Category: News

Modified Office Schedule and Processes – Updated

Post Date: 1585540800
Status: live

The health, safety, and well-being of our patients and staff are our highest priority. With the growing concern about Coronavirus (COVID-19), we are taking necessary steps to help prevent the spread to our office.

To better protect your health and in response to the rapid and frequently changing information about COVID-19, we need to modify several of our long and established office schedules. We greatly appreciate your trust and support as we adjust to the ever-changing demands this outbreak has caused on health care delivery.

UPDATE: Starting Monday (4/13) and lasting through the end of April, we will be temporarily closing our Vernon Hills office.

Sunday hours remain unchanged: appointments only, NO WALK INS. Lake Bluff only.

Monday through Friday in Lake Bluff and Lindenhurst and Saturday morning in Lake Bluff and Lindenhurst:

  • 7:45am: Phones go on Monday-Saturday, 8:00am: Phones go on Sunday
  • 9:00am – Noon: Well-child visits and checkups in addition to follow-up visits (non-respiratory sick visits such as ear rechecks, rashes, concussions), and ADHD visits
  • Noon – 1:30pm: Closed for lunch
  • 1:30pm – 3:45pm: Well-child and checkup visits
  • 4:15pm – 5:00pm: Sick visits BY APPOINTMENT ONLY – NO WALK INS 

Since January, we have implemented a phone screening process for all appointments being scheduled. This policy has been modified several times over the last couple of months as the Coronavirus has spread internationally. Our Support Staff and Patient Educators have been diligently using phone triage protocols to identify possible risks and having those parents speak with our physicians for further instruction as indicated.

We are not testing for COVID-19 but are directing people to Urgent Care Facilities and the Health Department for testing. Please call our office if you are concerned about having COVID-19 symptoms and have had contact with a person who has also been potentially exposed or has COVID-19.

Please limit the number of family members coming with you to all appointments. We ask that only one parent/guardian accompany your child if possible. When feasible, please refrain from bringing siblings to the visit.

We discourage individuals considered older adults and those who may have health problems or may be immunocompromised from coming to the office for their safety.

To minimize the number of people in our waiting rooms, we may ask patients who check in at our front desk to give their mobile number and to go back and wait in their vehicles until we can place them into a room.

Please refer to our “Coronavirus and Helpful Resource” post for further information.

New Patient Appointment Reminders and Communication System

Post Date: 1601611200
Status: live

We’re pleased to announce the launch of our new text patient appointment reminder and communication system. The new system offers many convenient benefits to our families, including the following:

  • text appointment reminders
  • text pre-appointment screening questions (regarding COVID symptom checking)
  • on-demand texts with patients who are in waiting in the parking lot

We’re excited to offer this new, convenient way of communicating with our patients!

Morning Walk-In Visits Cancelled

Post Date: 1584417600
Status: live

It is after careful thought and deliberation that we must temporarily cancel our morning walk-in visits. This was an incredibly difficult decision to reach after having successfully provided this service for over 40 years. We do so, however, to protect the health and well-being of your families and our staff.

We have been able to meet your needs with our Sunday/Holiday pre-booked sick appointments and will use this format to continue to treat ill children during the COVID-19 crisis. In follow-up to our previous notice, please find our modified schedule, for all our offices, below:

  • 7:45am: Phones go on
  • 8am-10:30am: Sick visits BY APPOINTMENT ONLY – NO WALK INS
  • 11am – noon: Follow-up visits (non-respiratory sick visits such as ear rechecks, rashes, concussions), well visits, and ADHD visits.
  • Noon – 1:30pm: Closed for lunch
  • 1:30pm – 3:45pm: Well-child and checkup visits. All patients coming to these visits must be free from fever, runny nose, and coughing. Anyone arriving with those symptoms will be asked to reschedule their appointment.
  • 4:15pm – 5pm: Sick visits BY APPOINTMENT ONLY – NO WALK INS

We greatly appreciate your trust and support as we adjust to the ever-changing demands this outbreak has caused on health care delivery.

Doctor Visits Allowed by Illinois Shelter-in-Place Order

Post Date: 1584676800
Status: live

Doctor visits ARE allowed by Illinois’ Shelter-in-Place Order. Just as the Order allows for visits to the grocery store, pharmacy, gas station, and other essential services, you are allowed to visit your doctor’s office. Our offices are open to serve you and will continue to be open.

Please view our recent blog article Modified Office Schedule and Processes for current office hours and processes. 

In addition, we are working to expand services to telehealth visits for several types of appointments in the coming days. Please continue to check our website and social media profiles for news.

Thanksgiving Holiday Office Hours

Post Date: 1604984400
Status: archived

Happy Thanksgiving! All of us at Lake Forest Pediatric Associates are GRATEFUL for you and the trust you place in us with your precious kids. Enjoy your family time together over the Thanksgiving Holidays.

Please make a note of our special holiday hours this month:

Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, 11-26-20:

Lake Bluff Office – Open only for Urgent Care, Open in AM only, no Walk-In Sick Call, Phones will be Open 8am – 12pm

Lindenhurst Office – Closed

Vernon Hills Office – Closed

Friday, 11-27-20:

Lake Bluff and Lindenhurst Offices will be open normal business hours. Phones will be Open 8:00am – 5:00pm

Vernon Hills Office – Closed

Replace Nebulizers with Inhaler and Spacer

Post Date: 1584849600
Status: live

Nebulizers have been shown to aerosolize respiratory droplets and COVID-19, so it is recommended to use a metered dose inhaler with a spacer instead. This method is safe and effective to use in all ages, even infants.

If you only have a nebulizer at home and need an inhaler and spacer for your child, please call the office at 847-295-1220.

If your child is being seen in the office for respiratory symptoms and has a history of asthma or wheezing, please bring your child’s inhaler and spacer to the appointment.

Nicolette Larsen, RN Saves a Life

Post Date: 1556596800
Status: live

It’s not every day that you save a life! Lake Forest Pediatric Associates Nurse Nicolette Larsen recently did just that! She was out to dinner at a local restaurant and she saved the life of a woman who was choking at a nearby table.

Nicolette makes an important difference every day at Lake Forest Pediatric Associates as a Registered Nurse and valued team member. We could not be more proud of her quick reaction time and competence in responding to a life-threatening emergency.

Read more about her response to the emergency situation in the article from Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital below:

LFH Nurse Rescues Woman at Restaurant

Nicolette Larsen, RN, BSN, registered nurse in E3 Medical/Surgical/Pediatrics at Lake Forest Hospital, was at a restaurant eating dinner when someone started choking at a nearby table. “Her friend stood up and said, ‘Help! Help! She can’t breathe!’” Larsen recalls.

After another patron unsuccessfully attempted to perform the Heimlich maneuver, Larsen calmly stepped in. From behind the woman’s chair, she was able to dislodge the food.

“It was surreal,” Larsen says. “My adrenaline was pumping, and it felt really, really good once she could breathe again.”

Sharon Dufault, BSN, RN, nurse manager for E3, says that’s just the kind of behavior Larsen regularly displays at work.

Dufault describes Larsen as a soft-spoken nurse who always has a smile on her face and is very competent. “If you are in need of something, she will jump in and help you,” Dufault says. “She’s always looking to keep learning and finding ways to advance herself as a professional nurse.”

While this is the first time Larsen has needed to use her nursing skills in an emergency outside the hospital, Larsen says she’s ready to step up again. “We should all do what we can, when we can, when we are out in public to help people,” she says.

Fourth of July Office Hours

Post Date: 1561521600
Status: live

All of us at Lake Forest Pediatric Associates wish you a Happy Fourth of July!

As always, Lake Forest Pediatric Associates is available to serve you 24/7/365. Please reach out to us by phone at 847-295-1220.

On the Fourth of July, our Lake Bluff office only will be open from 8:00 am to noon for acute illness visits only. Please note that Walk-In Sick Call will not be available. Please call us on July 4th at 847-295-1220 to schedule your child’s acute illness appointment.

Our Vernon Hills and Lindenhurst offices will be closed on the Fourth of July.

All three offices will be open normal business hours on Friday, July 5th.

Issues with Phone System

Post Date: 1565496000
Status: hidden

Please note we’re experiencing technical issues with our phone system.

Walk-ins are welcome at our Lake Bluff office Sunday morning until 11:30 am. You can reach us by phone through our answering service at 847-535-7788.

Thanks for your patience!