Start Line Pediatrics Vaccine Policy Statement

• We firmly believe in the effectiveness of vaccines to prevent serious illness and to save lives.

• We firmly believe in the safety of our vaccines.

• We firmly believe that all children and young adults should receive all the recommended vaccines according to the schedule published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

• We firmly believe, based on all available literature, evidence, and current studies, that vaccines do not cause autism or other developmental disabilities. We firmly believe that thimerosal, a preservative that has been in vaccines for decades and remains in some vaccines, does not cause autism or other developmental disabilities.

• We will do everything we can to convince you that vaccinating according to the schedule is the right thing to do. However, should you have doubts, please discuss these with us.  In some cases, we may alter the schedule to accommodate parental concerns or reservations.  Please be advised, however, that delaying or “breaking up the vaccines” to give one or two at a time over two or more visits goes against expert recommendations, and can put your child at risk for serious illness (or even death) and goes against our medical advice at Start Line Pediatrics.  Please realize that you will also be required to sign a “Refusal to Vaccinate” acknowledgement in the event of lengthy delays.
• Because we are committed to protecting the health of your children through vaccination, we require all our patients to be vaccinated. Infants should start receiving all age-appropriate recommended vaccines by three months of age, and complete those vaccination series by two years of age.  Older children should receive their booster immunizations before 6 years of age.  We will strongly recommend that your child receives an annual influenza vaccination.

• Finally, if you should absolutely refuse to vaccinate your child despite all our efforts, we will ask you to find another healthcare provider who shares your views. We do not keep a list of such providers, nor would we recommend any such physician.  Please recognize that by not vaccinating, you are putting your child at unnecessary risk for life-threatening illness and disability, and even death.  As medical professionals, we feel very strongly that vaccinating your child on schedule with currently available vaccines is absolutely the right thing to do to protect all children and young adults.  Thank you for taking the time to read this policy.  Please feel free to discuss any questions or concerns you may have about vaccines with us.