Local schools are preparing students to come back to class after what feels like a lifetime away. While not everyone will be showing up in person, those families who opted into the “classic” programs at their school(s) will be. With high numbers of children going without medical care throughout the pandemic, there has also been a widespread decline in the number of child vaccinations and dental visits in the last several months.
While there isn’t anything normal about this school year, going back to in-class instruction means children will still need to be up to date on all of the immunizations that would normally be required. Missing out on milestone care, like immunizations, can have consequences on long-term health and create an issue for students trying to return to school. Also of concern during this time of the year is the flu virus; and as concerns over COVID-19 continue, getting a flu shot is more important than ever this year. The flu season was particularly hard on children last year and preventive care is the best form of action families can take. VCC is prepared to help, providing a range of open appointments for in-person and Telehealth (virtual) visits for pediatric care. The clinic is doing everything they can to keep families safe during appointments, with strict sanitizing between patients and specific “well” sites and hours to make you feel most comfortable during the pandemic.
Dr. Sujana Gunta, VCC Pediatrician and Director of Pediatric Services says, “A big part of going back to school safely is making sure your child is up to date on all their vaccinations. We encourage all of our patient families to call VCC now to make an appointment for an annual well-visit where we can also update all vaccines that are due, including for the flu. For those families who have already had their annual wellness visit this year with their pediatrician, they also have the option to make an appointment at the wellness clinic – this enables them to update vaccines only, in a convenient way.” An appointment can be made with VCC by calling or texting 844-308-5003.
About Vista Community Clinic
With nine state-of-the-art locations in North San Diego, Orange and Riverside Counties, VCC provides affordable, high quality health care to more than 70,000 community residents. Services offered by VCC include primary care, pediatrics, prenatal and women’s health, optometry, chiropractic care, dental health, podiatry, acupuncture and behavioral health services. VCC also offers a wide array of community health education programs which are free and open to all community residents. VCC is recognized by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) as a Level 3 (highest) Patient-Centered Medical Home, and is the recipient of the HRSA National Quality Leader Seal for exceeding national clinical quality benchmarks. For more information call 760.631.5000 or visit www.vcc.org.
