Like a lot of parents, I am concerned about many aspects of COVID-19.

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve seen a significant drop in well-child visits at my office and at pediatric offices throughout our community. At the height of the stay-at-home orders, our visits dropped to about one-third of their typical capacity and now, we’re seeing about over half of our typical volume. We definitely want and look forward to seeing all our patients for their well-child visits and also expect them to keep their visits with their specialist care!

Why it’s concerning to delay care

We encourage families to schedule their over-due and upcoming visits right away. Well-child visits are very important for ALL kids, especially those 4 years and younger, and our best advice is to keep those appointments.

During the first 4 years of life, we give children much needed vaccines that help prevent diseases like measles, mumps, rubella, chicken pox, polio, hepatitis, whooping cough, meningitis and pneumonia, among others. The concern we have now is that because so many children have missed their well child visits – leading to lower immunization rates – which in return could see an uptick in preventable diseases when kids return to daycare and school.
This is especially true for whooping cough, which had already been increasing in many communities before COVID-19.

Along with vaccines, well-visits are also a time when we as providers can screen for anemia, lead poisoning and also check for important growth and developmental milestones that we as providers can intervene in and make sure your loved one gets the needed interventions that may be needed.

The appointment also provides your family an opportunity to ask questions about COVID-19 that you may have thought about since all of our lives changed this past March.

It is safe to come in

Primary care practices along with the El Paso Children’s Hospital have all made adjustments in their processes and spaces to make sure it is safe for families to visit for appointments such as extra disinfection cleaning, shorter wait times in lobby, and social distancing practices among patients.

In most pediatric care practices and pediatric specialist offices, our waiting rooms and clinic spaces have been separated to keep ill patients away from those who are not sick and allow for social distancing. We have also worked to shorten the amount of time families have to wait before being seen.

When you come in, you, like everyone who visits, will also go through a screening process. This screening helps to ensure the safety of our families as well as our clinic and hospital staff at our facilities. You may also be required to wear a mask while you are at your child’s doctor appointment.

As businesses open and our lives slowly return to normal, it is imperative that you also get your child back on track with routine medical care. This will help to ensure that they’re healthy when school starts and have the immunizations needed to fight off preventable diseases and will allow us to get your child to the appropriate specialist needed to keep your child healthy for many years to come!

This virus has affected us all! I don’t think anyone has been immune to the effects of the virus. Whether it is someone we know and love who has had the virus, or the secondary effects of job insecurity or any other disruption that this virus has caused. As we battle this virus together, our clinics and our hospital have all demonstrated what can be accomplished when we all work together for the good of our patients, families and each other.

As I was thinking about this virus and my patients missing doctor visits, I came up with acronym to help. Always remember COVID, Continue Observing Vital In person Doctor visits!

Be safe, and hope to see you soon!

Guest Columnist – Dr. Ricardo Reyna,
Community Pediatrician and Medical Director for the C.A.R.E.S. Clinic at El Paso Children’s Hospital