Coronavirus In Williamson County

Covid19franklintn

CLICK HERE for a COVID-19 quarantine and isolation information from the CDC.

 

PUBLISHED – 2/23/2022

Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic For Children Ages 5-11

Pediatric Associates of Franklin is offering a COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic on March 5th and March 26th from 8:30 am to 11:00 am each day for children ages 5-11.

The vaccine is at no cost to the family. Your insurance will be billed the administration fee. Please call our office to schedule your appointment. (615) 790-3200

The child MUST be between five and eleven years old for this clinic. We do not offer any other COVID-19 vaccines for other age groups.

Additional Clinic Information

  • After receiving the vaccine, please plan to wait 15 minutes if the recipient has no allergies or no previous reactions to any vaccines, and 30 minutes if the recipient has allergies or has had previous reactions to any vaccines.
  • Second dose shots can be given at the clinic and can be scheduled after receiving the first vaccine.
  • The COVID-19 vaccine can also be given to children 5 – 11 at their annual well-visit while supplies last.
  • If you have the following conditions, please contact your provider regarding the vaccine:  Myocarditis, Pericarditis, is on antibody therapy for COVID-19 in the past 90 days, if you have been diagnosed with the multisystem inflammatory syndrome, or if you have had a life-threatening allergic reaction to any vaccine.

 

For more information about the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, please refer to the following websites:

 

 

PUBLISHED – 11/03/2021

COVID-19 Vaccine Now Available for 5-11 Year Olds

Pediatric Associates of Franklin physicians highly recommend that children 5 and up receive the Covid Vaccine. 

We have submitted our paperwork to be established as a Covid Vaccination site in order to receive the vaccine.

We will send out a notice to parents via e-mail and social media once we receive the vaccine and will be scheduling Clinics to vaccinate children.

 

 

PUBLISHED – 8/24/2021

Notice for Pediatric Associates of Franklin Families

We are experiencing a surge of Covid-19 patients requiring testing and care which has put an incredible strain on our team and physicians. Physicians are working their days off and our team members are working longer days to assist with the demand.  The Delta variant is causing a dramatic rise in pediatric infections which has put a serious strain on the pediatric medical community.

The influx of calls and demands for appointments is becoming difficult to maintain. We are working diligently to meet the needs of our patients and provide the same level of quality care.

We are receiving an overwhelming number of calls which is causing long delays and creating longer wait times to speak with our schedulers and phone triage nurses.  We ask that if your needs are not urgent to please check our website to review our same pediatric triage protocols that our phone nurses use to answer your questions. The protocols are listed in the “Is Your Child Sick” section on the website and has a wealth of information that will assist you in caring for your children.

We will contact you with your child’s Covid test results when we receive them.  Results are taking 2-3 days to return due to the influx of tests received in the labs.  Please don’t call us for results. We will contact you.

Please be patient with us as we work to overcome this challenging pandemic in our community. We appreciate your consideration of this request as we continue to care for your children.

 

 

PUBLISHED – 5/13/2021

COVID-19 Vaccine Now Available for 12-15 Year Olds

The FDA has approved emergency authorization of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for 12–15-year-olds.

  • Our doctors do recommend that children get the vaccine.
  • Our office does NOT have the 12-15 year old COVID-19 vaccine.

Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt is pleased to offer vaccine appointments for children and teenagers meeting the state criteria. They are currently offering the Pfizer vaccine as it is the only vaccine approved for these age groups.

Parents/Guardians will also be eligible to schedule their vaccine at the same time as their child.

Parents can schedule their child’s vaccine by:

Children under 18 must have a parent or legal guardian with them for the vaccine administration.

Locations will be at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt and at One Hundred Oaks Mall location.

 

PUBLISHED – 3/26/2021

Exciting news! Williamson county residents ages 16 and above can now get the COVID-19 vaccine.

Our office does not have the COVID-19 vaccine and residents will need to check at vaccinate.tn.gov for locations where they can get it.

 

PUBLISHED – 12/15/2020

Don’t miss your child’s well-visit appointment! Remember, parents and patients over the age of two must wear a mask for all office visits.

Our office is still offering TeleMedicine visits for various types of appointments.

Parents can call our office at (615) 790-3200 to speak with the scheduler who will check with the physician to determine if TeleMedicine is appropriate for the requested visit. If appropriate, the parent will be provided a link to access the physician at the scheduled visit time.

Expectant parents can meet virtually with their child’s physician-to-be.

We do offer virtual Expectant Parent Visits with a PAF pediatrician. We have several physicians who will be available to do meet-and-greets virtually with parents during their lunch break. Parents will need to contact the office and speak with the scheduler if they are interested in an appointment.

COVID-19 Vaccine Resources

 

PUBLISHED – 11/16/2020

COVID-19 Testing And Results

We are currently offering COVID-19 tests to our families. Please call our office to schedule an appointment.

Due to the increase in COVID testing, results are continuing to take longer to receive from the Laboratory. If you haven’t heard from our office with the test results then they have not been received yet. We will call all Positive and Negative Test Results the day we receive them. We have several clinical team members checking multiple times throughout the day.

Please note that we can only give documentation for COVID results for tests done in our office. Walk-In Clinics, Health Department, and The Agricultural Center do not send us a copy of your child’s test results. Please request a note from the place where you received the test results if needed for school or other documentation.

Please be patient with us and know we will call you with the results as soon as possible!

We are following all CDC guidelines and will continue to have the below measures in place:

  • CLEANING: Thorough and continual cleaning of all exam rooms and the office throughout the day and after each visit will occur. Daily Deep Cleaning of our office is also done at night
  • PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT: All Team members, Clinical Team, and you and your children over two are asked to wear a mask upon entering the building and during your time here.
  • CHECK IN PROCEDURES/ELIMINATING THE WAITING ROOM: We will continue to check you in from your car and keep all of our safety precautions in place to protect you, your children, and our team.
  • SICK AND WELL CHILD HALLWAYS: We have set up hallways that are dedicated to well care visits and sick visits to avoid cross contamination.

Remember to get a flu vaccine and protect your child’s long-term health by attending all well-visit appointments.

Thanks for your cooperation and patience!

 

PUBLISHED – 4/27/2020

Check-up Season – The New Normal With COVID-19

As we approach Summer and Checkup Season, we want to assure you that we are available to schedule your child’s checkup now.  As usual, you can expect the same high-quality care from us as we prepare for checkups. During the summer months, there are fewer sick children in the office so it’s an excellent time to schedule your child’s Physical Examination. If it has been a year or more since your child’s last physical, please give us a call at 615-790-3200 to schedule your appointment today.  Check-ups fulfill the requirements for your child’s school physical, camp, and sports physical.

As we navigate the “New Normal” the following measures will remain in place:

  • CLEANING: Thorough and continual cleaning of all exam rooms and the office throughout the day and after each visit will occur. Daily Deep Cleaning of our office is also done at night
  • PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT: All Team members, Clinical Team, and you and your children are asked to wear a mask upon entering the building and during your time here.
  • CHECK IN PROCEDURES/ELIMINATING THE WAITING ROOM: We will continue to check you in from your car and keep all of our safety precautions in place to protect you, your children, and our team.
  • SICK AND WELL CHILD HALLWAYS: We have set up hallways that are dedicated to well care visits and sick visits to avoid cross contamination.

Our goal is to keep you and your family safe while visiting our office because we are all in this together!  We look forward to welcoming you and your children back safely to our practice.

Video update below from Dr. Tim Carr.

Dr Carr Video Update PAF

 

PUBLISHED – 4/6/2020

PAF Is Following The CDC Recommendations

Wearing Masks

In accordance with the CDC recommendation, we are asking that all children and parents please wear a mask before entering the building for their appointment. You can use a bandanna or scarf as a mask if you don’t have one available. We are taking all precautions to reduce risk to our patients.  Also, we are still checking patients in from the car so we can escort you straight to an exam room.

Check Ups and Telemedicine Visits

The American Academy of Pediatrics is recommending that we offer patients over the age of 2 years an option to reschedule their Health Maintenance Visit (Check-Ups). It is still recommended that the younger children receive their vaccines.  We will be happy to reschedule older children’s visits to appointments on June 1, 2020 and beyond. If interested in rescheduling, please contact our office as soon as possible at 615-790-3200. We are available to schedule Telemedicine Visits if you have any concerns that need to be addressed now.  We are continuing to schedule Sick children visits as well.  We apologize for the inconvenience but these are unprecedented times.

Medicine Rechecks

If your child is due for a Medication Recheck appointment, those can be scheduled with your doctor or our Nurse Practitioner via a Telemedicine Visit.  Contact our office for more details.

We have reduced Saturday hours based on need. Please call for an appointment between 8:00 and 9:00 am to schedule your child’s appointment.

 

 

PUBLISHED – 3/31/2020

Learn what’s happening at PAF in the video update below from Dr. Phyllis Townsend.

  • We’re still open!
  • We’re encouraging everyone to keep their checkups and get their shots.
  • We’re offering Telemedicine for specific types of visits.
  • We’re shortening our Saturday hours and closing by 4:00pm in the week.
  • We’ve taken great steps to keep everyone safe.

The health and safety of our patients, PAF’s team, and our physicians is our top priority! 

 

PUBLISHED – 3/27/2020

PAF is Here For Your Family In The Office And Through Telemedicine

We are here to continue to see your children in a safe and efficient manner.

We have taken measures to reduce the risk for you, your children, our physicians, and employees. Physicians and all Employees are having their temperature checked twice daily to make sure it is safe for them to be at work and care for your children. We are committed as an Essential Business during this time to be here for your families.

We have eliminated the Waiting Room by checking patients in over the phone. The nurse will contact the parents once they are ready for their children and escort them directly to the exam room.  We have created a hallway of Exam Rooms for Sick Children only and a hallway of Exam Rooms for Well Children only.  Additionally, we have assigned Physicians and Nurses to work in one specific area so as not to cross contaminate the spaces. All spaces are cleaned after each patient, again mid-day, and then in the evening by our professional janitorial service. We do have Personal Protective Equipment for our team and masks when appropriate, for your children.

We are excited to announce that our Doctors and Nurse Practitioners are now using Telemedicine for specific types of visits. Please call our office and talk with the Phone Nurse to see if your child’s visit can be done by Telemedicine. This is a simple application that we have found to be a most useful tool in caring for children.

The American Academy of Pediatrics still recommends that children receive their Well Child Check-Ups and receive vaccines based on their age. If appropriate, getting your child’s Well Child Check-Up now while there is more availability will help avoid the demand during the summer months.

We have created an Isolation Room that can be used if a child meets the suspected criteria for Coronavirus and needs to be tested.

For the latest information on COVID-19, including Clara the CDC’s symptom self-checker, click here.

 

PUBLISHED – 3/18/2020

Pediatric Associates of Franklin has ELIMINATED the Waiting Room to Ensure your Child’s Health & Safety.

Our Check-In procedure has changed to reduce risks to all children and parents. Upon arrival in the parking lot for your appointment, please give our office a call at 615-790-3200 and we will check you in over the phone.

Once the Nurse is ready for you, we will give you a call then the Nurse will meet you in the foyer and take you and your child directly to the exam room.  We have separated our building to have all Sick children seen in one hallway and Well Children seen on another hallway.

Additionally, we have created an isolation room in the back of the building using a separate entrance for children who may have had exposure to the Coronavirus.

 

PUBLISHED – 3/13/2020

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update from Pediatric Associates of Franklin

Proactive Policies:

Pediatric Associates of Franklin has taken a proactive approach to ensuring that our practice protects the families that we serve. Our first priority is the health and safety of our patients, PAF’s team, and our physicians. We are monitoring the daily developments of the coronavirus and adjusting accordingly.

Ways we are protecting our practice:

  • We are stocked with hand sanitizers, Clorox wipes, clinical disinfectant, protective gear, and gloves.
  • Our janitorial service is also taking precautions to disinfectant daily and our Nurses are disinfecting the exam rooms and clinical areas several times throughout the day and after each patient.
  • We have established clinical protocols to determine if patients should be tested according to the CDC protocols.
  • We have created an isolation area for patients that suspect Coronavirus and they will enter through a different door than other patients.
  • Our entire team has been educated on ways to stop the spread of germs and are following specific protocols throughout the clinic.
  • We are asking that families only bring patients to the office, NO siblings please.
  • We would also suggest that people over 60 years of age avoid the office unless there is absolutely no alternative.
  • We have removed all books, magazines, and toys from the lobby and each exam room. If your child needs a book during the wait time please bring one from home.
  • Most importantly, if your child has a FEVER and COUGH and is not ill-appearing, it is best to avoid our office. We are making every effort to safely keep these kids out of our office.
  • If you child has had fever for 4 days then please contact our office so we can triage your child and schedule an appointment.  We will arrange appropriate care if your child needs to be seen.

Thank you for trusting us with the care of your families!

Additional Coronavirus Resources:

 

PUBLISHED 3/6/2020

Coronavirus In Williamson County

Following Gov. Bill Lee’s confirmation of a novel coronavirus (COVID-19) case in Williamson County, there has been an increase in questions and concerns regarding this virus.

First and foremost, it’s important not to panic and to understand what can be done to help keep your family healthy.  COVID-19 is not causing serious illnesses in children.  People in other countries have overwhelmed the Emergency Rooms and Clinics which has increased the spread of COVID-19.

Human Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that commonly cause mild to moderate illness like the common cold. The virus that causes COVID-19 is a new strain of coronavirus that had not previously caused disease in humans but has now become capable of infecting people. As a result, our immune systems have not built up a defense yet. Like other viruses there is a greater concern for the elderly and people with compromised immune systems.

Your child SHOULD be seen for:

  • Any fever (>100.4F) in a baby under 60 days
  • Respiratory distress, including a barking cough, increased work of breathing, or cough that interferes with sleep or play
  • Dehydration
  • Sore Throat in the absence of cold symptoms
  • Ear pain for more that 2 days in kids older than 2 years, or in conjunction with fever in kids younger than 2 years of age
  • Fever above 101 for more than 3 days

There is currently no vaccine available against COVID-19 and testing cannot be done in medical offices.  The Tennessee Department of Health has strict guidelines for determining who needs the test and are the only ones who can process the test.

Some of the best ways to avoid the coronavirus, as well as other viruses, include:

  • Wash your hands with soap for at least 20 seconds
  • Stay home if sick and keep away from others who are sick
  • Avoid traveling to locations that are at higher risk for the virus
  • Disinfect household objects and surfaces
  • Practice proper hygiene such as coughing into an elbow and avoiding touching your face.
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth
  • If you are using the alcohol-based hand sanitizers make sure it is 60% alcohol at a minimum

For additional information read the CDC’s prevention and treatment tips.

Families should also note that the flu virus poses a great risk than the coronavirus, and people should not act any differently than they do in avoiding influenza.

Family’s should go about their daily business and our office will continue to communicate important information regarding this virus to help keep the community safe.

Our office is sanitized and safe for your children to come in for Well and Sick Visits!

CORONAVIRUS Hot Line – 1-877-857-2945

For more details about the coronavirus, watch this video.

 

 

 

 

The information and content on our website should not be used as a substitute for medical treatment or advice from your doctor.