Immunizations

Heart to Heart Pediatrics follows the immunization guidelines recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). For information about these vaccines and the diseases they protect against, please visit https://www.aap.org/en/patient-care/immunizations/

For detailed informational sheets published by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) please visit https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/h...

Our Vaccine Philosophy

Our practice believes that all children should receive the recommended vaccines according to the guidelines provided by the AAP and the CDC. Vaccines are safe and effective in preventing diseases and health complications in children and young adults. Regular vaccinations help children ward off infections, and are administered as one of the safest and best methods of disease prevention.

We want our patients to be protected against the many vaccine preventable diseases. However, we fully respect parents’ rights to choose medical treatment for their children, including if, when and how to vaccinate.

Many pediatric practices require parents to vaccinate according to the standard schedule. If parents refuse, their children are dismissed as patients in the practice. At Heart to Heart Pediatrics, we are always open to discussing your concerns, providing you with comprehensive information on vaccines and helping you to make a decision based on knowledge, not coercion. Certainly, you must accept responsibility for the decisions you make for your child and we do ask you to sign a vaccine declination form if you choose to skip some or all vaccines.

We are here to help you understand vaccines, the diseases they prevent and what is known about the side effects. We are happy to address all of your questions. We also welcome the opportunity to comment on scientific articles that have affected your decisions regarding vaccines. There is so much good information on the internet but we have seen many demonstrably inaccurate assertions regarding vaccine side effects as well.

We believe that vaccines have been a truly wonderful medical miracle. We have witnessed the success of vaccines for bacterial meningitis in infants and young children. Prior to the invention of these vaccines, we personally saw babies devastated by these diseases. Now, bacterial meningitis is unheard of in vaccinated children. We have also seen unvaccinated children become very sick and even die of Measles. Before the Chicken Pox vaccine became available, we frequently saw children hospitalized with complications from Chicken Pox, including encephalitis, a brain infection.

Our older colleagues have shared very sad stories of Whooping Cough epidemics that claimed many lives. Even today, babies can die of Whooping Cough, a disease that is common during the winter months in most communities. Vaccination starting at age 2 months readily prevents infants from catching this devastating disease. Fortunately, the severe complications of these diseases are no longer common. We will share our knowledge with you and hope to help you make the best decisions for your child.

We are happy to discuss your concerns about vaccines at your child's next visit.

Recommended Immunization Schedule

0-6 Years -Schedule for Persons Aged 0 Through 6 Years | 2023
7-18 Years-Schedule for Persons Aged 7 Through 18 Years | 2023
Catch-up Schedule -Schedule for Persons Aged 4 Months Through 18 Years Who Start Late or Who Are More Than 1 Month Behind | 2023

Resources

Vaccine Safety: The Facts Safety facts on vaccines from the AAP

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Our Regular Schedule

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Monday:

8:00 am-5:00 pm

Tuesday:

8:00 am-5:00 pm

Wednesday:

8:00 am-5:00 pm

Thursday:

8:00 am-5:00 pm

Friday:

8:00 am-5:00 pm

Saturday:

Closed

Sunday:

Closed