Welcome to Glendale Pediatrics

We are here to partner with you in the care of your growing family

We are all looking forward to the end of the COVID pandemic and a return to normalcy. However, masks are STILL REQUIRED IN HEALTHCARE SETTINGS, per the order of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. Please wear a mask and keep your mask on at all times while in our office, regardless of your vaccination or immunity status.

ALL PEDIATRIC MEDICAL FACILITIES ARE EXTRA BUSY RIGHT NOW! 

11/17/22 - With influenza, RSV and hand foot mouth outbreaks in the community, we are working extra hard to care for our patients. The increased demand has created an unusual strain on all pediatric medical facilities right now. We thank you for your patience and understanding as we work hard to return phone calls and accommodate patients. 

A word about RSV - we see RSV every single year in pediatrics. It's an extremely common respiratory virus that most children have been exposed to in the first few years of life. However, when we have a lighter year or two (like we have with the COVID pandemic), we tend to see a spike in cases the next year. This happens because the little ones AND their older siblings or counterparts are all getting it simultaneously. RSV, or Respiratory Synctitial Virus, causes upper respiratory infection symptoms, such as fever, congestion and cough. In some smaller kids and babies, it's also associated with wheezing or possible respiratory distress. Because this is a virus, there is no medicine for RSV. Treatment is supportive care - fluids, clearing of nasal congestion, and rarely oxygen support for those who are struggling with breathing. 

Please seek urgent medical attention if your child is having difficulty breathing, working hard to breathe (breathing fast, using the belly muscles to breathe, pulling in between the ribs), is having difficulty drinking enough fluids to stay hydrated, is having lethargy or is listless, or if you are concerned. 

More information about RSV from CHLA here.

IT'S NOT TOO LATE FOR YOUR ANNUAL FLU VACCINE:

As of 11/17/22, we have both quadrivalent, preservative-free injectable influenza vaccine and nasal influenza vaccine available. We are scheduling flu vaccines during our Saturday flu clinics throughout the fall and during some weekdays. Please call our office during regular business hours to schedule. Your child can also receive flu vaccine during office visits.

COVID VACCINE UPDATE:

11/10/22 -The new bivalent COVID vaccine is recommended for children 5y and older as a single booster dose at least two months after completing primary series or booster vaccination. This vaccine includes the omicron variant and provides cross-protection for some of the newer COVID strains expected to circulate in the community this winter.

Along with the CDC, we recommend COVID vaccination for all people over the age of 6 months. Vaccine availability can be found at myturn.ca.gov and at the LA County Department of Health website.

Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are available for people 6 months and up. The Moderna vaccine for 6 months to 6 years is a 2-dose series spaced 4 weeks apart. It has been shown to be very effective at preventing severe disease and about 40-50% effective at preventing mild disease. The Pfizer vaccine is a three-dose series, spaced 3 weeks, then 8 weeks apart (in total, 11 weeks from first dose to completion of series). It has been shown to be about 80% effective at preventing COVID.

If your child has had COVID infection recently, he or she can be vaccinated or boosted as soon as two weeks after illness. It is reasonable to assume that your child may have some basic immunity for about 90 days post-infection. However, as the strains mutate, it is possible to become ill from two different strains relatively closely timed to one another. 

A BIG GLENDALE PEDIATRICS WELCOME TO OUR NEW FULL-TIME PHYSICIAN, DR. TIANA BLANK!

We are pleased to announce that Dr. Tiana Blank will be joining us full-time in January 2023! 

Tiana Blank, MD, grew up in Phoenix, AZ. She attended University of Colorado Boulder, where she received undergraduate degrees in Integrative Physiology and Psychology and Neuroscience. She then attended medical school at University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix. Dr. Blank completed internship and residency at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, where she spent an additional year as Chief Resident. She is board-certified in Pediatrics. 

Dr. Blank finds great inspiration in caring for children and adolescents. It is her privilege to be able to partner with patients and their families to provide holistic and individualized care. We are so excited for her to join our team permanently!

ALSO, WE ARE DELIGHTED TO HAVE DR. SARAYU KUMAR HELPING OUR TEAM

Sarayu Kumar, MD, was born in India, where she grew up before moving to New Jersey with her family. She attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she double-majored in Chemistry and Environmental Health Science and minored in Creative Writing. She attended medical school at Emory University in Atlanta and completed internship and residency at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, where she spent an additional year as Chief Resident as well. She is board-certified in Pediatrics.

Dr. Kumar appreciates the wide breadth of medicine that the field of pediatrics offers and also enjoys the wisdom, humor and honesty shared by her patients and their families. In her free time, she loves to travel, exercise, try new cuisines and enjoy a lazy day in with her partner and her dog.

WE PROVIDE TELEMEDICINE

Some visits are appropriate for the telemedicine option. After you make your appointment, you will receive an email invitation via the portal to connect through doxy.me. You can upload a signed consent to your child's portal. Also, phone consultations independent of a concurrent appointment are billable services and may be submitted to your insurance on your behalf. 

A note from our billing staff: Due to the pandemic, telemedicine visits are paid by most major insurance companies, but we recommend that you review your coverage with your insurance plan. There may be an out-of-pocket responsibility, just as your insurance company requires when you are physically in the office.

COVID RESOURCES:

Information about MIS-c, the rare but serious post-COVID condition in kids.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: cdc.gov. 

Los Angeles Department of Public Health: publichealth.lacounty.gov.

If you or your family member has coronavirus, please follow these instructions from the LA County Department of Public Health: home isolation instructions.

If you or your child has been exposed to coronavirus, please follow these instructions from the LA County Department of Public Health: close contact instructions.

Mental health resources: if you or your child is exhibiting signs of stress or anxiety during this time, reach out to us. We are here to help. Click here for mental health resources.

GLENDALE PEDIATRICS IS AN ACTIVE MEMBER OF THE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL LOS ANGELES HEALTH NETWORK:

We are an active affiliate office of the CHLA Health Network, a network of high quality pediatricians working hard to improve the care of our patients. 

QUESTIONS ABOUT ALTERNATIVE VACCINE SCHEDULE?

We at Glendale Pediatrics encourage all our patients to receive their vaccines on schedule per the recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics. If you choose to vaccinate your child following an alternative vaccine schedule, please note that these visits with be booked with your doctor to ensure safety and help guide your decision-making process. We also have some basic vaccination requirements for our patients.

QUESTIONS?

We hope you find this website useful. Please contact us at (818) 246-7260 during business hours with any additional questions you may have.