Dearest GROW patient community;

As many of you have experienced, this year has brought an unprecedented “sick season”, which came early and aggressively. Flu, RSV, croup, and other viruses are appearing in large numbers. It’s always our goal to see every one of our patients in need when they’re ill and need an appointment. Unfortunately, that’s not always possible. We are limited by 1) physical space- we are a small clinic and, 2) staffing shortages. Like most healthcare facilities across the nation, we’re stretched very thin as far as human resources go. We are currently recruiting/hiring Registered Nurses- of which there is a major shortage, everywhere. We’re bringing on and training new front office staff currently to assist with the call volume we’re experiencing.

We save several “same day sick” appointments within every daily schedule. Today, Monday November 14th, they were all full by 8:30 am. This is understandably frustrating, and we wish it wasn’t the case.

While we don’t have a triage nurse physically in the clinic dedicated to calls, we’ve recently begun filling that need with our RN triage service. They are wonderful, available, and no charge to you during regular business hours. Oftentimes, a nurse can assist with inquiries about newborn care, comfort measures for sick kiddos, and advise when it’s necessary for your child to be seen urgently. They are in direct contact with our office and physicians at all times.
Today we’ll be sharing resources designed to help with the overwhelming need in our community for same-day sick child visits. These will be posted on our website blog, Facebook, and Instagram. *There are always afterhours or urgent care resources listed on our website under the “Resources” tab.* We understand that even our usual “go-to” pediatric urgent care facilities are becoming difficult to access. As we learn of more trusted resources, we will be sure to keep our patient families updated.

Thank you all for your patience and understanding, as well as your continued kindness to our existing staff. As healthcare workers and parents, we absolutely understand how difficult it can be to have a sick child. It’s our goal to lessen the burden and assist in accessing excellent care for your child.
Sincerely,
-Physicians and Staff at GROW Pediatrics