Doctor’s Note: July Newsletter Introduction from Dr. Ellie Hamburger

With summer waning, we are all helping families get ready for the new – very new – school year. With that comes questions about the ever-changing COVID-19 landscape and the challenges our practice teams face. Is it safe for my child to return to in-person learning? Does the Delta variant pose new challenges? How can my practice engage in immunizing patients who are eligible for the COVID vaccine? How can we meet the demand for patients who have fallen behind in routine immunization?

In this newsletter, we provide links to some resources that will help you and your families navigate these waters. Recognizing the heightened anxiety that many students and families face as they return to school, we’re hosting a Special Town Hall to provide you with some practical tools to address these concerns. Washington, DC clinicians face a special challenge with the requirement that clinicians sign authorization forms to allow virtual learning. In follow up to our last town hall addressing that issue, a team has developed a letter to accompany the requisite form here. The language is likely to be useful for families throughout the region. A letter developed at Children’s National to assist families whose children have behavioral and mental health challenges is similarly likely to be universally helpful. 

If your practice would like assistance in resources and planning to provide COVID immunizations, please contact Claire Boogaard at COVID19vaccine@childrensnational.org.

Finally, the Division of Psychology & Behavioral Health and the Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders is hosting a series for parents and families to provide expert advice and tips on common mental, developmental and behavioral health issues. Take a look in our newsletter for information on that and other upcoming events.

All the best,
Ellie Hamburger, M.D.
Executive Medical Director, PHN