Essential Pediatric Patient Visits

Well child visits are one of the most important services that we provide. As parents, we want to protect our children from everything. One way to protect your child from illness is through preventive care. We advocate for well child visits and immunizations starting from infancy throughout adolescence.

A well child visit allows our providers to collaborate with the patient and family to develop mental, physical, and social health.

During the well child visit, your provider may discuss any of the following areas:

Growth and development

Immunizations

Nutrition

Behavior

Hearing and vision

Adolescence

Medication education

Specialty referrals

Reading with your child

Any concerns that you have

Different insurances pay for well child visits on slightly different schedules. Feel free to call our office and we will help you figure out when your child needs to come in. In general, we recommend well visits at the following ages:

2 weeks

2 months

4 months

6 months

9 months

12 months

15 months and/or 18 months

2 years

Once a year at all ages over 2 years.

Please note that Medicaid requires your child to have a check up every calendar year over age 2.

When your kids get sick, we are here for you! We understand children can become ill quickly and unexpectedly, which is why we offer same-day sick appointments. Please give us a call as early in the day as possible to schedule a same day visit. Our Adolescent Clinic is also a walk-in clinic for ages 9 and up.

If your child’s illness or injury is life-threatening, call 911.

After-Hours Calls: As pediatricians and parents, we know that having 24/7 access to health care advice is very important. If you have an urgent concern during after-hours, always call our team of providers at (256) 381-9350.

We are also open on Saturdays from 8-11 am and Sundays from 1-4pm to take care of your sick children. You do not need an appointment and can walk in during these hours.

Years of experience and education has led us to believe all children and young adults should receive all of the recommended vaccines according to the schedule published by the Centers for Disease Control and the American Academy of Pediatrics. These vaccines and their schedule are the results of many years of scientific study.  This means the vaccines given together and the age at which they are given are researched and determined to be the safest and most effective in this order and combination. 

Vaccines are a victim of their own success. Because they have been so effective, many parents now have not seen the illnesses that we vaccinate against. That, coupled with inaccurate information on the internet, has made vaccines seem unimportant or even dangerous to some people. This is not scientifically accurate. Dr. Melvin has seen many of these illnesses due to his long tenure as a physician and he is very adamant about the importance of vaccines. All providers will be happy to discuss vaccines with you.

We do not allow unvaccinated patients to remain patients of TVP. We require all vaccines that the schools require. In addition to the above information, we cannot put our tiny babies and medically fragile children at risk in our office with contact with unvaccinated children. Again because of the above information, we do not think altered vaccine schedules are appropriate. We only follow the researched CDC schedule.

We strive to provide the safest quality care to our patients at all times. Some medications require occasional adjustments and your child’s provider works closely with you to determine when these are necessary.

To better serve our families, we refill prescriptions during office hours only. This allows us to have access to your child’s chart, ensuring proper medical care and follow-up.

We require one to two business days to process all refill requests. Thank you for your cooperation.

We have provided a list of office forms for your convenience and to help speed up your visit. 

Please download and print the forms that pertain to your visit and turn them in when you check in at your appointment time.