Telehealth now available!

To all our patients and their families,

Just want to let everyone know that we are OPEN and AVAILABLE to our patients as always.

We would also like to announce:

We are fully capable to perform telehealth visits now. You can do these on your phones or on a laptop or computer with camera and mic.

We continue to see healthy, well-child visits in the office from age 0-2 years in the mornings, and in-office visits in the afternoon for injuries or sick visits that have been screened first by phone or through our portal.

Please do not hesitate to call with any concerns, and we certainly look forward to a time we can see each other again in person!

All the best to you and yours,

Marblehead Pediatrics

Coronavirus: Letter to our Patients

Last updated March 13, 2020, 12:39 pm ET

To our patients,

We understand that this is a difficult time for everyone and information regarding Coronavirus is often conflicting. What we do know is that children most often only have mild disease. However, they can easily get older family members and friends sick. Please be reassuring to your children that they will be fine, but good and frequent handwashing and coughing into the elbow can save the lives of others.

In order to prevent the spread of illness, we have instituted new policies within our office. We have temporarily divided our rooms so that if you are in the office for a well visit or an injury, you will only be in a room that well patients are seen in, and sick patients are seen in separate spaces. Furthermore, through more elaborate screening of sick patients, we will not be seeing patients who have probable Coronavirus. We cannot test these individuals, but we will be happy to discuss symptoms and concerns by phone. Our Nurse Practitioners are helping to screen the larger volume of calls we are receiving. Please be patient while we try to triage your calls.

If you are scheduled for a well visit, but you the parent are ill, the child is ill, or the siblings are ill with fever/cough, we will be asking you to reschedule. This is to protect your healthy children, as well as our staff.

We all understand how frustrating the lack of testing is, and there just isn’t anything we can do about it. The situation is fluid, and we will try to update our patients to any significant changes. If you think any member of your family could have Coronavirus or Influenza, please keep them at home. Do not bring sick children out to stores or restaurants. If your child is having any fever with difficulty breathing, noisy breathing, or fast breathing, please call our office for guidance. Do not bring your child to the office or ER without calling us first. The ER protocol has changed. Symptomatic children and adults are being seen from the car first and this requires co-ordination with the hospital nursing staff.

***Also, we will be canceling the Monday morning walk-in hour until further notice.***

We wish all our families best wishes for good health.

Marblehead Pediatrics

 ***For up to date information on Coronavirus go to healthychildren.org OR cdc.gov/coronavirus

2019 Novel Coronavirus

A new coronavirus​​

Source: Healthychildren.org.

https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/chest-lungs/Pages/2019-Novel-Coronavirus.aspx

A new human coronavirus, called the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV), was discovered in Wuhan City, China, in December 2019. While we know it's contagious, it is still not known how easily it spreads from person to person. Public health officials are actively investigating this virus to learn more about its impact.

People with confirmed cases of the Novel Coronavirus reported illnesses ranging from mild to severe. Symptoms are similar to the flu and can include:

• Fever 

• Cough

• ​Shortness of breath

• Body aches

• Tiredness

• Sore throat

• Headache

• Diarrhea

• Pneumonia

How to protect your fa​mily

There is currently no vaccine to prevent 2019-nCoV infection. The best way to prevent infection is to avoid being exposed to this virus. However, here are a few other ways you can keep your family healthy and help prevent the spread of viruses, including:

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

• Keep your kids away from others who are sick or keep them home if they are ill.

• Teach kids to cough and sneeze into their arm or elbow, not their hands.

• Clean and disinfect household objects and surfaces in your home.

• Avoid travel to China​​ until this outbreak has passed.

If you have recently traveled to China and have any of the symptoms above, talk to your doctor. You may need to be tested and may be told to stay home for up to 14 days to prevent the spread of the virus, even though you may not have symptoms.

Families are also encouraged to stay up to date about this situation as we learn more about how to prevent this virus from spreading in homes and in communities. See the resources below for the latest developments from the CDC, including travel warnings, new cases and prevention advice.​

CDC resour​ces

These resources are based on what is currently known about 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV). The CDC will update them as new information becomes available.

• Interim Guidance for Preventing 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) from Spreading to Others in Homes and Communities

• Coronavirus Prevention and Treatment

• Mandarin Chinese Translation

More Information from Hea​​lthyChildren.org

• Reducing the Spread of Illness in Child Care

• Germ Prevention Strategies

• When to Keep Your Child Home from Child Care

About Dr. Me​​issner

H. Cody Meissner, MD, FAAP, is professor of pediatrics at Floating Hospital for Children, Tufts Medical Center. He also is an ex officio member of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Committee on Infectious Diseases and associate editor of the AAP Visual Red Book.

Thank you Dr. Kerns

Congratulations Dr Cheryl Kerns on your well deserved retirement.

Thank you for the 40 years of caring for the children on the North Shore.

Welcome to Dr. Sarah O'Connor!

MHP is thrilled to welcome Dr. Sarah O'Connor to our practice.  Sarah was born and raised in New Jersey. She ventured to New Mexico for undergraduate work at the University of New Mexico and was awarded a BS in biology with a minor in psychology. She attended medical school at Touro University College of Osteopathic Medicine in the California bay area and returned to New Mexico for her pediatric residency. After completing residency, she worked at a pediatric urgent care clinic in Albuquerque. In 2010, she and her family settled in the Boston area. She enjoyed working in a primary care office in Watertown and caring for newborns at the St. Elizabeth’s Hospital nursery. She enjoys caring for children from newborn through teenage years and is passionate about early childhood and preventive care. For the past five years she has been an important member of Yogman Pediatrics, Cambridge, MA. Due to her family’s relocation to the North Shore, we are thrilled to have her join our practice. In her free time Dr. O'Connor likes to explore New England with her husband and 2 daughters.

MHP Welcomes Hillary Johnson, MSN, CPNP

Marblehead Pediatrics is thrilled to welcome Hillary Johnson to our staff. 

Hillary grew up here in Marblehead, graduated from Marblehead High School and was a proud patient of Marblehead Pediatrics.  She graduated from Wheaton College in 2006 with a degree in sociology and dance.  After teaching dance in Marblehead for several years, she completed her BSN at Simmons College, followed by a Masters of Nursing at Boston College.  

Hillary conducted her graduate school Nurse Practitioner preceptorship right here at Marblehead Pediatrics, studying under Rebecca Ehrenberg and Dr. Kerns.

Welcome, Hillary!