Our Office Policy During the COVID-19 Epidemic

 

Hanover Pediatrics is committed to making sure our patients stay well and well-informed.  Due to the concerns about COVID-19, we are making some changes in how the office operates to limit potential exposures to the virus.  Our menu options by phone allow you to speak directly to the North Carolina Coronavirus Hotline, where you can listen to recorded general information or speak directly to a healthcare professional regarding any concerns. 

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All patients will be asked to call the office upon arrival in the parking lot and stay in their automobiles until directed to come inside.  This will be the case for all patients regardless of the type of visit in order to limit exposures.  

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When your visit is over, you will be met by one of our staff to make a follow-up appointment if needed in your exam room, then escorted to the door.  Please do not allow your child to play with any of the waiting room toys as we want to limit exposures to all our patients.  

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COVID-19 TESTING

For patients who have symptoms of coronavirus, Hanover Pediatrics is now able to do testing.  

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• Please be aware that the decision for testing will be reached after an initial telemedicine consultation and subsequent examination in our outdoor clinic space.  

• Routine testing in patients who are not experiencing symptoms is not typically recommended. 

• If you have questions regarding the need for testing your child, our providers are ready to discuss this with you via telemedicine.

More

Know that our providers are constantly keeping up with new research and recommendations offered by multiple agencies including the CDC, American Academy of Pediatrics, Local Health Departments, and many more. We will continue to separate well and sick visits in order to provide all our patients with the safest in-office experience we can. We will continue to use telemed visits as a screening tool to get needed information and determine patients that need to be seen in-person and where. We have opened back up our outdoor exam room and will be expanding our availability with an additional provider starting next week! All of our staff are vaccinated and we will all continue to wear masks for the foreseeable future.
 
What can you do? 

We know that the constant change in guidance and recommendations is exhausting and at times confusing. Based on this current surge and available guidance,  we  STRONGLY recommend that all children K-12 are masked during the school day and during any indoor activities. If your child is in preschool or daycare and over 2 years of age, we STRONGLY recommend having them wear a mask. If your child is 12 years of age or older we STRONGLY recommend getting the COVID-19 vaccine. At Hanover Pediatrics we pride ourselves in treating our patients like family. We would never recommend something to our patients that we did not feel was safe for our own children. We want to keep your children safe, and immunizations are a vital part of that protection. At this time the vaccine is only available to those 12 and up. Hopefully, vaccination will be on track for 5 years and up in late September/October 2021.
 
Please visit the link below for an in-depth list of questions and answers regarding the COVID-19 vaccine:
 
https://www.chop.edu/centers-programs/vaccine-education-center/making-vaccines/prevent-covid
 
Due to refrigeration requirements, we are unable to currently store or distribute the vaccine. Please visit the links below to find the most convenient site for you and your child:
 
https://covid19.ncdhhs.gov/findyourspot
 
https://walgreens.com/findcare/vaccination/covid-19
 
https://www.nhrmc.org/coronavirus
 
https://health.nhcgov.com/coronavirus/covid-19-vaccine/current-covid-19-vaccination-phase/
 
https://www.brunswickcountync.gov/health/coronavirus/vaccines/
 
https://www.pendercountync.gov/hhs/health-human-services/health-department/
 
We are wishing you and your families a healthy and successful start to the school year! Please remember to be kind and make smart choices not just for the yourselves, but for our entire community.

We are here to help in any way that we can. 
 
Thank you,
 
The Hanover Pediatrics Team

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