September 2023 Update

Greetings from Muskegon Pediatrics!

I hope everyone has had a wonderful summer and a successful start to the school year. As the school year takes off and germs start to spread, remember that honey (for those over the age of 1 year) and nasal saline can be your child’s best friends for helping with stuffy noses, coughs and sore throats.

Influenza Vaccine

We are now offering the influenza vaccine for the season. For those older than 2 years of age we have the nasal flu vaccine, which is a spray and no poke, fuss-free option.

Drive-Thru Flu Clinics

Mark your calendars for September 23rd and October 21st. Between 8-11am, we will be hosting drive-thru flu vaccine clinics for children over the age of 2 years of age. It's a fuss-free way for your kids to receive the nasal flu vaccine without leaving the car. Registration links will be provided closer to the dates.

If you are unable to come to the drive thru clinics, if your child is less than 2 years of age or if you would like your child to get the injectable flu vaccine (the flu shot), please call 231-638-4120 to schedule your child’s visit.

Advances in the care of RSV

RSV is a virus that causes significant breathing problems in young children, causing some children to be hospitalized. Last year we had a particularly horrible RSV season with many children hospitalized. Since 1998 there has been a medication called Synagis available to babies with significant health problems to help them fight off RSV and protect them from serious problems from RSV. It has been cost prohibitive to provide to children other than those with other serious health problems.

This summer a new drug, Nirsevimab, was approved for use for all babies from birth to age 8 months. This new drug works the same way Synagis does, but it is cheaper and lasts longer; only one dose a season is required. This drug works by giving your child the antibodies to fight off RSV when your child should come in contact with RSV. This decreases the likelihood of serious problems.

It is recommended that all children ages birth - 8 months receive this medication starting in October of 2023. At this time Muskegon Pediatrics intends to offer this to our patients. We are currently awaiting information from insurance companies to make sure it will be a covered benefit and for it to be available to order. Once we have it in our office, you will receive a notice from us.

If you have any questions, please call the office (231) 638-4120.

Care Closet

If you are in need of diapers, wipes, clothing, underwear, bras, feminine products, soap, toothbrush/toothpaste or deodorant please call our office so we can help, 231-638-4120. Please share this information with others, we are here to help anyone in need.

If you are able to donate, we would appreciate donations of children’s clothing, coats, shoes, diapers, wipes, and hygiene items. Our closet can only continue with the generosity of others.

Stay Connected

If you have any questions our team is just a call away at (231) 638-4120.

Warm wishes,

Dr. King and the staff at Muskegon Pediatrics

A Healthy Start to 2023!

Muskegon Pediatrics will continue to provide you with the #BESTCARE. Here is some important information for our patients.

Camp Scholarships Available

There are scholarships for camps available from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. Here is the press release for more information:

The Family Center for Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs is excited to let you know about our Camp Scholarship opportunity! Camp scholarships are not just limited to face to face, virtual camps are considered as well.

Effective immediately, we would like to invite families to apply to receive a Camp Scholarship for up to $250. The Camp Scholarship is designed to assist families with sending their child with special health care needs to a camp of their choosing. Applications are being accepted now through the end of March 2023. Applicants do not have to be enrolled in Children’s Special Health Care Services (CSHCS) to be eligible for a camp scholarship. Families will be required to submit a completed Camp Scholarship Application along with an Attendance Registration Form, which will need to be filled out by the Camp Director. We are attaching the required forms as one PDF file. Please feel free to share this with families within your network or families may request the forms through the Family Phone Line at 800-359-3722. Funding is limited, so please encourage families to apply as soon as possible.

COVID vaccine

We continue to offer the Pfizer COVID vaccine for patients ages 6 months and older. All patients can have the Bi-Valent COVID vaccine. If you or your child needs a booster vaccine or if you are unsure if you need one, please call the office to schedule an appointment 231-638-4120.

Influenza vaccine

We are currently experiencing a surge of influenza in our state. If your child still needs an influenza vaccine, please call the office at 231-628-4120 to schedule.

What is influenza? Many people mistake influenza for the “stomach flu”. The vaccine for influenza protects against the influenza virus which causes high fever for 5+ days, harsh cough, runny nose, and sore throat.

Care Closet

We have winter coats, gloves, and hats available. If you are in need of diapers, wipes, clothing, underwear, bras, feminine products, soap, toothbrush/toothpaste or deodorant please call our office so we can help, 231-638-4120.

If you are able to donate to our care closet, we appreciate any donations of toiletries, diapers, and wipes.

If you, your neighbor, your coworker, or your friend is in need of clothing items, hygiene products, or winter clothing please contact our office, 231-638-4120.

Prescription Refills

As a reminder, there are two ways to request a prescription refill.

1. You can call our office and leave a message on the prescription refill line.

2. You use the portal to request a refill.

We do not receive requests or honor prescription refills from pharmacies. Please contact our office first if you are in need of refills.

Insurance Updates

Please share any new insurance information with us so when your child does need to be seen, there are no delays when your child needs care.

Patient Centered Medical Home

As a reminder, we are committed to being your child’s patient centered medical home. What does that mean? It means that we will take a lead in helping you coordinate your child’s medical needs. This means we are available to you after hours to help guide you on caring for your child when urgent needs arise, we help coordinate care with other physicians your child may need to see, and review visits your child may make to the emergency room to make sure there are no other ongoing needs. To learn more about patient centered medical home you can go to Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) | Muskegon Pediatrics.

Fun things to do around town

• Lakeshore Museum - free for Muskegon County Residents with events and activities weekly

• Muskegon Art Museum - has a fun spot for kids to do art. Free admission on Thursdays.

• Hackley Library and the Muskegon Area District Libraries have story time, fun kits to take home and beautiful children’s sections for the child to enjoy MADL Events

• Parks, parks, parks - we have an abundance of parks to explore - parks for just walking, parks for playing on playgrounds, parks with both. Take a snack or lunch to spend time trying a new park with your kids.

Muskegon County Parks

City of Muskegon Parks

• Winter Sports Complex - winter luge, ice skating, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, sledding, and winter zip line

Here's to a healthy and happy year in 2023!

Sincerely,

Dr. King

Fall Updates

We made it through the first few weeks of school, congratulations! I wish every family and child a wonderful school year filled with much growth and joy. As the school year has started, there have been more viruses/colds circulating causing runny nose, coughs, and sore throats. As a reminder the best medicines are nasal saline and spoonfuls of honey (if older than 12 months).

CONSTRUCTION ALERT

The City of Muskegon is in the process of working on Terrace St. There is a sign on Webster that says the road is closed to thru traffic - we are NOT thru traffic and you can still enter our parking lot from Webster St. You can also enter our parking lot from Muskegon Ave.

Influenza Vaccine

We are now offering the influenza vaccine for the season. For those older than 2 years of age we have the nasal flu vaccine, which is a spray and no poke option.

If you missed the drive-thru flu vaccine clinic, we will have another one on Saturday, October 8th from 8am-11am. We will send out another link for registration as we get closer to the date. The drive thru clinic allows your children to stay in the car while they get the nasal flu vaccine. You can come anytime between 8-11am.

If you are unable to come on October 8th, if your child is less than 2 years of age or you would like your child to get the injectable flu vaccine (the flu shot), please call 231-638-4120 to schedule your child’s visit.

As a reminder, the flu vaccine does not protect against the illness that causes vomiting and diarrhea, referred to as the "stomach flu". The flu vaccine protects against the illness that causes high fever for 5-7 days, cough, runny nose, achey body, and sore throat.

COVID Vaccine Update

The FDA has approved the Pfizer Bivalent COVID vaccine booster. The bivalent vaccine has protection against the omicron strain of COVID and provides the best protection. This vaccine is recommended for all age 12 years and older. It can be given if there has been 2 or more months from the last COVID vaccine. For the best protection, I recommend getting this vaccine asap as the community levels of COVID are higher than reported due to the number of home tests that are being used. Please call 231-638-4120 to schedule.

The FDA is expected to approve this vaccine for children 5-12 years in the next week or so and we should be able to offer it in the next month. Stay tuned!

Care Closet

If you are in need of diapers, wipes, clothing, underwear, bras, feminine products, soap, toothbrush/toothpaste or deodorant please call our office so we can help, 231-638-4120.

If you are able to donate to our closet, we would appreciate donations of diapers, wipes, and hygiene items.