Vaccination Policy for New Patients
At Lincoln Pediatrics Clinic, we follow the immunization recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). We accept new patients only when the parent or guardian intends to follow the recommended routine childhood vaccination schedule.
If your child is behind on vaccines, we are happy to help your child catch up using the recommended catch-up schedule. We do not use alternative, selective, customized, or intentionally delayed vaccine schedules.
We recommend influenza (flu) and COVID-19 vaccination when appropriate, but neither vaccine is required to establish or continue care with our practice.
If you have questions, concerns, or are unsure about vaccination, please discuss them with our office before scheduling a new-patient appointment. We are happy to explain the recommended schedule and answer general questions before an appointment is made. Scheduling a new-patient visit means that you are willing to follow the routine schedule or an appropriate catch-up schedule.
Vaccination is an important part of protecting children and the community from preventable disease. When a child is not fully immunized, vaccine-preventable illnesses may need to be considered when the child becomes sick. Depending on the child's age and symptoms, this can lead to additional testing or treatment while serious infections are ruled out. Unvaccinated children may also place infants and medically vulnerable patients at greater risk of exposure.
If you have decided not to vaccinate your child with the routinely recommended childhood vaccines, Lincoln Pediatrics Clinic will not be able to accept your child as a new patient. We respect that families have different beliefs and make their own healthcare decisions; however, our practice has chosen to maintain this vaccination standard for new patients. We do not maintain a list of providers who accept patients whose families choose not to vaccinate.
Thank you for reviewing and understanding our policy. Our goal is to provide safe, consistent, evidence-based pediatric care to every family we serve.