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If you’ve been putting off care for your child, know that Renown Health is prepared with updated processes and procedures to ensure safety for you and your little ones.   Doctor Max Coppes, MD, PhD, MBA, Physician-in-Chief of Renown Children’s Hospital, is concerned there could be an outbreak of serious illnesses if parents continue to delay getting their children immunized. Dr. Coppes and team understand your anxieties when it comes to visiting your pediatrician, and would like you to know; not only are well visits important to assess your child’s overall health, crucial vaccinations are administered to guard your little ones against disease. Immunizations Immunizations protect children from communicable diseases. Other benefits include: Children that are unable to have vaccines due to age or illness are protected through herd immunity Vaccinations are at given at specific intervals, and missing an appointment may put your child behind schedule Elderly populations are protected where immunity may be decreased Dr. Coppes states, “What we have noticed nationwide, and also in Washoe County, is that the number of kids immunized has gone down by about two-thirds. If that goes on, we’re just waiting for chickenpox, measles, any of those childhood diseases that were eradicated to come up again.” 4 Easy Ways to Schedule an Appointment: Call Us: 775-982-KIDS (5437) Request Appointment Online MyChart Virtual Visits In-Person Wellness Visits/Checkups Maintaining your child’s health is important! Contact your pediatrician to schedule an in-office visit. When you call to make an appointment, you’ll talk to a specialist at our Customer Care Center who will screen you to make sure you and your child have not been exposed to someone with COVID-19, and ensure symptoms of a respiratory illness are not present. Virtual Visits When appropriate, many pediatric appointments are available through virtual visits. Please call 775-982-KIDS (5437) to request a visit with your child’s established provider. All virtual visits require a MyChart account. Don’t have a MyChart account? You can easily sign up online. If you need assistance with your MyChart account, please call 775-982-6686. Virtual visits are able to connect to an ASL interpreter (sign language interpreter), and 37 languages including Spanish.

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As the back-to-school season approaches, ensuring your child is ready for a successful academic year goes beyond school supplies and new clothes. It's also the perfect time to prioritize their health by ensuring they're up-to-date on essential vaccinations, including the HPV vaccine. We talked to Renown Pediatrician Vanessa Slots, M.D., to learn more about HPV and the importance of getting your child fully vaccinated.   What is HPV? Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a common sexually transmitted disease. It can lead to the risk of several cancer diagnoses, with about 13 million Americans, including teens, becoming infected each year. Fortunately, a vaccine can prevent more than 90% of HPV cancers when given at the recommended ages. Talking about sexually transmitted infections can be uncomfortable, but learning how HPV is spread is important for prevention. Here's what you need to know about HPV: Transmission: HPV is spread via skin-to-skin contact. Types of HPV: Low/Medium-risk HPVs: Can cause warts and cervical dysplasia (abnormal cells on the cervix). High-risk HPVs: Can cause various cancers. HPV-related Cancers: Cervical cancer Anal cancer Vaginal cancer Vulvar cancer Penile cancer Oropharyngeal (mouth and throat) cancer Statistics: Men are four times more likely than women to suffer from HPV-associated oropharyngeal cancer. HPV is so common that nearly all sexually active people will be exposed at some point in their lifetime. Around half of HPV infections are of the high-risk variety.

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