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January 2013
Happy New Year from Center City Pediatrics! 
We are very excited to launch our new Facebook page!
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callafterhrsCalling the Office After Hours

 

Whenever you call our office after hours, you may press zero ("0") or wait on the line and you should be automatically connected to a member of our answering service staff who can take your message. Sometimes when two people call our phone number at exactly the same time, one will be connected to the answering service and since the line is 'busy' the second caller gets forwarded to the office answering machine.
 
When calling the office with a concern that needs a physician's attention, do NOT leave a message on the office voicemail. If you need to reach a physician after hours and somehow reach the office voice mail message, please hang up and call again.

Click here to view CCP's business week hours.  
Click here to view CCP's calendar for weekend hours.  
CCP is open Saturday OR Sunday from 9 am to 12 pm every weekend.
dreric
A Message from Dr. Eric


"Baby, It's Cold Outside....."
I don't think that sniffling, coughing, feverish, children is what Bing Crosby had in mind when he sang this!  This is what loudly rings in our heads, however.  We are anticipating at least 2 more months of cold, and with it, one of the busiest "sick seasons" in years.  Not since the HINI Flu scare of 3 years ago have pediatric practices or hospitals seen the number of sick kids that we are now treating. The last couple of winters lulled us into a sense of relative healthy complacency.  As a parent of young children and one of your pediatricians, I hope we can keep the following in mind as we move through the next few months:

  1. As the temperatures fall, we tend to gather more closely indoors and share our germs. Our goal is to keep you and your children away from centers where we know sickness looms. This obviously includes hospitals, but it also includes our office. We are particularly concerned about kids less than 3 months. We don't want to bring them into the office and expose them to further sickness unless we have to. Please understand that if we suggest monitoring at home, we are trying to keep your child's health in mind. Also, please try to keep children "under the weather" to the left of the fish tank as far from the Well Infant Area, in order to protect our little ones.
  2. The infectious disease experts claim that children experience 10-12 colds a winter during their first 2 winters. This means that they may appear to have one single endless illness. We feel horrible for them (and as I know all too well, also the parents who must stay up with them). We become most concerned when they cannot breathe comfortably or hydrate themselves.
  3. Tincture of time and TLC are the only cures for most of the winter maladies we see.

Nonetheless, we have heard your concerns that we are now "too busy." If you think that your child needs to be seen, we want to see them!   We do want to increase our availability to you throughout the rest of this season and into the future.  

  • drlizWelcome Dr. RobinsonWe are increasing personnel -- My good friend and former colleague Dr. Liz Robinson will be helping us out until the summer when we plan to hire another doctor. We have also hired another triage nurse. Desiree Duvak, RNC-OB, will be joining us as an additional triage nurse to handle increased call volume, particularly in early mornings and late afternoons.
  • We are enhancing our technology -- We have launched a new online Patient Care Center, the CCP-PCC, through which you can reliably communicate with us online and receive information relevant to your child's health. This is an ongoing project that we are helping a local technology start-up company develop. If you are interested in being a trial member, please contact our practice manager, Julia Kearney.
  • walkinpilotEarly AM Walk-in Pilot Program: We are increasing acute care appointment availability --Starting later this month, we will be scheduling, on a trial basis, walk-in appointments earlier in the morning. These appointments are specifically for concerns that develop overnight such as ear pain, pink eye, worsening cough, or difficulty breathing. Please note that we may have to schedule your child for an appointment later in the day if you walk in with issues that do not require immediate attention.

We know, "The weather out there is frightful," and we sincerely want your kids to stay delightful.

 

Let them grow, Let them grow, Let them grow!

 

Dr. Eric

jamiemMeet Jamie Miller, CCP's New Speech-Language Pathologist

Jamie Miller is a PA licensed Speech and Language Pathologist certified by the American Speech, Language and Hearing Association.  Jamie earned both her BS and MS degrees from Penn State University.  She works with children from birth through 21 years in the home, school, and community settings.  She has worked in early intervention for children 0-3 years old and 3-5 years old.  She worked in preschool classrooms, including a preschool for children with autism spectrum disorders. 

 

Jamie was kind enough to sit down and answer some questions about her specialty:

  

Do you have any fun facts for us about children's language development?

Kids process and understand language before they are able to express it verbally; because of this, children are able to sign or gesture wants and needs before speaking them.

 

What is your favorite part of your job?

Absolutely, without hesitation: working with kids.  They brighten my day.  All kids.

 

How do you keep kids interested and attentive during a session?

I let the child choose activities and lead the way, with my guidance, since I can integrate all speech and language goals into any activity or conversation.  I think it's important to remember that kids need little breaks or down time and that the entire session doesn't have to "look" like productive work: it is the most productive when the child is actively engaged and participating and doesn't feel overwhelmed.

 

What inspired you to become a Speech-Language Pathologist?

When I was in high school I took a school trip to an Easter Seals Society school (school for children with disabilities).  I fell in love.  I started volunteering there on Tuesday nights when I was 14 and it was there I was introduced to speech therapy. 

 

What do you like to do with your spare time?

My husband, Craig, our 7 month old daughter, Izzy, and I spend most of our time with our families.  We laugh a lot, and we like to walk around the city and enjoy quiet walks in the trails of the Wissahickon Park.

 

Is there anything we might be surprised to know about you?

Before graduate school I decided to explore the world: I made it to Hawaii, Australia and New Zealand for a year.  I look forward to more traveling in my future with my family.

 

With more than a decade of experience providing services to children and their families, Jamie has worked with babies, children and young adults with a variety of communication disorders, including those with articulation and phonology disorders (speech sound problems), delayed or disordered language development (expressive, receptive, and social), and stuttering. It is her passion to help families find functional learning and communication solutions for their children.

 

Jamie will be working with CCP two days a week, by appointment, to offer our patients speech and language evaluations and therapy. Appointments for initial consultations can be scheduled by contacting our office at 215-735-5600.
Tummy Time
Tuesday 1/15, 11:15 am - 12:45 pm 
Bring your baby for a tummy time workshop and learn why tummy time is so important for your baby! Get tips on keeping your baby comfortable. Learn about optimal toys, and practice your new skills with your baby with the guidance of Tara Martello, a pediatric occupational and physical therapist.  
Wills & Trusts for Young Families
Wednesday 1/16, 6:30 pm - 8pm
Drafting a will is a gift you can give your family at any age. Learn why any parent of minors needs a trust to distribute assets & how you can be sure you have a plan in place for any situation.  Steve Zelinger, Esq., an attorney at boutique estate planning firm Rabil & Kingett, LLC, will teach parents the basics behind wills and trusts for their kids.
My Working Mom and Me
Saturday 1/19, 10 am - 11:30 am
This class is for working moms to support and connect with one another. All moms are welcome, whether you have your date to return to work, or you are considering your options.  Babies are absolutely welcome!
 
Class facilitators Lauren DellaCava and Allison Kessler Colby met while attending a group at CCP. They felt there was a real need in Philadelphia to add a resource for support for moms transitioning back to work, and that is exactly what this class aims to do!
Transition to Motherhood
Monday 1/21, 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm 
The first few weeks, months or sometimes even years of motherhood can be incredibly overwhelming: the combination of healing from childbirth, a lack of sleep, nutrient and vitamin deficiencies, changing hormones, a new body image, shifting identities, and old or changing dynamics with friends, family, and partners can be unexpected and emotionally draining. Come out and talk with other new moms who are experiencing this new transition.
 
This workshop is led by Perri Shaw Borish, MSS, LCSW, and BCD.  Perri is a psychotherapist and board certified, licensed clinical social worker with a private practice in Center City, Philadelphia.
Introduction to Sleep Training (6-18 months)
Wednesday 1/23, 6:30 pm - 8pm 
"Doesn't sleep training mean leaving your baby to cry it out for hours on end in the dark until they fall asleep from pure exhaustion?" NO! Sleep training is a safe, effective method of behavioral modification that teaches your child how to fall asleep and stay asleep on their own.  Topics include: when to begin sleep training; how long the process takes to work; co-parenting for sleep training success; and securing a safe sleep training environment.
 
This workshop is led by Andrea Elovson, a Certified Gentle Sleep Coach and founder of Sleepy-Bug: Family Sleep Support, LLC.  Andrea has helped hundreds of families solve children's sleep issues.   

215-735-5600
                                Happy New Year!CCP logo
  
   Sincerely, 
Center City Pediatrics
    
 
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feedbackWe want to hear from you!  Tell us about your last office visit: what you, loved, and what you didn't, we want to know!  Please send all responses to: 
1740 South Street
Suite 301
Philadelphia, PA
19146 

The e-mail address used to send this newsletter is for administrative purposes only. Any specific questions related to the medical care of your child should be directed to your child's physician by calling our office.