligible.
Blue Hills Pharmacy Closing
We are sad to pass on the news that Blue Hills Pharmacy has closed. We are incredibly grateful to Hung Doan and his staff, who have always been there to help our patients. For those interested, his other pharmacy (Crown Colony Pharmacy) remains open and will also compound medications.
Mental Health Resources
Here are two more mental health resources we’d like to share. For other resources like these, please see the Mental Health Resources section of our COVID-19 page.
- This upcoming Wednesday, May 26 at 2:00 pm, Boston Children’s Hospital will host a webinar on understanding child and adolescent mental health issues that have emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic, and what families can do to support their children.
- Please see the flyer below regarding virtual parent support groups offered through the MA Department of Mental Health and Wayside Youth & Family services. These sessions provide parent-peer support with a clinician facilitating group discussion. They are free and open to all.
Boston Office Temporarily Closed on Fridays
The Milton Pediatrics Boston office will be closed on Fridays from April 2nd through September 3rd while Dr. Brenner is away on sabbatical. We apologize for the inconvenience to our Boston families. Our Braintree office will remain open 7 days a week to service all of our patients.
In-Office COVID-19 Testing
We now offer COVID-19 PCR testing in our office, to all patients. For more details regarding testing, please visit our COVID-19 page.
Dr. Brenner’s Sabbatical
Dr. Brenner will be on sabbatical from March 26th through September 8th, 2021. His wife (originally from Switzerland) and children have been in Switzerland for the school year, and he misses them! Dr. Seidel, his doppelganger, will be taking over Dr. Brenner’s practice in his absence. Dr. Brenner looks forward to seeing everyone on his return to Boston in September.
Heavy Metals & Baby Food
With the recent news regarding heavy metals in baby foods, we wanted to share this helpful article from the AAP regarding this issue. At this time, we don’t recommend additional testing aside from your child’s routine lead screening at 9-12 months, 2 years, and 3 years of age.
Dr. Wong & Boston Hope Music
Our own Dr. Lisa Wong and the Boston Hope Music Teaching Project help bring a little sunshine into the lives of those at the front line. We are all so proud!
https://boston.cbslocal.com/video/5230676-music-therapy-helps-mgh-doctors-cope-with-covid-trauma/
COVID-19 Vaccine Resources
Many people are asking important questions about the COVID-19 vaccines, including our patients, our doctors, and our staff. We thought it would be helpful to provide a resource page with reliable information to help answer these questions. Of course, if you have individual concerns or questions, we encourage you to speak with your primary care provider.
COVID-19 Testing
You can find more information regarding COVID-19 on our website, here. In regards to testing:
- We recommend obtaining PCR testing for COVID-19 rather than rapid testing (also known as antigen testing), which is less accurate.
- We are fortunate to have access to the Mass General Brigham testing sites for pediatric patients. This allows us to schedule PCR testing for most patients through Mass General Brigham, with relatively fast turnaround times. For this reason, we are not currently testing in our office.
When can my child go to school?
This helpful article (10/16/20) explains COVID-19 testing, quarantining, and returning to school after a child gets sick or is exposed to the virus.
FAQs About School Reopening & COVID-19
The decision on how to return to school is one that every family faces. These FAQs answer some of the most common questions that pediatricians have heard from parents. If you have other questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to your school or your pediatrician.
https://mcaap.org/2018/wp-content/uploads/faqs-covid-expanded-draft-091320-mhsm-clean.pages.pdf
Screen Time & Eye Health
With everyone spending more time using screens during the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s important to keep your eyes healthy!
You can find helpful resources like this, and others, on our COVID-19 webpage.
Flu Clinics – Updated 9/1/20
Our flu clinic schedules are now open and ready for booking. Please call for availability since they are filling up quickly.
School & Health Forms
As the time of the year approaches for school and health forms, we ask that you request these forms as far in advance as possible. Please allow up to 5 business days for completion.
Due to the high demand we are unable to process these requests on the same day. Once you receive your forms, please make several copies for your record.
If you are signed up for Patient Gateway, you may also be able to access your Health Forms there. If you’re having trouble accessing these forms via Patient Gateway, please give our office a call at 781.356.6200, option 5.
Boston Office Reopening on July 6th
We will be reopening the Boston office on Monday, July 6th, only for patients without respiratory sick symptoms. Patients who normally are seen in the Boston office who are sick with respiratory symptoms or fever will continue to be seen in the Braintree office as needed.
COVID-19 Update (June 18th)
We are constantly reviewing and updating our preparations and protocols as we learn more about COVID-19. We are open and here to answer your questions. Thank you for your continued patience as we navigate the situation.
- Respiratory sick visits are being separated from well visits:
These patients are seen in separate, dedicated areas of our office, at the end of the day, and by dedicated staff. We are not mixing sick and well patients in our office. We have also increased the frequency of cleaning our office. If you are not well, please call our office ahead of your appointment.
- Virtual Visits:
We will continue to use telehealth visits, when applicable, to help avoid unnecessary exposures to our patients, families, and staff.
- In-person Visits:
Please call our office for any health concerns. We are encouraging all patients who are well enough to stay home, unless we deem it necessary to be seen in our office.
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- When you arrive, please call the front desk from your car to check in, at 781-356-6200 ext.105.
- We will call you back when a room is available, as our waiting room is closed.
- Before entering the building, please put a mask on both you and your child, go to the exam room, and keep the door shut.
- Well child check-ups:
We are currently seeing a limited number of patients for in-office well visits, prioritizing those who are due for immunizations. Starting July 1st, 2020, we anticipate expanding to see well child check-ups for all ages in-person.
- Visitors:
We ask that when possible, only the patient and one healthy parent attend all visits.
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- For the first newborn visit, both parents (if healthy) are allowed to attend.
- Missed Vaccinations:
If your child missed a vaccination due to a prior virtual well child check-up, our office will reach out to schedule a time to come in for these vaccines.
- COVID-19 Exposure:
If you think your child may have been exposed to an active case of COVID-19, please call our office. We will assist you in obtaining COVID-19 testing at a pediatric testing site based on current testing guidelines.
- Social distancing:
Please practice social distancing appropriately to limit unnecessary exposure to the virus, as recommended by the Department of Public Health.
- Boston office:
We will be reopening the Boston office on July 6th, only for patients without respiratory sick symptoms. Patients who normally are seen in the Boston office who are sick with respiratory symptoms or fever will continue to be seen in the Braintree office as needed.
COVID-19 Update (May 14th)
We would like to thank you for all your patience and support as we navigate these unprecedented times. We have a few more changes this week that we would like you to note. Our waiting room is now closed. We ask that families check in from their cars by calling 781-356-6200 ext. 105. Once an exam room is available, the front desk staff will call and you will be brought directly into a clean room. Please limit one parent per child for the visit. We are also trying to go paperless, and ask that families sign up for Patient Gateway to make the process easier. You can update your insurance and demographic information, request appointments, send non-urgent messages to our clinical staff and obtain After Visit Summaries and Health Forms on Patient Gateway. Finally, we ask that all people coming in to our office wear a mask.
Thank you!
Managing the Stress of Being Stuck at Home
Temporary Closure of the Boston Office
Given the current COVID-19 pandemic, we have made the difficult decision to temporarily close our Boston office. To maintain appropriate social distancing and separation of well and sick patients, we believe this is the right decision to keep everyone as safe as possible. We will accommodate all of our Boston patients in our Braintree office.
COVID-19 Preparations and Protocols
Dear Milton Pediatrics Patients:
We are constantly reviewing and updating our preparations and protocols as we learn more about COVID-19. We are open and here to answer your questions. Please be patient as we navigate the current situation.
As of today, Monday March 23, 2020
1. Respiratory sick visits are being separated from well visits. We have added additional office space on the first floor of our building. We are not mixing sick and well patients in the waiting room or patient rooms. We have also increased the frequency of cleaning our office. If you are not well, please call our office ahead of your appointment.
2. Virtual Visits:
Please see the post below for more details
3. Sick visits:
Please call our office for any health concerns. We are encouraging all patients who are well enough to stay home, unless we deem it necessary to be seen in our office.
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- We will be setting up virtual visits for those that are appropriate.
- Patients with respiratory symptoms will be seen in our new office space on the first floor.
- When you arrive, please call the front desk to check in by phone.
- We will then call you when a room is available.
- When you enter the office, please put a mask on both you and your child, go to the exam room, and keep the door shut.
4. Visitors
We ask that when possible, only the patient and one healthy parent attend all visits.
5. COVID-19 Exposure
If you think your child may have been exposed to an active Coronavirus case, please call our office. We are not currently testing any patients in our office for COVID-19.
6. Social distancing: Please practice social distancing and stay at home to limit unnecessary exposure to the virus.
Telehealth Visits
To help prevent the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19), we will be temporarily transitioning some in-person visits to telehealth visits (via video chat). Appointments that will be conducted virtually, include:
- All well-child checks of 3 years of age, or older*
- Follow-up visits, as appropriate (e.g. behavioral health, ADHD, acne, constipation, etc.)
- Other sick visits, as appropriate
*vaccinations will be deferred to a future nurse visit
Our staff will contact you prior to a telehealth appointment to give detailed instructions. At the time of your scheduled telehealth visit, you will be asked to enter the provider’s virtual waiting room on https://miltonpeds.doxy.me (HIPAA-compliant video chat, no download required). This platform can be used with most smartphones, tablets, or laptops. If you do not have access to a device with a camera, please inform our staff and we will set up a phone call with you instead.
Thanks for your understanding as we adjust to these new changes!
Questions about Coronavirus
Dear Milton Pediatrics families,
We know many of you have questions and concerns regarding the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Thankfully, there are some excellent resources available that will provide you with up-to-date and reliable information. If the links below do not answer your questions, or if you have specific clinical concerns, please call our office to speak with one of our nurses.
Partners has established a COVID-19 hotline to answer your general questions about the ongoing pandemic. The hotline is available 7 days/week from 8am-8pm: 617-724-7000
From the MA Department of Public Health:
- Coronavirus homepage: https://www.mass.gov/resource/information-on-the-outbreak-of-coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19
- COVID-19 Fact Sheet: https://www.mass.gov/doc/english-2019-novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov-0/download
From the CDC:
- Coronavirus homepage: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
- https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/downloads/2019-ncov-factsheet.pdf
- About COVID-19: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/about/index.html
- Travel information and restrictions: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/index.html
From the American Academy of Pediatrics:
- About COVID-19: https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/chest-lungs/Pages/2019-Novel-Coronavirus.aspx
Helpful Articles:
- How to talk to your child about Coronavirus:
Book your Child’s Physical Today
Currently we are booked out 3 months for routine annual physicals. If your child is going to need a physical for school or sports, please call the office today. We are booking appointments through August 2020 at this time.
Happy Holidays from Milton Pediatrics!!!
