As Day 2 of SIP [shelter in place] comes to a close we wanted to give you a quick update:

• We are grateful to our patients and families for following current public health guidelines about COVID-19 and NOT walking in to our office without calling us first. Thank you for doing your part in keeping our kids and our community healthy!
• Current CDC guidelines are: if you or your child have a fever AND a cough AND trouble breathing AND/OR travel to a hotspot AND/OR known exposure to COVID-19 please call our office to set up a video visit. Local hospitals have limited COVID-19 testing capacity and are following CDC criteria to make final decisions about who gets COVID-19 testing. We can help guide you to the right place for the right care.
• We are being asked to refer patients to local testing sites since COVID-19 tests are still in short supply. We will update you if that changes.
• Some of you have asked very good questions on our social media pages, please be aware we cannot respond to anyone directly due to HIPAA constraints.
• We can sign you up for the patient portal which allows you to contact your specific doctor via email, we’ve got information on our blog, or you can call us and we’ll walk you through it.
• Pediatric data about COVID-19 in patients from China was published this week, bottom line: the disease is less severe in kids than adults, and as of today there were NO fatalities in pediatric patients 18 years or younger in the USA. We continue to follow COVID-19 updates closely and will be posting more details in future posts.

And finally we wanted to share a picture of our office St. Patrick’s Day lunch while practicing social distancing…we can stay connected while staying apart 🙂 Team PWG is here for you as we get through this difficult time together.

Stay well, stay home and stay kind!

6 Bay Area counties have enacted a “shelter in place” order from 3/16/20 to 4/7/2020 to try and slow down the spread of COVID-19.  Everyone is asked to stay at home except for essential services, hospitals and medical facilities are currently exempt. This is a critical moment for us in California, together we CAN slow down the progress of COVID-19 and avoid a breakdown in our medical system. PWG is open today and here’s our update:

• If you or your child have a fever AND a cough AND trouble breathing AND/OR travel to a hotspot AND/OR known exposure to COVID-19 PLEASE DO NOT WALK IN, that is putting everyone at risk. Please call us and we can help triage you to the right place for the right care.
• Our goal is to get you into a room as quickly as possible. If there are no rooms available, we ask you to give us a number to call you and wait in your car. We will call you when it’s time to come in.
• we are cancelling all well visits for children older than 18 months. Infants and toddlers need to stay on track with their vaccination schedule so we are asking you to continue to come in as planned. We will let you know if this changes.
• we have cancelled all “immunization only” appointments except for influenza vaccination. We are still seeing influenza cases, the CDC is still recommending influenza vaccines to help protect people and conserve medical resources by having fewer serious cases. We have a small supply in stock and will continue to make appointments for the flu vaccine until we run out.  If your child has not gotten the flu vaccine yet please consider making an appointment and getting them vaccinated.
• we can make telemedicine visits for families who prefer not to come in. We can map out a plan to make sure your child gets the right treatment at the right time at the right place.
• we are actively reaching out to sign people up on our patient portal. Please contact our office for information, the portal is a way for you to communicate with us via email.
• We will NOT be handing out stickers, suckers, or toys
• We will not have coffee or apples available
• have a Happy St. Patrick’s Day 🙂

Team PWG is here for you and your family as we all navigate these difficult times, we are a strong community and we will get through this. Be kind, and stay well!

San Mateo County has enacted strict limits on gatherings of people. Hospitals and medical offices are exempt; Team PWG wants to be proactive in reducing infections. We will be updating our office policies effective immediately:

• If you or your child have a fever AND a cough AND trouble breathing AND/OR travel to a hotspot AND/OR known exposure to COVID-19 PLEASE DO NOT WALK IN, that is putting everyone at risk. Please call us and we can help triage you to the right place for the right care.
• Our goal is to get you into a room as quickly as possible. If there are no rooms available, we ask you to give us a number to call you and wait in your car. We will call you when it’s time to come in.
• We are setting aside blocks of time for certain sick visits [kids with respiratory infections such as cough, runny nose, fever]:
  • 9 am-10 am Monday to Friday
  • 5:30 pm-7:00 pm Monday to Thursday, 4 pm-5 pm Friday
• If you cannot come during those times, we will make an appointment for a video visit first. We can map out a plan to make sure your child gets the right treatment at the right time at the right place.
• Our front desk can help you sign up for the patient portal, this will allow you to communicate with us via email.
• We will NOT be handing out stickers, suckers, or toys
• We will not have coffee or apples available

The entire PWG team is committed to our community’s health and well being. We will be monitoring the situation closely and will update you regularly.

As many of you know, the WHO has declared COVID-19 to be a pandemic today, we have been getting many phone calls about this and we understand that many of you are feeling anxious and overwhelmed about what is going on.  There has been a flood of news about COVID-19, and the situation is changing rapidly. This what we know today:

• San Mateo County has 15 cases of COVID-19 with no deaths. Santa Clara County has 48 cases with 1 death. San Francisco County has 14 cases and no deaths. We are not aware of any local reports of pediatric fatalities.
• Today San Mateo County health officer Dr. Scott Morrow published an excellent update that focuses on 3 key areas: Individual and community preparations should focus on three tasks—reducing each person’s chance of getting sick… helping households with basic survival needs during a pandemic, and minimizing and coping with larger disruptions in how the normal day-to-day world works. 
• San Mateo County Health Department’s advice about not getting sick states that steps to prevent the spread of flu will also guard against the spread of COVID-19: cover your cough and sneeze, wash your hands frequently, avoid shaking hands and touching your face with unwashed hands, and if you are not feeling well or are experiencing cold, flu, or other symptoms, stay home from school or work. 
• We do NOT have access to unlimited testing for all patients for COVID-19. We are being advised that these are being prioritized for high risk patients: 1) those with a high fever, cough and trouble breathing 2) known exposure and high risk symptoms.  If we feel a test is indicated we are calling the county health department for guidance.
• We have actively been planning and working on internal procedures to help minimize exposure risks for patients, families and our office staff. You can help us by letting us know if your child has a high fever, cough or other risk factors. Please call us and we can work out a plan together.  Please do not walk in to the office as this puts everyone at risk.
• At this time we are not being advised to cancel routine well visits or defer sick visits. However, many of you are uncomfortable about visiting a doctor’s office with the current outbreak. We can arrange for video visits if needed, we can reschedule visits, and we can also sign you up for patient portal access which allows us to communicate via email. We are here to help all our patients and families through this uncertain time.
• Prevention is the key, and being prepared will help us all feel better about facing the challenges that lie ahead. This is a good time to update your earthquake survival kit, make sure you have enough supplies of key medications and supplies [for example enough diapers and formula to last 2 weeks, any prescription medication or over-the-counter medication that you use regularly, etc.], update emergency contact numbers, be prepared for events/school to be cancelled, review travel plans and consider alternatives.
• some helpful links: CDC coronavirus update, WHO coronavirus update, San Mateo County Health Department, Santa Clara County Health Department, Healthy Children AAP update.
• We will post regular updates to our pediatric wellness group Facebook page, twitter @pwgrwc, and Instagram @pwgrwc.

Remember: we are a strong community, we can and will get through this!

The best advice in a nutshell…

We’ve been getting many calls asking for information and guidance on what to do during the current coronavirus [COVID-19] outbreaks. We’ve assembled information from multiple resources and will update this as we know more. Feel free to share with your network as well!

As of today the health department has not told us to advise parents to keep their children at home instead of sending them to school. We are being asked to advise parents and patients to practice the following:

• Frequent handwashing [preferably for 20 seconds each time] and/or using alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol
• Try to avoid touching your face or mouth
• Try to avoid handshakes/close contact/hugging especially with people who are sick [Elbow taps instead of high fives, etc.]
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw that tissue away and wash your hands
• Try and maintain some distance between yourself and other adults [3 to 6 feet] obviously for little children this will be very difficult to enforce.
• If you are sick stay home, do not go to work/school
• Clean/disinfect objects and surfaces you touch frequently [phones, door handles, toys, etc.]
• Check with your school or local health department for any school closures/known exposures
• Wearing a mask is not recommended, and most masks will not stop COVID-19
• Call us if your child is having a fever > 102, respiratory symptoms and trouble breathing.
• Call us if you have a known exposure to COVID-19 [you will be notified by the CDC or your local health department if this is the case] or are at higher risk due to recent travel [China, South Korea, Japan, Italy, Iran, Washington state].

Call our office at 650.216.7794 if you are concerned and we can help guide you to the right place to get the right testing and the right care. Please do not walk into the office as we may have to send you to another facility since we cannot test for COVID-19 in the office.

We recommend these resources for additional information:

• US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Frequently Asked Questions and Answers: Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) and children
• California Department of Public Health
• AAP Healthy Children
• Alameda County Health Department
• San Francisco County Health Department
• San Mateo County Health Department
• Santa Clara County Health Department

PWG will be closed on Monday February 17, 2020 for President’s Day

We will resume normal business hours on Tuesday 2/18/2020

Click here for more information on After Hour Pediatrics for urgent care needs.

We have added a drop in flu clinic for Tuesday 12/24/19, 9:00 am to 11:00 am.

Kids home from school and still need their flu vaccine?

Here’s what you need to know about our flu vaccine supply:

Flu Clinic is for established patients only

All our injectable vaccines are quadrivalent [enhanced protection by including more strains], and they are all preservative free.

We have the injectable vaccine for children over 6 months of age.

If you are not sure if your child can receive the flu vaccine, feel free to contact our office at 650.216.7794 for help with those questions.  Let’s all stay healthy this flu season!

 From the Dignity Health website: Dignity Health and Cigna are in discussions to renew agreements that will allow Cigna members in California and Nevada to continue to access Dignity Health providers and facilities as part of their in-network benefits. Both organizations have been negotiating for months, but we have yet to reach agreement. For patients in California: Right now nothing is changing. However, if new agreements are not reached by Jan. 1, 2020, most Dignity Health providers would become out-of-network for Cigna members.

Families with HMO insurance can come to PWG because we are a member of  Hill Physicians, a medical group based in the East Bay. Some of our families have Cigna HMO and go to Dignity Health providers and Dignity Health facilities such as Sequoia Hospital. There is a chance that PWG will NOT be in network for some people with Cigna insurance after 1/1/2020, and many of you have already received letters stating that the doctors at PWG will become out of network providers after 1/1/2o2o. We have been told that for people with Cigna PPO insurance this may not be an issue.

Bottom line is that it’s complicated right now, and we are not sure if PWG will remain in network for people with Cigna insurance after 1/1/2020. What does it mean if PWG is not in network for you? You may be responsible for all or a greater part of the bill when you come to see a doctor at PWG. We will update you as we get new information but we encourage you to check with your company’s benefits department or your insurance broker as well.

HOLIDAY HOURS

Tuesday, December 24th, 2019  9:00 am to 12:00 pm

Wednesday, December 25th, 2019  CLOSED

Tuesday, December 31st, 2019  9:00 am to 12:00 pm

Wednesday, January 1, 2020  CLOSED

Click here for more information on After Hour Pediatrics for urgent care needs.

We wish everyone a happy, healthy and safe Holiday Season

UBCP MyChart patient portal is offered to you free of charge as an online resource for routine health care needs. For patients age 12-17, UBCP requires signed approval from the parent or guardian in order for the parent/guardian to view some of the child’s health information on MyChart. They have access to adolescent test results, allergies, and immunizations; they can message their adolescent’s providers and request appointments on their adolescent’s behalf.  Parents/guardians will not have access to information related to sensitive services, such as reproductive health (i.e. pregnancy testing, contraception, testing and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases), and certain mental health and substance use screening and treatments. 

Here’s how you can sign up:

1. For parents of children 0 to 17 years of age
   1. Fill out a proxy authorization form:
      1. For parents of children 0 to 11 years of age: use this form
      2. For parents of children 12 to 17 years of age: use this form
      3. You can also ask our front desk for the correct form(s).
   2. Submit the completed form to our office. This MUST be done in person because we are required to check a photo ID for identity verification purposes.
   3. Someone will reach out to you on behalf of UCSF to complete the process.

2. For patients who are 18 years of age or older you can enroll directly here
3. If you have any questions, you can call MyChart Customer Service at (415) 514-6000 to speak with MyChart staff 24 hours a day, seven days a week

Important Information About Our Patient Portal:

• It is for established patients at PWG
• It is for communication and requests that are NOT emergencies. If you feel you are having a medical emergency, please dial 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.
• The Portal is not checked on the weekends or federal holidays. It is only checked during regular business hours.
• It may take up to 3 business days for you to receive a response, if you have a more urgent question or request please call our office at 650.216.7794