Immunization Policy
Our Immunization Policy
Eden Park Pediatric Associates is committed to providing our patients the best medical care possible. We believe that to do this effectively we must enter into a partnership based on mutual trust with the parents of our patients.
Eden Park Pediatrics strongly believes that the current vaccine schedule is the safest and the most effective way to immunize your child. If you refuse to follow the current vaccine schedule, we will ask you to find another health care provider who shares your views. Refusal to vaccinate your child per the recommended guidelines places your child at a serious health risk. We simply cannot do that.
We recognize that the choice to vaccinate may be a very emotional one for some parents. We will do everything we can to reassure you that vaccinating according to the schedule is the right thing to do. We are happy to discuss your concerns about vaccines at your child's next visit, but we will not alter this policy.
It's that important.
Our Immunization Philosophy
Our practice believes that all children should receive the recommended vaccines according to the guidelines provided by the AAP and the CDC. Vaccines are safe and effective in preventing diseases and health complications in children and young adults. Regular vaccinations help children ward off infections, and are administered as one of the safest and best methods of disease prevention.
As medical professionals, we feel very strongly that vaccinating all children on schedule with currently available vaccines is absolutely the right and responsible thing to do for all children. We believe that immunizations are one of the most important health interventions a parent can do on behalf of their children.
Eden Park Pediatric Associates follows the recommended childhood immunization schedule of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Committee on Immunization Practice (ACIP). We feel the current immunization schedule provides the best medical care to prevent these diseases that can cause severe illness, brain damage and death. The current immunization schedule has been thoroughly researched and has been repeatedly found to be safe and to be the best way to prevent these illnesses in young children. Delaying these immunizations puts your child at risk for developing these illnesses and does not decrease or otherwise alter the mild side effects sometimes seen from these immunizations. The delay or refusal of vaccines has caused resurgence of these diseases worldwide.
We firmly believe that the current vaccines are safe and effective. Vaccines do not cause autism or developmental disabilities. Thimerosal is still a preservative in a few vaccines and has been shown not to cause autism or developmental disabilities nor an elevated mercury level in those patients who have received thimerosal containing vaccines. The previous concerns about the association of the MMR vaccine and autism has been refuted and multiple studies have shown this to be a safe and effective vaccine. Separating vaccines to give over additional visits goes against expert recommendations and is not supported by any scientific data.
Below are some resources for you to review. We encourage you to carefully research these respected sites to make sure that all of your questions or concerns have been addressed.
