Caring for the children of Tuscaloosa and West Alabama since the 1960s

Tuscaloosa Pediatrics is your medical home. What does that mean? We are dedicated to providing your children with comprehensive and compassionate health care. We specialize in coordinating your child’s medical care by offering multiple in-office services (including a lactation consultant, mental health counselor, phone/portal advice by licensed nursing staff, and a phlebotomist for on-site labwork) plus maintaining a great relationship with medical specialists in both Tuscaloosa and Birmingham. With a team of Board-Certified Pediatricians and an excellent support staff, we are here to provide medical care for your children from birth to high school graduation. It is no secret that children who are supplied with a foundation of good health are not only healthy children, but also become healthy adults. This is our commitment to you.

2024-2025 Flu Clinics

Updated 2024-2025 flu vaccines will all be trivalent (which means they will offer protection against 3 flu strains - an A(H1N1) virus, an A(H3N2) virus, and a B/Victoria virus).  

Flu shots are recommended for everyone 6 months and above.  Children younger than 5 years old, and especially those younger than 2 years old, are at higher risk of developing serious flu-related complications. Children of any age with certain chronic health conditions are also at higher risk. During the 2022-2023 flu season, 66 percent of children ages 0 to 17 years old hospitalized with flu had at least one underlying health condition, such as asthma, neurologic disease, obesity, or immune suppression. Healthy children can spread flu to their higher risk family members (for example, younger siblings or grandparents) so it’s important to vaccinate everyone 6 months and older in your family against flu each year to help protect those most at risk. 

September or October is the best time to get your flu vaccine for the majority of people in the U.S. However, for those younger children who are getting the flu vaccine for the first time and require 2 doses given 1 month apart, your pediatrician may offer the vaccine in August at their checkup.

If your child already has a scheduled visit in September or October, they can get their flu shot at that visit but please call ahead and let us know if parents or siblings want to get their shot at the same time so we can be sure to have shots available.

Flu clinics will be taking place during regular office hours and also on several evenings and Saturdays in the upcoming months. All flu clinics are by appointment only. Let us know when you make the appointment if a parent wants to get their flu shot at the same time. No walk-ins can be accommodated during flu clinic.

Parents – we are happy to file to your insurance, but you will need to verify with your insurance that you have coverage. If you do not have insurance but still want to receive a flu shot at our office, please speak to our billing department when scheduling.

Call our office at (205)333-8222 or send us a portal message to schedule a flu clinic visit.

AND REMEMBER – THE GOAL OF THE FLU SHOT IS NOT TO KEEP YOU FROM GETTING THE FLU.  THE GOAL IS TO KEEP YOU FROM BEING HOSPITALIZED OR DYING FROM THE FLU!

• A 2022 study showed that flu vaccination reduced children’s risk of severe life-threatening influenza by 75%.
• A 2020 study found that during the 2018-2019 flu season, flu vaccination reduced flu-related hospitalization by 41% and flu-related emergency department visits by half among children (aged 6 months to 17 years old).
• A 2018 study showed that getting a flu shot reduced a pregnant woman’s risk of being hospitalized with flu by an average of 40% from 2010-2016.
• A 2014 study showed that flu vaccination reduced children’s risk of flu-related pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) admission by 74% during flu seasons from 2010-2012.
• A 2018 study showed that from 2012 to 2015, flu vaccination among adults reduced the risk of being admitted to an ICU with flu by 82%.

Beyfortus

IF YOU HAVE A BABY WHO WILL BE UNDER 8 MONTHS OLD IN OCTOBER 2024 OR YOU WILL BE HAVING A BABY THIS FALL/WINTER 2024-2025, PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION CAREFULLY.

IF YOU ARE PREGNANT AND PLAN TO GET THE RSV VACCINE FOR YOURSELF, YOUR BABY WILL NOT NEED NIRSEVIMAB TOO

What is respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)?

RSV is the most common cause of bronchiolitis (inflammation of the small airways in the lungs) and pneumonia in babies. It is an illness that often occurs in yearly outbreaks in communities, school classrooms, and day care centers. RSV spreads through coughing, sneezing, direct contact, and contaminated surfaces. Historically, RSV season in the U.S. tends to start in the fall. It lasts through the winter and into early spring.

RSV can be dangerous for infants and young children. Each year in the United States, an estimated 58,000-80,000 children younger than 5 years are hospitalized due to RSV infection. Children at the greatest risk for severe illness from RSV include the following:

 Premature infants

 Infants up to 12 months, especially those 6 months and younger

 Children younger than 2 years with chronic lung disease or congenital heart disease

 Children with weakened immune systems

 Children who have neuromuscular disorders (including those who have difficulty swallowing or clearing mucus secretions)

Fortunately, we finally have some options to protect our most vulnerable patients!

For infants, two methods of protection became available in 2023 - a monoclonal antibody given directly to the infant or vaccination of the pregnant mother before delivery. Both of the methods for protecting babies are forms of passive immunization, meaning the antibodies are not generated by the infant’s own immune system. In both cases, the antibodies last long enough to protect infants during their first RSV season when they are most vulnerable to severe disease. After the antibodies fade, older babies will be exposed to RSV and make their own immune response at a time when they are less susceptible to severe disease.

1) The RSV vaccine for pregnant women - Pregnant women can get a single dose of the RSV vaccine known as Abrysvo during weeks 32 through 36 of pregnancy if that period of gestation occurs during RSV season (recommended September through January in the U.S.). In clinical trials, a single dose of the RSV vaccine administered during pregnancy reduced the risk of an RSV infection leading to hospitalization during the first six months of life in 57 of 100 infants born to vaccinated individuals. If you are pregnant, talk to your OB/GYN about this option.

(of note, there is also an RSV vaccine for adults over age 60 but all brands are not approved for pregnant women)

2) The RSV monoclonal antibody – We also have another option for those babies whose mother did not get the RSV vaccine during pregnancy. Nirsevimab (brand name Beyfortus) is a monoclonal antibody so in this case, the antibody is given to the baby directly instead of the mom making the antibody and passing it to her infant.

A recent study looked at 699 infants from October 2023 through February 2024 using early data from the CDC’s population-based surveillance platform that monitors pediatric respiratory viruses to assess immunization effectiveness. Results show that nirsevimab was 90% effective at preventing RSV-associated hospitalization in infants during their first RSV season.

All infants younger than 8 months of age who are born shortly before or during their first RSV season (typically fall through spring) are recommended to get one dose of the RSV monoclonal antibody known as nirsevimab. One dose of nirsevimab can protect the infant for five months, the length of an average RSV season.

Nirsevimab is not needed for infants younger than age 8 months if their mother received the RSV vaccine during pregnancy.

A dose of nirsevimab is also recommended for some children between 8 months and 19 months of age because they remain at high risk for severe RSV even though they are entering their second RSV season. These include babies with chronic lung disease resulting from premature birth or those who are immune compromised. Talk with your child’s pediatrician to see if your child fits the high risk criteria.

Babies born from October to March should receive nirsevimab as soon as possible after birth. Those born from April to September should receive a dose in October. Administration of nirsevimab with age-appropriate vaccines is recommended and should not interfere with the immune response to routine vaccines.

Nirsevimab is a single-dose monoclonal antibody given in one shot into the muscle, like a vaccine. The safety of nirsevimab was found to be similar to placebo in clinical studies. Mild to moderate side effects were seen in about 1 in 100 children. The most common side effects of nirsevimab include rash, pain, swelling, or hardness at the site of your baby’s injection.

Tuscaloosa Pediatrics hopes to have nirsevimab available for our youngest patients this year. Last winter there was an extreme shortage and it was not widely available. We also hope that our local hospitals in Tuscaloosa and Birmingham will be able to offer nirsevimab to newborns prior to discharge from the Well Baby nursery or NICU but we do not know yet if this will be an option.

Please talk to your child’s pediatrician and your OB/GYN with any questions you may have about protecting your baby from RSV.

Kids Doc Symptom Checker

Does your child have fever? Head lice? Vomiting? Ear pain? Not sure what to do? Check out the KIDS DOC SYMPTOM CHECKER. It may have just the answer you're looking for! If not, then give us a call.

Just click on the link below to use the KIDS DOC SYMPTOM CHECKER.

http://www.healthychildren.org/english/tips-tools/symptom-checker/Pages/default.aspx

SICK APPOINTMENT REQUESTS

Did your child wake up at 2 am with a fever or complain of ear pain at bedtime?  Go ahead and put in a request for a sick appointment through our portal right then!

Our nurses will review your message when they arrive at the office in the morning and offer you an appointment through a return portal message, sometimes before our phone lines even turn on for the day!

Please refrain from calling the office if you have already sent a portal message overnight.  If you haven’t heard from us by 9 am, then please call at that time.

IF YOU HAVE AN EMERGENCY, PLEASE CALL 911.  For urgent concerns outside of office hours, call (205)333-8222 to reach the on-call nurse.  Portal messages are not checked overnight or during the weekend.

NCQA Patient-Centered Medical Home Certification 

Tuscaloosa Pediatrics is excited to announce that after over a year of hard work, we have become certified as a NCQA Patient-Centered Medical Home!

NCQA (National Committee for Quality Assurance) is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to improving health care quality. NCQA accredits and certifies a wide range of health care organizations. The NCQA Patient-Centered Medical Home standards emphasize the use of systematic, patient-centered, coordinated care that supports access, communication and patient involvement.

The Patient-Centered Medical Home is a model of care that puts patients at the forefront of care. PCMHs build better relationships between patients and their clinical care teams. Research shows that PCMHs improve quality and the patient experience - while reducing health care costs. Practices that earn recognition have made a commitment to continuous quality improvement and a patient-centered approach to care.

PATIENT BENEFITS OF A PATIENT-CENTERED MEDICAL HOME
• Stay healthy. Patients who are treated in PCMHs tend to receive preventative services and screenings at a higher rate than patients not in PCMHs, helping keep them healthy.
• Better communication. A core concept of the PCMH model is to communicate with patients and their families/caregivers. The model emphasizes enhanced access so patients can get clinical advice or medical records when needed. It also prioritizes effective sharing of information between primary care physicians and specialists to ensure better care for patients.
• Better manage chronic conditions. PCMHs are especially helpful for patients with complex chronic conditions. Research shows that these conditions are managed better in a medical home.

We are so excited to receive this recognition from NCQA! We want to give special thanks to Dr. Michelle Parchman and Emily Skelton, BSN, RN who were our leaders in this project!

Patient Portal

Tuscaloosa Pediatrics is pleased to announce that we have a secure Patient Portal. This portal is designed to enhance patient/guardian – physician communication.  We encourage you to sign up for our patient portal which can provide a quick and easy way to request appointments and prescription refills, update demographics, and communicate with our office staff.  If you are interested in signing up for Patient Portal access, please contact our office .  If you have any questions regarding the Patient Portal please contact our office at (205) 333-8222 and one of our staff members will be happy to assist you.

Holiday Hours 

Tuscaloosa Pediatrics is only closed for six holidays during the year - New Year's Day, Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.  We are typically open for sick patients on the day after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and New Year's Eve when these fall on a weekday.  We are open on all other federal holidays including Martin Luther King Jr Day, President's Day, Columbus Day, and Veterans Day.

Lactation Services

Since January 2019 we have been providing Lactation Services with our Lactation Specialist Vickie Lyle, RN, IBCLC for our patients. Newborns will follow up with Vickie and one of our pediatricians within 1-3 days after discharge for weight and jaundice checks. Breastfeeding moms are always welcome to call and schedule a visit with Vickie if they need advice at any time!  

Time For Your Checkup!

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends a yearly checkup for all children.  Call now to schedule your child's checkup.  Remember all children entering Kindergarten and 6th grade in the fall will need an updated Blue Card so check with us now to make sure your child is up to date on their immunizations.