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

We recognize that there has always been and will likely always be controversy surrounding vaccination. It is 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, or even chicken pox. Such success can make us complacent about vaccinating our children.

We want you to be aware of these facts not to scare you or coerce you, but to emphasize the importance of vaccination.

As a prospective new patient of the practice you will be asked about vaccination records when completing the medical history form. 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 patients and their families who choose not to vaccinate.

Dr. Janie Brown
Par-La-Ville Dental