Georgia has now expanded eligibility for the COVID vaccine to EVERYONE 5 years of age and older.

Peachtree Park Pediatrics is a Georgia-approved COVID-19 vaccine provider. We offer appointments to anyone 5 and older. You do not need to be an active patient or of pediatric age to get your vaccine. Vaccines are given on specific dates, by appointment only. These dates are announced periodically via newsletter and Facebook.

Over 450 Million doses of COVID vaccine have been given in the U.S. and 8 billion doses have been given globally.  The vaccines have demonstrated that they are safe and effective.  We recommend that everyone 5 and older be vaccinated.  You do not need to wait for your child to get vaccinated at PPP; if they can make an appointment at the Health Department, the pharmacy or any other vaccination site on a day that we are not offering it, please go ahead and have them get it there.  You may register for the vaccine at https://myvaccinegeorgia.com/ and vaccinefinder.org.

Here you will find regular updates from our doctors and links to reliable resources to help keep you up to date with the COVID-19 situation. Any changes to practice procedures or hours of operation will also be posted here.

The contents of this page rely on information from the CDC, AAP, Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA).  We receive communication from these groups regularly and are working to stay current and provide safe and appropriate advice and care to our patients.

Testing for COVID-19

Where to test

During office visits, we can perform a rapid antigen COVID-19 test on patients with symptoms. In addition to our office, there are several locations in and around Metro Atlanta that offer testing: Viral Solutions offers drive through testing at no out-of-pocket cost, without needing to schedule an appointment. Online registration allows you to save time during your visit. Visit https://viralsolutionsga.com/ for more information or to find a testing location.

Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta maintains a list of additional testing locations, divided into districts.

Recognizing the Symptoms

This is the chart our phone nurses utilize to determine when patients need to be tested for COVID-19, depending on symptoms, exposure and vaccination status:

In addition, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta offers an online questionnaire you can use to help determine if your child’s illness is consistent with COVID-19, if testing is recommended, and if they can be managed at home or should be evaluated by our office:

COVID-19 Pediatric Assessment Tool

Most children with COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses can be comfortably managed at home.  If you have concerns about your child or are looking for homecare advice, please call our office.

Office Visits

At Peachtree Park Pediatrics we strive to deliver the highest quality care to your child and family.  We believe that a thorough in-person physical exam and the opportunity to share conversation together in the room are crucial to optimizing your child’s health.

Maintaining a regular check-up and immunization schedule is a crucial part of ensuring your child’s health!

When to be Seen at PPP

We are always happy to see your child in the office if you are concerned about their health.  However, with the prevalence of COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses, we want kids to stay safely at home if an office visit is not needed.  If your child has mild symptoms, our phone nurses will help you decide if an in-office visit is necessary, if they can be effectively treated via telemedicine, or give you advice on homecare and let you know what to look for as signs that the illness is worsening and your child should be evaluated.  In general, children with respiratory illnesses can be managed at home if they are breathing comfortably, eating, sleeping and playing.  Fevers can be treated with Acetaminophen or Ibuprofen if your child is uncomfortable; if the fevers comes down with medicine and your child feels better (even temporarily) that is reassuring that the illness is unlikely to be serious.

Keeping You Safe During Your Visit

Please keep the following in mind as you plan your visit to our office:

• To limit crowding in the Waiting Room, hallways and Exam Rooms, please bring only the patient to the visit. If possible, leave siblings, grandparents and others at home or outside in the car (with adult supervision).
• Follow the green signs to exit the office at the end of the hallways rather than through the Waiting Room. If the Clinical Staff is unable to schedule the follow-up visit or next check-up, please call to speak with our Front Desk staff by phone.
• While teens are spending confidential time with the physician, parents should go to the building lobby or their car, rather than sit in the Waiting Room.
• While waiting on the results of in-office tests we may ask you to go to your car so that we can clean the Exam Room and move another family out of the Waiting Room.

Telemedicine at Peachtree Park Pediatrics

Peachtree Park Pediatrics began offering Telemedicine (TM) appointments in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. While there is no perfect supplement for the quality of care provided at an in-office visit, we believe that TM is an effective way to provide our patients with certain services. If our triage nurse feels your child’s need can be adequately addressed via Telemedicine, they will gladly help you schedule a TM visit with one of our physicians.

Telemedicine visits can be effective for managing the following conditions:

• Chronic conditions, such as ADHD, asthma, depression, and anxiety
• Behavioral and developmental concerns
• Some skin conditions

More on Telemedicine at Peachtree Park Pediatrics

During the early weeks of the pandemic, insurers lifted restrictions on TM and, in some cases, eliminated co-pays for TM visits.  They also agreed to pay physicians the same for TM visits as for in person visits.  If these policies continue, we will be able to continue offering TM at low or no cost to you.  Before scheduling a TM visit, please check with your individual insurance plan and see if a visit is covered and if you will have cost sharing like a copay or deductible.

During regular office hours, TM visits are scheduled by appointment.  Our phone nurses and MDs will determine if TM is right for your child’s visit.

Staying Safe

Like other respiratory viruses (Flu, RSV, colds), COVID-19 is spread by direct contact with saliva and other respiratory secretions.  Frequent hand washing is the best protection because it prevents any viruses that you have touched from entering your body through the nose, mouth or eyes.  If your child has any respiratory illness (cough, runny nose, congestion, fever, etc.) they should be isolated from others until the symptoms have resolved.

Recently the CDC updated information on their COVID-19 website under the heading of “Daily Life and Coping”:

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/index.html

Here you will find the latest advice on how to be safe:

• At Home
• Errands and Going Out
• Caring for Children
• Stress and Coping
• Pets and Other Animals

How Do You Define “Close Contact?”

A useful definition of close contact is being within 6 feet for a period of 10 minutes to 30 minutes.  Another way to think of it is someone is closer than 6 feet if the smoke from a cigarette they are smoking would bother you.

Managing Your Child’s “Exposure Budget”

Risk of infection with COVID-19 is cumulative, so encourage your child to think about their total level of exposure over the course of a week or month.  They can spend more of their “Exposure Budget” on high-priority activities and skip those that are less meaningful to them.  A Stanford Psychologist wrote “Don’t take risks where it’s not needed and make trade-offs that are congruent with your larger health needs and priorities.”  High risk exposures, like those indoors in poorly ventilated places, should be kept as brief as possible.  Learning to budget and allocate a limited resource (be it money or your potential virus exposure) is an excellent life skill.

We appreciate your understanding as we work to provide the best care and most current information to our patients and families.  Please get in touch with us if you have questions or concerns.