KidStuff

New Evening Pediatric Clinic Responds To Working Parent-Sick Kid Dilemma

By Paul M. Marz, M.D.
Pediatrics is a full time job. Or is it a profession? I’m not really sure which. Actually, it’s more of a lifestyle.
Review of the professional literature shows that over time, the era of the town “Doc” who made house calls has withered away, replaced by your local office for pediatric care.

But what do you do when the office is closed? You’re picking up your youngster at the child care center and you’re handed a nice note that there was “a little fever today, but not bad.” The staff also spotted him (or her) pulling on his ear a few times. With night approaching, what to do? Will this be another sleepless night of caring for a sick child?

When I was growing up, trips to see the doctor at his office were rare and I remember them as a major event in my life, with clean, unpatched clothing and hours of preparation for the visit.

But, as children, the usual drill was to be “checked” and poked with the best of intentions by our parents. At times of “illness,” I must admit I do not remember ever being seen by a physician. Trips for that kind of care were always unplanned in response to bleeding that needed stitches, or a leg or arm that no longer worked…at all.

Mom was always home…with an extended family on hand as well…to provide care and experienced advice. So who needed a doctor?
In this modern era, however, the pace of life has quickened to an endless stream of events and commitments for all members of the family. If any one player on the “family team” is sidelined, the entire train is derailed. Families now need instant answers to keep their train on track.

Most medical offices are open during traditional office hours four or five days per week, which coincides with the time most of us are at daycare, school, or work.

So here you are at the end of the work day, at childcare pickup and faced with the “joy” of needing to provide a plan of care for your tired febrile loved one.

After years of trying to help families out of this frustrating dilemma, the concept of an evening clinic resurfaced. Sometime ago, we did try to gain enough interest in starting up this type of service. But, due to business issues and lack of support, the concept never got off the ground.

Recently, however, this need was recognized anew by a group of local physicians who wanted to offer a way for the working families to have their fears relieved for non-emergent issues.

These included Doctors Paul R. Sklarew, Edith S. Kaselis, and Leif Norenberg, with help from Dr. Mathew H. Baldasaro and myself. In March, The Evening Pediatric Clinic of Cape Cod opened its doors.

Here is a place that a parent can call and make an appointment for that same evening. Now the doctor can look at the child before bedtime and help answer the age old question: Can the child go to daycare in the morning? A “no” answer usually means no work for one of the parents–and we all know that life on Cape Cod means we are all working.

The Evening Pediatric Clinic of Cape Cod is such a place that recognizes these realities.

It is located on Willow Street, and is only open weeknights from 5 to 9 p.m. Here is a place to have those ears checked, rash treatment updated or have that cough looked into. If you have fallen and need an X-ray or sutures, this is not the place.

But here you will meet with the doctor and receive an answer to that age old question, “What should I do?

Here are the details:
Evening Pediatric Clinic of Cape Cod
244 Willow Street (it’s an allergy office during the day)
Yarmouth Port, MA 02675

Most insurance plans accepted
Appointments can be made each evening only
508-362-KIDS (5437)