Vaccine Policy

It’s important for our practice to maintain a consistent vaccine policy. We follow the recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the CDC. We firmly believe in the effectiveness of vaccines to prevent serious illness and to save lives, therefore we REQUIRE our patients to receive vaccines mandated by the STATE OF ILLINOIS. These include DTaP, IPV, Hib, PCV, Hep B, MMR, Varivax, MCV, TdaP.   

TIME REQUIREMENTS:

• Baby vaccines need to be started by 6 months of age and completed by 24 months of age to be in compliance with our vaccine policy.
• Kindergarten vaccines must be received by age 6 as required for entering kindergarten.
• 6th grade required vaccines must be completed by age 12.

If you choose an alternative schedule, this "schedule" must be written, signed and agreed upon with the doctor in a contract. Each "shot only" visit will incur an administrative fee of $25.00 per visit that is due at the time of your appointment. If you repeatedly cancel or reschedule your vaccine appointment, we reserve the right to discharge you from the practice.

If our approach doesn’t align with your beliefs, we recommend seeking a healthcare provider who better matches your preferences.

Our routine vaccine schedule does include other vaccines that we recommend, but are not state mandated such as: Rotavirus, HepA, HPV, Men B, Flu, and COVID. 

~We firmly believe, based on all available literature, evidence, and current studies, that vaccines do not cause autism or other developmental disabilities

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~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 firmly believe that vaccinating children and young adults may be the single most important health promoting intervention we perform as health care providers, and that you can support as parents/caregivers.

The recommended vaccines and the schedule of administration are the results of years and years of scientific study and data-gathering on millions of children by thousands of our brightest scientists and physicians.
 
As medical professionals, we feel very strongly that vaccinating children on schedule with currently available vaccines is absolutely the right thing to do for all children and young adults. We are making you aware of these facts not to scare you or coerce you, but to emphasize the importance of vaccinating your child. We are more than willing to discuss any questions you may have about vaccines. We prefer to adhere to the vaccination schedule endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), however we will offer some flexibility in the schedule as long as the ultimate goal is for your child to be fully vaccinated by age 24 months.

Sincerely, 
Melanie Lachman, MD
Laura Laskonis, DO
Jessica Wyka, MD
Jessica Starck, MD
Matthew Root, MD