Vaccine Policy

PURPOSE: We firmly believe in the effectiveness of vaccines to prevent serious illness and save lives, in the safety of our vaccines, and that all children and young adults should receive the recommended vaccines according to the schedule published by the Centers for Disease Control and the American Academy of Pediatrics. We also believe unvaccinated children pose a risk of spreading these serious diseases to other children who are either too young to be vaccinated or who are unable to be vaccinated because of medical conditions.

Vaccine Schedule:  As recommended, vaccines and the schedule at which they are given are the results of many years of scientific study and data gathering on millions of children by thousands of scientists and physicians. This being said, we recognize that there has always been and will likely always be controversy surrounding vaccination. The vaccine campaign is truly a victim of its own success. It is precisely because vaccines are so effective at preventing illness that we are even discussing whether or not they should be given. Because of vaccines, many of you have never seen a child with polio, tetanus, whooping cough, meningitis, or even chicken pox. Such success can make us complacent about vaccinating.

We are making you aware of these facts not to scare you or coerce you, but to emphasize the importance of vaccination. We will do everything we can to convince you that vaccinating according to the schedule is the right thing to do. Our goal is to educate and to alleviate any fears you may have. At each well visit the benefit of immunizations will be discussed with you in the hope that you will accept the vaccine(s). Should you refuse to vaccinate, you will be asked to sign a declination form which will remain a part of the permanent record. Refusal to sign the declination form or efforts to alter it in any way is basis for immediate dismissal from the practice.

Finally, if you absolutely refuse to vaccinate your child despite all our efforts, we may ask you to find another practice who shares your philosophy and with whom you will be more comfortable. If an older child is unvaccinated, or under vaccinated, we would be happy to start them on a catch-up schedule to ensure they are fully protected. If that is not acceptable to the you, we may again ask you to establish care with another practice. For the most recent vaccination schedule, please visit CHOP. As a prospective new patient of the practice you will be asked for your vaccine record prior to being seen for sick or well visits. If your child is unvaccinated and you are unwilling to consider vaccines we will ask you to find a practice more in line with your philosophy. This policy also applies to existing patient families with new babies who choose not to vaccinate.