Importance of immunizations before school resumes in the fall

With many schools in the Central Valley deciding to reopen in the fall, children will be required to complete mandatory requirements for physicals and immunizations.

Adventist Health is safe, open, and ready to care for the children in our community.

According to Dr. Giridhar Andhavarapu (Dr. Dhar), a pediatrician at Adventist Health Physicians Network in Hanford, immunizations can help boost the immune system and protect against COVID-19.

“Our immune system becomes activated with immunizations,” says Dr. Andhavarapu. “If children fall behind on their shots, we start to see other diseases, such as measles, chickenpox, pneumonia, and other conditions that could have been prevented.”

Appointments may be scheduled now, to help meet the August deadline.

To keep our communities safe, all Adventist Health facilities enforce the following precautions:

• Mandatory temperature and symptoms screening for patients and staff
• Mandatory masking
• “No visitors” policy, with the exception of one parent accompanying a child under the age of 18, or a caregiver
• Social distancing (6 feet apart)

When scheduling an appointment, our staff will ask if a parent or child is experiencing symptoms related to COVID-19, such as a fever or if the patient or parent has been exposed to someone with a fever. If so, patients will be seen through a convenient drive-thru area in the parking lot.

Dr. Dhar is welcoming new patients from birth to age 21. He cares for patients at Adventist Health Physicians Network Hanford, 1524 W. Lacey Blvd., Ste. 104, with a phone number of 559-537-0350 and at Adventist Health Medical Office – Hanford Primary, 1025 N. Douty St. (2^nd floor), with a phone number of 559-537-0170. You can call to make an appointment, with appointments available as soon as today.

For information regarding Adventist Health locations services and office hours, please visit: www.AdventistHealth.org/central-valley