Vancouver Pediatric and Allergy Centre

Join our FREE upcoming webinar on Monday, August 31 from 121pm to learn practical tools & strategies you can start using right away to set your family up for a successful return to school this year! Click here for more information! https://buff.ly/34neYc3

PHASE II REOPENING Reopening our doors will be a gradual process. Rest assured, we remain committed to providing you and your family the best of care during these unprecedented times. Our priority is to ensure patient and staff safety by respecting social distancing guidelines as we begin our new normal. ENHANCED PROTOCOLS TO KEEP YOU SAFE... We ask that all patients and families follow these guidelines during a visit to our office: *Masks/face coverings are required - Please bring your own mask/face covering to be worn at all times in the clinic space - Note that masks have been made mandatory in healthcare settings by the professional colleges and the BCCDC. Young children and infants are an exception. *Hand hygiene is required - We have hand sanitizer available for use before and after your appointment. *COVID-19 pre-screening is required - The day or morning before your visit, you will be contacted to answer pre-screening questions. Please do not come to the clinic if you have a fever, chills, cough, headache or are displaying any other COVID-19 symptoms or if you think you have been exposed to COVID-19. If you are unsure, please use the Government of BC's COVID-19 self assessment tool. *COVID-19 secondary screening at the clinic - Upon arrival, you will complete a second screening by telephone. *Please remain in your vehicle or in the lobby - call us on your arrival and you will be notified when to head into the clinic. This is to decrease foot traffic within the clinic and use of the waiting room. *1 Caregiver/Parent per patient policy - Please help us minimize the number of people in the office. Please do not bring additional family including siblings to your appointment. If you have 2 or more young infants/children who are patients and require assistance, you may have a maximum of 2 adults during the visit. *Please bring only essential items to the visit - We're reducing the number of personal items in the clinic (ie. backpacks, purses, books, bags, etc.). If you are arriving by car, please leave your items in your car and bring only essential items (ie. diapers, wipes, infant change of clothes or blanket) WHAT OUR STAFF ARE DOING *Enhanced cleaning & infection control protocols - Our staff are cleaning and disinfecting all high-touch surfaces between patient visits. Communal items such as toys and magazines have been put away. *Social Distancing - We've decreased the number of staff onsite. We've staggered the physicians in office to minimize traffic in the clinic. We may use technology to minimize face-to-face interactions and have modified patient flow in the clinic. *We've added Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) - We've implemented sanitization stations and all staff are required to wear a mask while onsite. *We've modified staff and practitioner procedures - We've updated our procedures to match the guidelines from the BC CDC and WorksafeBC. The VPAC Team

PATIENT ANNOUNCEMENT Dear Patients and Families, In light of the current COVID-19 pandemic, we would like to make you aware of measures our office is taking to ensure the safety of our patients, staff and doctors. We strive to continue providing our community with ongoing service through these difficult times.... Starting MONDAY, MARCH 23RD, our contact information will change. For Drs. Joanne Yeung, Sharon Yong, Cristina Bigg and Elizabeth de Klerk, please call: (236) 888-7706 Monday-Friday 830am-500pm. For Dr. Persia Pourshanazari and Dr. Sarah Freedman, please call: (236) 885-4055 Monday-Friday 830am-500pm. Please read the following carefully: Until further notice, our office will be closed to all non-essential visits. If you have an upcoming appointment, rest assured you will be contacted and offered your same appointment via telehealth. You may also choose to reschedule your appointment to a later date. We continue to accept referrals from our primary care/family physician colleagues, and will offer telehealth or later-date appointments as above. Urgent matters will be assessed on a case by case basis. For those visits deemed essential, our physicians will remain available in office with limited hours, with measures in place to ensure social distancing. Should you require an in-office appointment, you will be provided with detailed instructions regarding these measures. Should you, the patient or accompanying caregiver have any history of recent travel or concerns around possible COVID-19 infection, or should you develop symptoms prior to your in-office appointment, please DO NOT come to our office. Please cancel your appointment and reschedule. For further information regarding COVID-19 and the self-assessment tool, please visit http://covid-19.bccdc.ca/ We sincerely thank you for your understanding and cooperation. The VPAC Team

It’s National Immunization Awareness Month! Learn more about why vaccines are so important to keep children healthy with resources from the American Academy of Pediatrics: http://aap.org/immunizations #VaccinesWork #Ivax2Protect

Wondering if your child has a food allergy? Try this new app launched by some of our very own BC pediatric allergists. Find useful information around food allergies and use the symptom checker to determine the likelihood of an allergic reaction. https://allergycheck.ca/#/Home