Statement on Immunizations

Amherst 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 of 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 influenza 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 healthcare providers and that you can provide as parents/caregivers. The recommended vaccines and the vaccine schedule are the results of years of exhaustive scientific study and data gathering on millions of children by the world's most expert scientists and physicians.

We want to emphasize the importance of vaccinating your child. We recognize that the choice to vaccinate may be a very emotional one, and maybe even controversial in the minds of some parents. We will do everything we can to convince you that vaccinating according to the schedule is the right thing to do. We will also attempt to explain that there is no scientific controversy about immunizations. However, should you have doubts, please discuss these with us in advance of your visit. 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 as providers at Amherst Pediatrics. Such additional visits will require additional co-pays on your part. You will also be required to sign a Refusal to Vaccinate form.

Finally, new parents to our practice who absolutely refuse to vaccinate their children despite all of our efforts, will be asked to find another healthcare provider for their children. We do not keep a list of such providers, nor would we recommend any such physician. We take this position because we believe that we cannot serve as your child's primary care provider if this most basic service cannot be provided. Moreover, having unvaccinated individuals in our practice poses a danger to our other families and the community at large. 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 any one of us.