Children are more susceptible to heat illness than adults, especially infants and young athletes. August is by far the most common month for heat illness, with two thirds of all emergency department (ED) visits for this occurring in August. Here’s what you need to know.

As the weather gets warmer, the vampires with exoskeletons will be out and about looking for that warm, iron rich meal that we provide so readily. I am talking about mosquitos and ticks, of course. Lyme disease, Zika, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and West Nile virus are all anticipated to be reported in our area this summer.

It’s that time of year when many of my patients are heading to the beach. Considering the rare incidence of shark attacks, and the incredible benefits of a family vacation to the ocean, sharks should not hold us back from ocean swimming. However, there are some critters who get much less attention than sharks that can cause problems and are worthy of a few warnings.

Every year, despite careful efforts to use sunscreen, one of my 3 fair-skinned kids gets a bad sunburn. What is the best way to treat a sunburn?

How do you know when it’s just a “bonk” that calls for a kiss and a Band-Aid or when it’s something that needs a bit more attention? Here’s a quick guide for you, fearless guardian, because let’s be honest: these things happen!

Pools are about to Open!  Drowning is the leading cause of injury related death in children ages 1-4 years.  Here is how everyone can prevent summer fun from leading to tragedy.

Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne illness. If you find a tick embedded on your skin, you may be a candidate for post exposure prophylaxis.

Now that we can confidently say that flu is going away for the season, let’s look at data and see… Was it worth it to get vaccinated this year?

To achieve and maintain general overall healthy weight, try doing these seven easy steps!

A cough that persists beyond two weeks is usually worth checking out. It is highly unlikely she has pneumonia, bronchitis, or something else serious, so it’s not urgent, but a cough from a cold should typically resolve in two weeks.

As Dr. Clark McSparren’s youngest daughter, it only seemed right that we welcome Jennifer McSparren Crystle to our provider panel when we heard she was looking to come home!

After a devastating surge in December and January, COVID cases are decreasing. So, what does that mean for our children and teens? A recent Institute for Health Metrics model estimates that around 73% of Americans have some immunity to the Omicron variant. This is good news; however, there is still much to worry about with COVID as this country mourns around 2,000 deaths per day from this virus.

Pediatric health care providers are ready to answer parent questions and to help you protect your child though immunization. We want to be your source for accurate information and answers to questions about vaccines. It is time for us to put aside differences, bias, and false information and protect our kids.

May is National Mental Health Awareness Month and May 7th is National Child Mental Health Day. This month of awareness and education is a great time to do a few things for your own mental health and the wellbeing of others. It is estimated that 1 out of every four of us will deal with a mental health issue. Here are some ideas to turn the trend from mental illness to emotional wellness.

Before we turn the page on the calendar, I think it is important to be mindful of the good things that came out of 2020. Yes, there was the pure joy of births, graduations, and weddings, but there also was a lot of emotional growth. I am not writing this to promote optimism or to wear rose-colored glasses. 2020 may be a year we want to forget, but we would be doing ourselves and our children a great disservice if we did not commit certain things about this year to permanent memory.

The primary care providers of Lancaster understand that this school year is bringing challenges to families unlike any in the past. We know that many of you have felt disappointed by the medical system and its ability to give the concrete, research-based answers to your questions that you rely on us for. The lack of data and research about pediatric COVID-19 and contagiousness has been frustrating.