Dear Reach Out and Read KC friends,
Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year, has just passed as I write this as we move inexorably onward in this new normal of the COVID-19 era. My grands have dubbed this “corona time”.
What’s happening in pediatric and family medicine clinics? Traditionally, summer is the time for pre-kindergarten and kindergarten physicals and those are still happening! Four-year-olds are getting their ROR Kindergarten book bags along with their very important four-year-old booster immunizations. Children birth to five are coming in for their regular check-ups and immunizations and of course their gift of a book from their providers, thanks to the generous donations to ROR-KC!
We are missing the many volunteers who have modeled reading aloud in our waiting rooms, and suspect it will be quite some time before they will be able to return-perhaps once there is a widely available COVID-19 vaccine. Work flows have changed so that no one is ever in the waiting room! For many offices, this has meant scheduling more evening and Saturday hours in order to avoid folks staying in waiting rooms. Gently-used books are staying back in our work areas, to be handed out by staff to older children, who come into our offices for any reason.
Offices have opened up their schedules. Many of us are using telehealth for certain type of follow up visits and in a limited way for urgent care concerns.
All staff are wearing masks and eye protection, and all who come for visits are wearing masks as well (if you are over two-years-old, you get a mask). We want to keep our patients, their families and all of our staff safe.
To all of our ROR-KC supporters – we thank you. We wish a safe “corona time” summer -wear your masks in public, social distancing whenever possible, wash your hands, don’t touch your face as this will be the mantra for the foreseeable future.
-Sallie Page-Goertz, MN, APRN, CPNP, IBCLC