Category: News

Return of Morning Sick Call

We’re pleased to announce the return of our morning sick call, Monday 6/14!
Just as it was pre-pandemic, this will be an opportunity for you to bring your sick child into the office between the hours of 8am and 9am, on a first come, first served basis.
Please know that morning sick call will not be exactly the same as it was before. Please do not walk into the office/waiting room to be added to the sick call queue, please instead wait in your vehicle and follow the below process in order for us to maintain pre-visit screening.
The new steps:

1.   As you arrive in the parking lot of our office, please click on our website and click the button (or follow this link) “Morning Sick Call

2.   Fill in your child’s name

3.   Fill in your child’s date of birth

4.   Select which office you’re at from the drop-down menu

5.   Enter the best phone number we can currently reach you at

6.   Submit the form. You are now in the waiting queue.

 

Our front desk staff or nursing staff will receive that sick call request in real time and will contact you shortly. They will then call and review your child’s symptoms (as they would during a normally scheduled sick appointment).
When the nursing staff is ready for you to be seen, they will direct you to meet them at the sick entrance door. Please wait in your vehicle until they let you know you are ready to be seen.

Return of Morning Sick Call, Monday 6/14

We’re pleased to announce the return of our morning sick call, Monday 6/14!

 

Just as it was pre-pandemic, this will be an opportunity for you to bring your sick child into the office between the hours of 8am and 9am, on a first come, first served basis.

 

Please know that morning sick call will not be exactly the same as it was before. Please do not walk into the office/waiting room to be added to the sick call queue, please instead wait in your vehicle and follow the below process in order for us to maintain pre-visit screening.

 

The new steps:

1.   As you arrive in the parking lot of our office, please click on our website and click the button (or follow this link) “Morning Sick Call

2.   Fill in your child’s name

3.   Fill in your child’s date of birth

4.   Select which office you’re at from the drop-down menu

5.   Enter the best phone number we can currently reach you at

6.   Submit the form. You are now in the waiting queue.

 

Our front desk staff or nursing staff will receive that sick call request in real time and will contact you shortly. They will then call and review your child’s symptoms (as they would during a normally scheduled sick appointment).

 

When the nursing staff is ready for you to be seen, they will direct you to meet them at the sick entrance door. Please wait in your vehicle until they let you know you are ready to be seen.

 

Memorial Day Office Hours

We’re wishing you and your family a very Happy Memorial Day! As always, we are here to serve you!

Office Hours on Memorial Day, May 31st

Lake Bluff Office – Open from 8:00 am – Noon
Urgent care only (no walk-in sick call)
For urgent care appointments only, call 847-295-1220 at 8:00 am on Memorial Day.

Lindenhurst Office – Closed

Vernon Hills Office – Closed

Farewell to Dr. Ashley

It is with bittersweet feelings that we announce Dr. Doug Ashley will be leaving Lake Forest Pediatrics on 6/20/21.

Joining Lake Forest Pediatrics back in 2000, Dr. Ashley has been a beloved physician at our practice. He has been a selfless provider for many families, a wonderful colleague, and an international superstar, taking annual medical mission trips abroad to care for patients in rural clinics.

Dr. Ashley will be shifting his focus in the medical field from patient care to a medical safety role and we wish him nothing but the best.

Dr. Ashley may have already spoken with you, or you may have received a letter from us in the mail, but please know that we wish to avoid any possible interruptions in your child’s care. On our “Meet Our Providers” page, you may find brief bios of other members of our practice. Each are Board Certified in Pediatrics and are on-staff at Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital and Lurie Children’s Hospital, and all are dedicated to delivering the best care that every person deserves.

Please feel free to let our front office staff know which physician you would like to see at your next visit. Should your insurance plan require you to select a primary care physician, you may inform them of which physician you have chosen, effective 6/21/21.

If you have any questions or if you need anything, please contact our office at 847-295-1220.

Thank you for the continued privilege of providing care for your child.

 

 

 

We’ll miss you, Dr. Ashley!!!

(especially beating you at fantasy football, ha ha)

Location Change

We’re excited to announce that our Vernon Hills office has moved locations!

The new office is now open…thank you for your patience!

The address is centrally located by Townline Rd (Route 60) and Milwaukee Avenue (Route 21) and is 2 miles east of our old office, located at 565 Lakeview Parkway, Suite 105 in Vernon Hills.

 

 

Construction project photos:

As of 5/17…

Construction is done! We’re moving in, getting everything organized, and prepping for re-opening!

Waiting room and reception:

 

Reception view 2:

 

Nurse Station and back hallway:

 

Nurse Station view 2:

 

 

As of 5/10

Leading to the front door:

 

Waiting room and reception:

 

Front desk:

 

Nurse Station and back hallway:

 

Exam room (view 1):

 

Exam room (view 2):

 

Hallway between reception and clinic:

 

Parking lot sign 2:

 

Front door (propped open for construction crew):

 

———-

As of 4/29

Waiting room:

 

Waiting room (wide view):

Waiting room/reception desk:

Nurse Station and back hallway:

Office:

 

———-

As of 4/23 (with architect design rendering overlay)

Waiting room:

 

Nursing station:

 

Hallway:

 

———-

As of 4/7

Waiting room view 1:

 

Nursing Station:

 

———-

As of 3/29

Waiting room:

 

Nursing Station:

 

Office:

 

———-

As of 2/26

Plumbing’s done and new concrete has been poured. It’s a blank slate:

 

 

New Vernon Hills Office

We’re excited to announce a new Vernon Hills office location!

Please make a note of our future new address in Vernon Hills:

565 Lakeview Parkway, Suite 105 in Vernon Hills, opening in May

Our new office will be centrally located and easy to access from both Townline Road (Route 60) and Milwaukee Avenue (Route 21). Construction on the building is proceeding and we’re thrilled to be able to share our beautiful, new office with you soon. The new, convenient location is expected to open in May.

Our current Vernon Hills office location at 870 West End Court will be open until March 22, 2021. After March 22, the office will be closed in preparation for our move to the new location. The Lindenhurst and Lake Bluff offices will continue to serve you in the interim:

Lindenhurst Office: 2592 Grand Avenue in Lindenhurst

Lake Bluff Office: 917 Sherwood Drive in Lake Bluff

Our new office will be open in plenty of time for regular check ups and sports physicals, in advance of the camp and school season. Please call us at 847-295-1220 to schedule your child’s annual well child appointment or sports physical at our new Vernon Hills office or any of our three convenient locations.

Happy Holidays! Special Office Hours

Happy Holidays from all of us at Lake Forest Pediatric Associates! May this holiday season be filled with warmth and togetherness!

We are here to serve your family throughout the holiday season. Please make a note of our special holiday office hours.

Holiday Office Hours 2020

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.

Back to School

Post Date: 1595390400
Status: live

– The AAP has put out guidance stating the importance of having children attend school in-person whenever possible, and we agree with that statement. Being physically present at school is important to a child’s academic development, but is also key for their social-emotional development and mental health. While we must be cautious about spreading COVID in the community, there is a real risk to children missing out on in-person school as well.

– We expect that CDC guidelines will be used by schools to mitigate the risk of COVID transmission among students, and it is reassuring that data continue to show that children are at very low risk of serious disease from COVID, especially in elementary school age and younger. There is also some evidence that children are less likely to transmit disease to others. Here is a link to the American Academy of Pediatrics positions on the topic:
https://healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/COVID-19/Pages/Return-to-School-During-COVID-19.aspx

– Face masks are a key part of the guidelines for safe return to school, and we do not have any safety concerns for their use in children all day for school attendance, even if your child has a condition such as asthma. Children <2 yrs=”” of=”” age=”” or=”” who=”” are=”” neurologically=”” compromised=”” may=”” have=”” difficulty=”” wearing=”” removing=”” masks=”” without=”” assistance=”” so=”” their=”” use=”” in=”” these=”” groups=”” is=”” not=”” recommended=”” p=””>

– There are some conditions which may put your child, or a close family member, at risk for severe disease from COVID. If your child or a close relative with frequent contact has one of these conditions, this may be a reason to choose virtual learning and we suggest you discuss this with the specialist guiding their care. If you do not have a specialist or would also like to speak with one of our providers, we are available by phone as well. These conditions may include:
– Diabetes
– Chronic/complex kidney disease
– Complex heart disease (excluding innocent heart murmurs)
– Complex neurologic conditions
– Chronic lung disease (COPD, pulmonary malformations, moderate to severe asthma; generally mild asthma is NOT included)
– Obesity
– History of organ transplant
– Compromised immune system from other underlying condition or medication

– It is important to remember that while schools will try to take every precaution possible to reduce transmission of COVID, returning to in-person school will not be risk-free, and you have to decide what is best for your family and your child in terms of in-person vs. virtual learning for the fall.

-Confirm that your child’s immunizations are up to date. As always, we encourage everyone to get the influenza vaccine this year, but it is especially critical this year for those returning to school or participating in activities outside the home.

-Recommendations may change based on prevalence of the virus in the area. It is also important to be flexible and have a back-up plan in place should your school need to transition to remote learning.

-The following are some safety factors schools are putting in place. You can check with your school to see if any of the following are in the plans for reopening:
-Physical distancing
-Frequent hand hygiene
-Cloth face coverings (in school and on buses)
-Utilize outside space when possible
-Lunch in room or small groups outside
-Temperature checks (home and/or school). Fever is considered temperature of 100.4 F or greater
-Sanitizing classrooms and high touch surfaces
-Minimize use of high touch surfaces (such as keeping classroom doors open)

-Keep your child home if s/he or any family member has any illness symptoms.