Springtime Updates
With warmer weather approaching, we are certainly hoping that Spring is almost here! With that, we wanted to send a few springtime updates for you as well as updates about WMPeds.
Ticks
Ticks are here - we have received an increase in calls about tick bites. Please be sure to keep a close eye on your children, your animals, and yourselves and do tick checks regularly! Ticks need 36-48 hours to transmit Lyme disease. This is why checking frequently for ticks is a crucial element of Lyme prevention.
New Team Members!
If you have been in the office recently you may have met our new Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Jennifer Lannigan and our Behavioral Health Specialist Nicole Rice.
- Jennifer Lannigan was born and raised in Norfolk, Massachusetts. She graduated summa cum laude from her undergraduate nursing program at Villanova University in 2014. Jennifer worked as an inpatient postpartum/newborn nursery nurse for several years at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts. She then pursued her Master of Science in Nursing degree, graduating with honors from Sacred Heart University in 2022. She is certified as a Family Nurse Practitioner and is excited to serve the Westwood-Mansfield community. She is also a former WMPeds patient and we are so happy to welcome her back to the family!
- Nicole is a licensed clinical social worker (LICSW) with a Master's in Social Work from Rhode Island College. She has dedicated several years to supporting children, adolescents, and families in inpatient behavioral health settings. With experience at Hasbro Children's Hospital, Bradley Hospital, and Hasbro's Pediatric Heart clinic, Nicole has worked with children suffering from anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, eating disorders, autism, behavioral difficulties, and medical issues related to mental health diagnoses.
Nicole is excited to transition into a multidisciplinary, community-based setting. Here, she aims to continue her mission of empowering families and patients. Nicole's blend of compassion, professionalism, and dedication positions her as a valuable asset in providing comprehensive support to individuals and families as they navigate their journey towards well-being. We are excited Nicole has joined the WMPeds team!
Preventing HPV
March 4th was HPV Awareness Day. Human Papillomavirus is a group of viruses that can cause multiple types of cancers including anal, cervical, and esophageal cancers and affects both males and females. It is the most common sexually transmitted infection. The good news - a safe vaccine has been around for more than 20 years that prevents HPV and therefore many of these cancers. Vaccinations begin at 9 years old. There are 2 doses of the vaccine for individuals who start before 15 years old, and 3 doses for those who start afterwards.
If you have any questions about the HPV vaccine please don’t hesitate to ask your provider at your child’s next well visit.
Asthma and Springtime
Since Spring is right around the corner, please make sure you have the latest addition of your child’s asthma action plan ready and updated refills of their asthma medications.
Allergies and Springtime
For those children who suffer from springtime allergies and require starting anti-histamine medications such as Zyrtec or Claritin, please keep an eye out for any burgeoning flower buds and signs of spring. It is best to start these medications early to prevent those with moderate to severe allergies from having flares this season.
Technical Difficulty Alert
Please be advised we are currently experiencing technical difficulties with our telephone system. As a result, you may encounter difficulties reaching us via phone.
Rest assured, our team is actively working to resolve this issue as swiftly as possible. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your patience and understanding during this time.
In the meantime:
- For urgent matters, please call 911.
- For non-urgent matters, please message us through MyChart.
Snow Update
Due to the snow forecast for tomorrow, Tuesday, February 13, 2024, we have decided to close all our offices. Please note that we will not be offering virtual visits during the office closure.
We anticipate being open and normal operations on Wednesday, February 14, 2024.
We have providers on call 24/7, even though the offices are closed. We encourage you to message us through MyChart, if you have non-urgent questions.
Stay warm and safe!
–All of us at Westwood-Mansfield Pediatric Associates
MLK Day Office Hours
We will be open for a half day in our Westwood Office.
January 15, 2023, from 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Westwood Office: 541 High St, Westwood, MA 02090
The Easton and Mansfield sites will be closed.
We hope you all have a fun, safe, and healthy MLK Day Weekend!
Christmas and New Year's Holiday Office Hours Greetings!
As we near this festive season, we would like to let you know about our office hours. Please note that our offices will close promptly at 12 pm on the dates listed below.
Christmas Schedule:
- Sun, Dec 24: The Westwood office will be open until 12 pm. After this time, we will not be seeing patients.
- Mon, Dec 25: All offices will be closed.
New Year's Schedule:
- Sun, Dec 31: The Westwood office will be open until 12 pm. After this time, we will not be seeing patients.
- Mon, Jan 1: The Westwood office will be open until 12 pm. We have providers on call 24/7 throughout the holidays. If you have non-urgent questions, we encourage you to send us a message through MyChart. We wish you a safe, happy, and healthy holiday season!
RSV and Upper Respiratory Tract Infections
It is that time of year when we are seeing many patients sick with upper respiratory infections and fevers. We have been seeing a recent increase in RSV cases in particular, which is common for this time of year.
Thanksgiving Holiday Office Hours
We wish you a Happy Thanksgiving! Please note our office hours during the Thanksgiving holiday:
- Wed 11/22: All offices will be open from 9 a.m. to noon
- Thu 11/23: All offices will be closed in observance of Thanksgiving
- Fri 11/24: Only our Westwood office will be open from 9 a.m. to noon
- Sat 11/25: Only our Mansfield office will be open from 9 a.m. to noon
- Sun 11/26: Only our Westwood office will be open from 9 a.m. to noon
Throughout the holiday weekend, we will have an on-call physician available as usual. If you have non-urgent questions, we encourage you to message us through MyChart. Additionally, our website offers a variety of handouts and videos that may answer many of your medical questions.
Have a happy and healthy Thanksgiving!
Needle-Phobic Vaccine Session for Flu/COVID Vaccination
We are excited to announce the return of our needle-phobic group session during the week of November 27th. This program, hosted by Patrick Sweeney, LMHC, involves a two-session format. Session one, under the supervision of Patrick Sweeney, will concentrate on education and desensitization regarding needles and vaccinations. Session two involves the children being scheduled for their vaccinations.
The program:
- Session One (Education): Monday, 11/27 at 7 p.m. – Mansfield Office
- Session Two (Vaccinations): Tuesday, 11/28 at 5 p.m. – Mansfield Office
Update on the supply of Beyfortus, the RSV Immunization for infants
RSV, respiratory syncytial virus, is a virus that most often spreads November to April. For most healthy adults and older children it is a respiratory illness like a bad cold. Infants and elderly adults, especially those that are immunocompromised or have underlying medical conditions, may have more serious disease that can at times lead to hospitalization.
Like many of you, we were very excited to learn that Beyfortus (nirsevimab), a monoclonal antibody immunization, was recently approved for babies under 8 months old to help prevent RSV infections and their serious complications.
Westwood-Mansfield Pediatric Scheduling Updates
With the school year underway and our new Mansfield office up and running, we at Westwood Mansfield Pediatrics have been working to improve the availability of visits as well as the ease of scheduling same day sick visits.
We are in the process of adding multiple new providers to the Westwood-Mansfield Pediatric family. It is our expectation that this will significantly increase the number of appointments (both well check-ups and sick visits) available.
Additionally, following the overwhelming success of our weekend scheduling, we are increasing the number of visits that can be booked on-line. Effective November 15, 2023, all acute, sick visits can be booked as written below:
Daytime visits: Effective November 15, 2023, all sick visits will be available to be booked on-line through MyChart.
Evening visits: All evening visits must be booked on-line via MyChart. Evening visits will be available to be booked starting at 3 p.m. on the day of the visit. These visit slots may be available earlier if daytime visits are full.
Weekend visits: All weekend and holiday visits must be booked on-line via MyChart. Weekend visits will be available to be booked starting at 8am on the day of the visit.
Evening Phones: With all evening visits being booked on-line, we will now be turning off our phones for routine calls at 6 p.m. on Monday – Thursday. We will have our Nurse Practitioner on-call service available to answer all urgent, after-hours, phone calls.
Schedule Your Flu Clinic Appointment NOW! Register Online!
It's that time of year again, and we are happy to offer online scheduling for your children’s flu shot appointments.
You must be active on the MyChart Patient Portal to take advantage of online scheduling. If you are not activated, please go to www.wmpeds.com and sign up. Being active on our MyChart Patient Portal will also allow you to make online yearly well visits and sick visits.
We strongly encourage all patients to schedule using MyChart rather than calling our office. Our phone lines are extremely busy, and our availability will not be any different if you call our office.
Like in previous years, we WILL be using the waiting rooms for these clinics. Patients should enter the office ONLY at their scheduled times and not enter the building early.
If your child is already scheduled for a well-visit, we can administer a flu shot during that visit. However, if you were planning on bringing a sibling to get a flu shot as well. Due to staffing limitations, we ask that you schedule siblings into a flu clinic.
Appointments will be held weekly in all three offices starting September 19, 2023. Please check the MyChart App as we continue to add more appointment dates and availability.
We look forward to seeing you soon!
Mansfield Office Relocating to 89 Forbes Boulevard!
As part of our commitment to delivering exceptional healthcare, we are excited to let you know that, starting July 31, 2023, our Mansfield office will be moving to a new location just steps away from our current office.
This move represents an important milestone in our journey, and we are confident that it will greatly enhance your experience with us. Our new office is more spacious (it contains 24 exam rooms and 3 behavioral health offices), more modern, and has been custom designed with your comfort and convenience in mind (not to mention, ample parking!).
Located at 89 Forbes Blvd, Mansfield (First Floor), our new building is across the street from the Stop & Shop and just steps away from our current Chauncy Street building.
We will be transitioning to the new building during the week of July 24-28 before starting to see patients on Monday, July 31. During this time, there may be some minor disruptions in our services and we apologize in advance for any inconvenience caused.
For the week of July 24-28, the Mansfield office schedule will be as follows (the Westwood and Easton offices will remain open throughout the move):
Monday (7/24): Chancy St. office open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Tuesday (7/25): Chauncy St. office open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Wednesday (7/26): Chauncy St. office open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Thursday (7/27): Chauncy St. office open 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (closed 12:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.)
Friday (7/28): Chauncy St. office CLOSED ALL DAY
Saturday (7/29): Weekend hours in Westwood office (Chauncy St. office CLOSED ALL DAY)
Sunday (7/30): Weekend hours in Westwood office as usual
MONDAY (7/31): NEW FORBES BLVD. MANSFIELD OFFICE OPENS!
We are grateful for your continued trust in our practice and we look forward to welcoming you to our new facility. Thank you for your support and we appreciate your understanding during this exciting transition!
Memorial Day Hours!
Our Memorial Day holiday hours will be held in our Mansfield Office.
Monday, May 29, 2023, from 9 a.m. to noon
Mansfield Office: 454 Chauncy St, Mansfield, MA 02048
The Westwood and Easton sites will be closed.
We hope you all have a fun, safe, and healthy Memorial Day Weekend!!
Office Mask Policy Update
May 12, 2023
On May 11, 2023, the COVID Public Health Emergency will end and along with it the mask mandate in healthcare settings. In keeping with this change, and in step with other healthcare organizations like Boston Children’s Hospital, we have updated our Office Mask Policy. This policy applies to all patients, family members, and staff.
Healthy People/Well Visits:
Starting May 11th, wearing masks in the offices of Westwood Mansfield Pediatric Associates will no longer be required during well visits if the patient/guardian is asymptomatic.
Sick People/Illness Visits:
Masks will still be required for patients being seen for sick visits or for well visits when they have symptoms that are potentially compatible with COVID (including runny nose, cough, congestion, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhea or fever). Additionally, guardians who have symptoms are asked to please wear a mask.
Briefly, people (including patients and family members) without COVID-compatible symptoms do not need to wear masks. People with COVID-compatible symptoms are still required to wear a mask while in the office.
Please note: Westwood-Mansfield Pediatrics has an office policy of mutual respect. Within your medical team there may be individuals with different medical risk factors - if a provider requests that you and your child wear a mask, we ask that you respectfully agree to do so for their comfort and safety. Similarly, if you would like your medical team to wear masks during your visit, you can request this at any time as well.
No More Waiting in Car/Calling to Check in!
Additionally, starting tomorrow (May 11th), all patients are instructed to come right on in to our front desk to check in (regardless of symptoms).
We look forward to seeing your smiling faces!
All of us at Westwood-Mansfield Pediatric Associates
Spring Asthma
April 14, 2023
With spring here, we would like to offer our asthmatic patients a few reminders to help make your family's spring a healthy one. Remember the early warning signs of asthma and check if your child's room is dust and dust-mite free.
Springtime Allergies
April 5, 2023
Each year, tree pollen season generally starts around the middle of March and lasts until the end of June. Symptoms are commonly seen in children during this period, with symptoms including a runny nose, sneezing, sore throat (especially at night and early in the morning), and a slight cough.
Postpartum Depression
January 30, 2023
With our commitment to children also comes a commitment to their family. Postpartum anxiety and depression are common. The newborn phase can also significantly impact the mental health of fathers. Depression and anxiety at any stage of life is common. You are not alone. You should never be alone.
Weekend Office Scheduling Change - All Appointments to be Self-Scheduled on MyChart
January 20, 2023
Starting this weekend (January 21 and 22), all weekend visits will be self-scheduled on MyChart. It is our hope that this will enable patients who wish to be seen to more easily access our appointments without needing to call and experience telephone wait-times.
Mansfield Office Moving to 89 Forbes Boulevard Next Summer
November 8, 2022
We are excited to announce that we will be moving our Mansfield Office to a larger space at 89 Forbes Boulevard (0.25 miles away) next summer.
Social Media Updates - Patient Education and Active Posting!
November 6, 2022
As part of our commitment to enhancing patient communication and education, Westwood-Mansfield Pediatrics is launching a social media campaign.
Practice Update - Appointment Availability (and a Reminder About Aggressive Behavior
August 15, 2022
As we approach the end of summer and the new school year, we would like to take a moment to share some thoughts on the state of Westwood-Mansfield Pediatrics.