Black Hills Pediatrics, L.L.P. Vaccine Policy Statement
The physicians and allied health professionals of Black Hills Pediatrics, L.L.P. believe in the safety and effectiveness of vaccines to prevent illness and save lives.
We believe that our patients should receive all of the vaccines according to the schedule recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics. The recommended vaccines and their scheduling are the result of years of study by the most knowledgeable physicians and scientists in the fields of pediatric and adult infectious disease. These recommendations are reviewed annually and sometimes revised based on the most current information available.
We believe, based on all available scientific evidence, that vaccines do not cause autism.
We believe that vaccination is the single most important aspect of preventive care we offer as healthcare providers and that you perform as parents.
Vaccines have been overwhelmingly successful in decreasing the incidence of many diseases throughout the world and have the potential to eliminate certain diseases entirely, such as has happened with small pox. Unfortunately, this success has resulted in complacency regarding the importance of immunization, and in some groups, outright opposition to vaccines. These factors have recently lead to increasing numbers of children and adults contracting vaccine-preventable diseases, such as measles and whooping cough, both in the U.S. and other developed countries.
We also believe that parents who choose not to vaccinate are taking unnecessary risks with their child’s health and are endangering other children in the community who may be too young to receive vaccines or are unable to be immunized due to medical conditions. Thus it is the policy of our clinic not to provide services for children whose parents make the decision to not vaccinate.
We recognize that there has been and will likely continue to be controversy regarding vaccination. We encourage you to discuss any concerns or questions you may have with your child’s healthcare provider.
Sincerely,
Gregory W. Anderson, DO Elizabeth S. Farnsworth, MD Cara M. Hamilton, MD Margaret F. Kuehler, MD David W. Mueller, DO Lori A. Strong, MD Nodia R. Berglund, PA-C Marcene A. Bloom, PA-C Deborah K. Kuehn, CNP Jenny McIntosh, CNP Suzanne M. Newsom, CNP Brittany A. Rieman, PA-C