Stay Home. Use the Phone. Contact Us First.

At Weiss Pediatric Care, our goal is to keep your children out of urgent cares and the emergency room whenever possible.  Today, more than ever, we want to make sure that you call us first when your kids are sick.  We want to be your first point of contact.

If your child is sick let us answer your questions by phone. Together we’ll decide whether you can manage the symptoms at home or if it makes sense to schedule an appointment. Sick appointments are scheduled in the afternoon only.

We continue to schedule well visits. Staying up-to-date on vaccines and other important preventative measures is vitally important to keeping children healthy and safe. Well visits are scheduled in the morning only.

To help our families stay informed and up-to-date on our efforts to keep everyone safe and healthy, we will continue to share changes in office policies with you. We are staying current on all Center for Disease Control (CDC) and American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommendations as they continue to change, often daily.

3/23/20 UPDATE

WELL VISITS: please keep your appointment. Bring only the child with an appointment and one parent (feel free to have the other parent join the conversation on speaker phone). AND IF YOU DON’T FEELWELL DON’T COME. Please call to reschedule.

SICK VISITS: All sick visits will be screened by the nursing team and then rescreened by Dr. Weiss or a Nurse Practitioner to decide whether an in-office visit is necessary and/or can be accomplished by Telehealth.

3/19/20 UPDATE

COVID-19 Testing

We are unable to test for COVID-19 in our office. Suspected cases are being referred to our local health department who will advise if a person is a candidate for testing. Currently only patients who have symptoms including fever, cough, trouble breathing AND known travel or exposure to a confirmed case are being tested.

3/18/2020 UPDATE

• WELL VISITS ONLY scheduled in the morning; SICK VISITS ONLY after lunch.
• Staff will wear masks for sick visits.
• Telehealth is coming soon so stay tuned for opportunities to schedule virtual visits.

3/16/2020 UPDATE

• Walk-in visits and extended Monday hours are cancelled.
• No waiting in the waiting room. Call from your car upon arrival so we can let you know when your room is ready.
• Please leave siblings and other family members at home, whenever possible. Only bring the child being seen accompanied by one parent.

COVID-19 BASIC FACTS

Viral illness: fever, cough, difficulty breathing; symptoms can be mild to severe.

Spread: person to person, through respiratory droplets; new cases are emerging showing community spread meaning no known contact with an infected person and no recent travel to endemic areas.

Testing: in-office testing is not available suspected cases are being referred to the Sarasota County Health Department.

Treatment: current treatment is supportive care; rest, fluids, fever medications; it is not know if current anti-viral medications are effective against COVID-19

When to call the doctor: if your child is having significant shortness of breath, difficulty breathing or fever over 100.5 for more than 4 days, contact us.

Reducing the spread of viral illnesses:

• Good handwashing is key!
• Alcohol-based hand sanitizers are also effective.
• Avoid touching eyes, nose or mouth.
• Do not share eating utensils (e.g., spoon, fork).
• Stay home if you feel ill.
• Healthy eating, exercise and adequate sleep are all cornerstones of staying healthy.
• The use of masks in public does not keep you from picking up respiratory illnesses. Masks can help (but not completely prevent illness) protect those around you if you are sneezing or coughing.

Remember children with coronavirus generally have MILD symptoms but it is important to keep them from spreading to the more vulnerable people in our community. Social distancing and handwashing are key. If your child is having respiratory symptoms (cough, fever, sore throat) but is not experiencing any distress it is best to STAY HOME!

For trustworthy, current information about COVID-19:

• Center for Disease Control (CDC)
• Johns Hopkins