Pediatric Health�s website and blog have a fresh new look!   We have added quite a bit of new information for you including:

�       Symptom checker -- not sure whether to call or come in to our office? This is perfect to help you sort out the issues to consider.

         �       Health Articles
         �       More forms you can download and fill out at your convenience
         �       Email the office for billing and general non-urgent questions
         �       Vaccination Information from the Center for Disease Control (CDC)
         �       Expectant Parents Section
         �       New Patients Section
         �       Medical Home Section for our special needs families
         �       Facebook and Twitter links to share
         �       New Bolingbrookoffice information
You can check out our new website at www.pedhealth.net
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When you are in the office pick up our newly designed brochure.   You are welcome to take a couple of extras to share with friends or family.  This is especially helpful for expectant parents!  Don�t forget we also have a �get acquainted� session for expectant parents which gives them the opportunity to ask questions and check out the facility.   Just have them call the office to reserve their space.
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Upcoming Seminars:
Just a reminder for our parents of multiples that there is a free seminar Wednesday, March 13^th from 7:00-8:30 pm entitled �Raising Twins: How to Survive and Thrive� and will be held at the Nichols Library here in Naperville.  Speakers will be Shelly Flais, MD and Julian Tang, MD who are both parents of twins.  Dr. Flais is also the author of �Raising Twins From Pregnancy to Preschool� which was published by the American Academy of Pediatrics.    This is a great opportunity to ask questions and even meet with other parents of multiples.

A new seminar is also available at the Bolingbrook Hospitalon childhood obesity on Thursday, March 21^st.  Nithya Sunder MD will be speaking on childhood obesity at the Bolingbrook Hospital on Thursday, March 21^st at 7 pm.

Please feel free to call the office if you have questions about either seminar at 630.717.2300.

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Help our troops!
All over the world our armed forces are deployed helping to keep the peace in these turbulent times.  Our forces in the Middle Eastespecially are placed in harm�s warm every day.

PHA Nurse Practitioner Martha Strening volunteers with �Operation Support Our Troops America".   Their mission is improve the morale of our troops, support the families who have a loved one deployed and provide help and support for the returning wounded.  

Together with other volunteers, she prepares �care packages� to send to our service members.   For the first time, the shelves are pretty bare and they need your help.     Chicagoarea Jewel Food Stores will be collecting items for the troops this coming Saturday and Sunday.   Won�t you please consider donating when you are shopping at Jewel this weekend? 

 Here is a list of needed items:

• Foil packages of tuna
• Cold Drink Mix to put in bottled water
• Beef Jerky/Slim Jims
• Canned Fruit (20 ounces or less)
• AA or AAA Batteries
• Ziploc Bags (no slider bags please!)
• Jelly (32 ounces or less in plastic jars)
• Peanut Butter (28 ounces or less)
• Coffee singles or 1 lb. bags of ground coffee
• Pain Relievers (Tylenol, Advil)
• Lotion for men (18 ounces or less in plastic bottles)
• Lip balm (Chapstick)
• Mouthwash (250 mil or less in plastic bottles)
• Body wash for men (18 ounces or less in plastic bottles)

No time to shop?   It cost approximately $25 to ship one package.   Your financial support is greatly appreciated�.to donate please visit www.osotamerica.org

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Due to the snowstorm today, we will be closing the Plainfield, West Chicago and Bolingbrook offices at 4:30 pm.    Naperville will have limited appointments until 7 pm tonight.

While we do our best to contact you for rescheduling your appointment for today, we realize that not everyone is available when we call.   If you haven't already done so, please give us a call to reschedule.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Parents are invited to attend a free seminar on twins next Wednesday, March 13th at the Nichols Library starting at 7 pm.   Dr. Shelly Flais and Dr. Julian Tang from our office will be discussing how to successfully navigate raising twins.  Both doctors are themselves parents of twins, so they have first hand experience!

Whether you have multiples or not, this is a good opportunity to learn parenting tips and ask questions.

On Thursday, March 21 at 7 pm you are invited to a free presentation on preventing obesity in children at the Bolingbrook Hospital.  Dr. Nithya Sunder will be the presenter.

Please feel free to call the office if you have any questions regarding either event at 630.717.2300.

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It's Annual Checkup Season! Don't forget Spring Sports Begin Soon!

Michelle Maloney, CPNP

From the desk of nurse practitioner Michelle Maloney:

Annual check-ups are an opportunity for parents to raise questions about your child�s growth, development, behavior etc. More time is taken during a well exam to discuss these issues which can�t be accommodated during a sick visit.  Many of the topics discussed included are sleep issues, behavior, learning problems, and toilet training, just to name a few.  Annual check-ups allow you, your child, and your MD/NP a chance to get to know each other for a relationship that will extend for many years.

To prepare for your visit, you may want to write down 3-5 questions that you want to discuss at the visit. Along with obtaining your child�s height, weight, and blood pressure, we at PHA will discuss your child�s diet, sleep issues, safety in and around the home such as car seat/seatbelt use, helmet use, if there are guns in the home, and sunscreen use among others.

Well check ups also give teenagers a chance to discuss some health issues with their health care providers in confidence that they may feel embarrassed to discuss in front of their parents.

Sports Physicals also known as Pre-participation physicals provided by your child�s primary pediatrician/NP are important because we have all you your child�s health history at our finger tips. If a concern should arise during the visit, we can coordinate a visit with a specialist if necessary in order to clear your child to play in the upcoming season.  An urgent care or quick care clinic can�t do this. If they discover something that needs further evaluation, they will send you back to us for that evaluation. This will delay your child�s readiness to start the season.

Ideally, you should schedule your sports PE 6-8 weeks prior to the start of the season to allow for any follow-up that may be necessary for your child to be cleared to play.

Whether it�s for an annual exam or a pre-participation sports physical, it�s a great idea to schedule these visits before the �summer rush�.  A good rule of thumb is to schedule a physical a few days after a birthday, it�s a good way to remember a check-up is due!

Physicals are valid for one year.

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You are Invited to a Free Seminar:

                         Raising Twins:

               How to Survive  and Thrive 

Presented by PHA Pediatricians and Parents of  Twins Shelly Flais, MD and Julian Tang, MD.

Dr. Flais is the author of the book "Raising Twins: From Pregnancy to Preschool" published by the American Academy of Pediatrics. 

A question and answer period will follow.

Wednesday, March 13th from 7:00-8:30 pm
Nichols Library Community Room
200 West Jefferson Avenue
Naperville, IL 60540

Questions?  Please call 630.717.2300.

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An Important Message On Gun Safety from Dr. Sunder

Nithya Sunder, MD

The goal of every PHA provider is to help ensure a happy, healthy, and safe childhood for all of our patients. One potential threat to children's safety is the improper storage of firearms. There has been a lot of controversy recently about proposed gun control measures and the best way to protect people in this country from violence committed using firearms. The priority of this blog is on protecting children from gun-related violence.

Aside from the numerous reports of small children, teens and young adults being involved in highly publicized mass shootings including Aurora, Colorado and Newtown, Connecticut, there are many studies detailing how often firearm-related violence affects children and teenagers. In 2008 and 2009, an average of one child or teenager was killedevery three hours. A child or teen suffered gun-related injuries about every 31 minutes during that same time period. The number of preschool-aged children killed by guns was almost double that of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty. In Illinois in 2009, there were 4.3 children or teens killed or injured by firearms per 100,000. A 1991 study revealed that 8% of accidental shooting deaths were caused by a child under the age of 6 years. The most recent study comparing 23 industrialized nations shows that 87% of children under 15 years who were killed by guns lived in the United States. For teens and young adults between ages 15 and 24 years, the gun homicide rate was 42.7 times higher in the US than in the other countries combined.

One way to protect children from gun violence is to limit their access to unsecured guns at home. Illinois requires locking devices on all handguns sold by retail dealers but not private sellers. Accepted locking devices include both external and integrated options. Despite similar laws in other states, in 2000 out of all American homes containing both children and guns, 55% had one or more unlocked guns and 43% had a gun stored without even a trigger lock in an unlocked location. More than 75% of guns used in youth suicide attempts and unintentional injuries were in the residence of the victim or their relative or friend. The U.S. General Accounting Office estimates that some basic safety additions could reduce 31% of accidental deaths caused by guns. 8% could be prevented by child-proof safety locks and 23% by a loading indicator. Keeping firearms locked while unloaded and keeping the ammunition locked separately has a drastic effect in decreasing the number of youth suicides and unintentional injuries.

Parents should also be aware that while they might have either no firearms in their home or guns that have been stored as recommended, the same cannot necessarily be said of other homes. The homes of your neighbors and your children's friends might contain guns that have not properly been secured.

Regardless of your views on current legislation regarding access to guns, ownership of firearms, and types of guns and ammunition that should be legally available, we at PHA ask that you work with us to protect our kids from gun-related violence starting in the home.

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