Introducing Dr. Joe Jopling!

Every week we will be spotlighting one of our doctors to give you a chance to get to know them better!  This week we would like you to get to know Dr. Joe Jopling!

Dr. Jopling was born and raised in Lubbock, Texas.  He has been practicing medicine for 27 years.  Dr. Jopling has been married to his wife, Marty, for 34 years.  They have 2 wonderful children.  Jeff, who is 28 years old, is currently in medical school at Emory.  His daughter Jenn, who is 25 years old, currently works for the Major League Baseball team, the Nationals, in Washington DC.  They also have Mocha, their chocolate lab!

Dr. Jopling's favorite things to eat are fresh fruit and nuts.  His favorite books are Complexity by Mitchell Waldrop and Deep Survival by Laurence Gonzales.  He also loves hiking, snowshoeing, and reading.

Dr. Jopling became a pediatrician because he loves children and feels that it is a privelege to help families.  He also says that he will always try his best to work in partnership with parents and to work with his patients themselves as it is appropriate for their age.

Dr. Jopling's patients absolutely love him!  He is a great asset to our office and we love having him around!

Dr. Jopling with his family

  

Flu Shot Madness!

As you may or may not know, the seasonal flu vaccine and the H1N1 vaccine are combined this year.  This will make getting flu shots so much easier!  It also makes things a little bit complicated because some children may require 2 flu vaccines this year. 

• If your child is under 9 years of age and has never received ANY flu vaccine before, they will need 2 doses of flu vaccine, at least 30 days apart. 
• If your child is under 9 years of age and received one dose of H1N1 last season, and HAS received 2 doses of flu vaccine in the past, they will only require one dose this season.
• If your child is under 9 years of age and did not receive any of the H1N1 vaccine last season, they will need to get 2 doses of flu vaccine, at least 30 days apart. 
• If your child is over 9 years of age, they will only need one dose of flu vaccine.

Hopefully, this will help clear up any confusion!  For a details diagram of these recommendations made by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, click here.

Just a reminder, we are doing flu shots by appointments only this year.  The appointments are filling up fast, so call in today to schedule!  We have a very limited supply of flu shots for children over 3 years of age, but have plenty of FluMist to go around!  Because the appointments have filled up so quickly, we have added some Thursday evening appointments, as well as a couple of Saturday morning appointments so we can accomodate everyone as much as we can.  Please check with your insurance company to find out your flu vaccine coverage.  If you are not sure of your coverage when you come in for your appointment, you will be asked to pay your regular copay.

**Flu vaccine recommendations provided by the AAP and the CDC

Introducing Mandy!

My name is Mandy and I am a MA at Willow Creek Pediatrics. Mykio and I will be updating the blog several times each week and wanted to give you the chance to know who we are. I love my job! The only thing I love more is being a mom to two little boys and my amazing family and friends. I have worked for Wasatch Pediatrics since 2001. I took time off for a while to raise my little boy and to have another baby. I have been back at Willow Creek the past three years and LOVE my job! I work with Dr. O'Mara and Dr. Memmott. I also work some nights and weekends so I get to work with all the other great doctors at Willow Creek. I am very passionate about my job and love that I get to work so much with children. I love Willow Creek patients--They truly are the best!! I attended Utah State Universtiy (many years ago) and met my husband of almost 12 years. We raise our two very active boys in West Jordan. My first son was born at 28 1/2 weeks and my second son was born at 32 weeks, so I understand a lot about preemies, asthma, lung issues, development issues and food allergies. I love to read, shop, cook, and do anything with my family outdoors. I love to learn how to be a "better" mom and hope that we can all learn and grow together. If I can't be at home with my children, there is no other place I would rather be than at Willow Creek. I love working with the doctors and I see every day, night and weekend how much they CARE about each one of their patients. I am proud to be a part of this team and hope that this blog will help give information to our patients in a small way!

Introducing Mykio!

My name is Mykio and I am a receptionist at Willow Creek Pediatrics! More than likely, I am the one that scheduled your appointment, but every once in a while, I am the one that checks you in or out for your appointment! I have worked for Wasatch Pediatrics for nearly 10 years. I started out as a file clerk at the St. Mark's office, not very long after I graduated high school. A few years later, I slowly migrated to the Willow Creek office, working nights and weekends and eventually during the day. I have my associate's degree and am slowly working on my bachelor's degree in Business Administration. I have been married for 3 years and have a 16 year old stepson and a 9 month old daughter. So I am currently in the "new mommy" stage and know what it is like to have all the questions in the world for my doctor! Hopefully I can help other new mommies not feel like they are the only one with "that question" through this blog!

Walk for Food Allergy

One in every 25 school age children have food allergies. You may have a child with a food allergy and if you don't your child most likely will have at least one child in the classroom with a food allergy. We have several patients that are part of the UFAN and want to show our support to all children in Utah with food allergies. The Saturday, October 2nd at Wheeler Farm  they are doing a 2 mile walk. Come and support this great cause. The reason for the walk is 1-To find a cure 2- Increase the awareness of food allergies 3-Provide understanding, hope and an opportunity for a child with a food allergy to simply be a child 4- To save a life. Check out these two links below to get great information about the Utah Food Allergy Network and more information about the Walk. Good luck to all our patients and their families as they walk for a great cause.

http://www.utahfoodallergy.org/
http://www.abc4.com/content/about4.gtu/story/Food-Allergies/spG8EhUbqEacqJkdsblhhw.cspx

Similac RECALL

Please be aware of this current voluntary recall  on SIMILAC and read all the information below.

Abbott Voluntarily Recalls Certain Similac® Brand Powder Infant Formulas That Did Not Meet Its Quality Standards.Abbott is initiating a proactive, voluntary recall of certain Similac-brand, powder infant formulas in the U.S., Puerto Rico, Guam and some countries in the Caribbean.

Abbott is recalling these products following an internal quality review, which detected the remote possibility of the presence of a small common beetle in the product produced in one production area in a single manufacturing facility. The United States Food and Drug Adminstration (FDA) has determined that while the formula containing these beetles poses no immediate health risk, there is a possibility that infants who consume formula containing the beetles or their larvae, could experience symptoms of gastrointestinal discomfort and refusal to eat as a result of small insect parts irritating the GI tract. If these symptoms persist for more than a few days, a physician should be consulted.

 

The recall of these powder infant formulas includes:

• Certain Similac powder product lines offered in plastic containers.
• Certain Similac powder product lines offered in 8-ounce, 12.4-ounce and 12.9-ounce cans.

To immediately find out if the product in your possession is included in this recall, parents and caregivers should visit www.similac.com/recall/lookup, and type in their lot number to determine if their product is affected, or call (800) 986-8850.

 

No Abbott liquid infant formulas are impacted. Products not involved in the recall include all Abbott Nutrition liquid ready-to-feed and concentrated infant formulas and all powder and liquid specialty formulas, such as Similac Expert Care™ Alimentum®, Elecare ®, Similac Expert Care™ Neosure ®, Similac® Human Milk Fortifier, and metabolic formulas for inherited disorders.

About the Recall

• The company is implementing a plan to address this matter in the affected manufacturing facility, which is expected to be completed shortly. No other facilities or products are involved in this recall.
• Abbott has consulted with the U.S. FDA regarding this recall.

Information for Parents and Caregivers

• Products with affected lot numbers should be returned to Abbott at no cost to the consumer.
• Parents and caregivers can go to www.similac.com/recall/lookup or call Abbott's consumer hotline, (800) 986-8850, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
• Both the website and the consumer hotline have specific details on how to complete the return process.

** Information directly from www.abbot.com

Flu Vaccine Update!

We now have VFC flu vaccine available (for Medicaid/CHIP and self pay patients)!  This includes both the flu shot and the FluMist (for ages 2 and up).  We are not doing walk in flu vaccines this season.  All patients must have an appointment.  We are scheduling these on Monday afternoons, Wednesday morning and afternoons, and Thursday afternoons.  Call as soon as possible to schedule your appointments, as they are filling up quickly!  Afternoon appointments are currently booked out about 2 weeks!

**Remember to contact your insurance company to find out your flu vaccine coverage.  Most insurance companies do require a copay, while some cover 100%.  If you are not sure of your coverage, we will ask you to pay your regular copay at the time of service.