The spread of the COVID-19 virus has made this time an anxious one for families. Along with monitoring your child’s typical health and development, you’re coping with school and daycare closures and keeping children entertained at home, all while doing everything possible to keep your family safe and healthy.
We know many of our patients’ families aren’t certain about the kinds of medical care their children can and should access right now. Rainilda Valencia, MD, and the team at Valencia Pediatrics in Victorville, California, are here to continue to provide your child with any needed medical care during California’s COVID-19 stay-at-home order.
Keep reading to learn what we’re doing to keep you and your child safe through pediatric care office visits as well as telehealth appointments.
Our team at Valencia Pediatrics is continuing to offer pediatric care through virtual telehealth appointments as well as office visits. Medical care is considered an essential service, so your child can continue to access virtual appointments or travel to our office while California’s stay-at-home order is in place.
If your child and family are healthy, we encourage you to keep your child’s pediatric appointments whenever possible. It’s important for Dr. Valencia to continue to monitor your child’s development through well-child visits and developmental screenings, and to keep your child up to date on vaccines.
Whenever possible, our team encourages you to schedule a telehealth visit for your child. During a telehealth visit, you and your child can have an appointment with Dr. Valencia, Micaela Marin-Tucker, PA-C, or Megan Reynolds, C-PNP, through video chat from the comfort of your own home.
We especially recommend telehealth visits if your child or a member of the immediate household is sick. Our clinicians can perform many types of assessments through telehealth and, if needed, prescribe medication or other necessary next steps.
If you’re uncertain whether or not your child’s issue can be addressed through telehealth, you can contact us for guidance.
You’ll continue to need to access some pediatric services, such as when your child needs vaccines, at our office. We’re working hard to keep Valencia Pediatrics safe for our patients, their families, and our team.
Your visit might seem different than office visits before COVID-19. If your child or other family member displays symptoms of illness, in most cases we’ll work with you to schedule a telemedicine visit or reschedule the visit.
Valencia Pediatrics is practicing social distancing in the office. We’re keeping a six-foot spacing between everyone in our office except during essential medical contact. We might also ask you to wait for your child’s appointment in your car.
All of our clinicians, staff, patients, and their family members must wear face masks during the course of their time in our office. If needed, our practitioners may remove your child’s face mask briefly during the medical exam.
We’re also keeping the office safe by wiping down equipment between appointments and increasing the regularity of deep cleaning. Before starting work, all of our team members confirm they have no COVID-19 symptoms.
If your child displays symptoms of COVID-19, it’s important not to panic. Your child might have another illness that presents similarly, such as a cold or the flu, and even if the illness is COVID-19, they’ll most likely recover at home without needing additional medical care.
The majority of COVID-19 cases are minor and can be treated through home care similar to the flu. Children are less likely than adults to develop a severe case of COVID-19 and need hospitalization.
You can use our symptom checker to determine if your child’s symptoms warrant a telehealth visit or call our office for advice on your child’s care. Call 911 or go to the emergency room if your child is struggling to breathe, appears extremely confused or dizzy, faints, or appears blue in color.
Our Valencia Pediatrics team is available for well and sick children, as well as any questions you have. Get in touch and schedule a telehealth or in-office appointment by calling our office today at 442-204-0019.
