PEDIATRIC HEALTH ASSOCIATES

From the desk of Jihad Shoshara, MD I am pleased to report that the Sixteenth Annual Chicago Muslim Turkey Drive is a success. As of this writing, eight Chicago Public Schools in the Woodlawn and Chicago Lawn neighborhoods have successfully distributed 4,500 free Thanksgiving turkeys to families of their students and their communities. Another 500 turkeys are also currently being distributed to needy families by the Inner-city Muslim Action Network (IMAN) around their central office in Chicago Lawn. All told, we have smashed records in terms of the numbers of schools helped and numbers of turkeys provided. (Our expansion of the Drive has garnered some attention; keep your eyes and ears open in the next day or two for what we hope will be some positive stories about it.) The Drive is a simple gesture writ large; the sunny idealism of the Drive’s start has over the years been threaded with pragmatic goals meeting neighborhood needs. The results have borne fruit over three different commu...

From the desk of Katie Faragher, CPNP Facebook, InstaGram, Snapchat, and Twitter have millions of users worldwide.  Social media websites have given people an opportunity to share moments of their life through text and photographs.   As social media websites continue to grow in popularity, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) voices concern regarding the parent’s right to share and the child’s right to privacy.  Experts discussed pros and cons of social media sharing at an AAP conference held in October 2016.  Positive aspects of sharing on social media include emotional support and practical advice for parents.  Caution was advised regarding the permanency of sharing personal stories and photographs.  One concern is that a child may encounter cyberbullying from others who are able to retrieve information from past social media postings (an example given was a parent discussing struggles with potty training and a future employer or middle school bu...

We at Pediatric Health would like to extend our wishes for a very Happy Thanksgiving to all of our families!  We thank you for the privilege of serving you and we so enjoy watching the kids grow up. As each of us gather around the Thanksgiving table and share with one another something that we are grateful for, let us recall a special moment of a kindness shown, perhaps the blessing of a new family member that has come into our lives or maybe the joy that a loved one has come home. May your Thanksgiving be filled with wonderful moments with family and friends!

From the desk of Katie Faragher, CPNP A great way to start preparing your child for school is to start reading to your child as soon as they are born ! Connections are formed in a young child's brain when parents talk, sing, and read to them.  Language development, literacy, and social-emotional skills are built during this important time in child development.  Age-specific reading tips are listed below to help your young infants, toddlers, preschoolers , and school age children enjoy reading: Newborns-Babies are happiest when cuddling in their parents arms.  They love responding to the emotion heard in their parents voices and reacting to the expressions that appear on their parents ’ faces. Infants- Reading sturdy books with colorful pictures will allow infants to explore their senses and develop fine motor skills.  They will start reaching for the books and will even try to put books in their mouth! Toddlers-Toddlers are so active !  They learn by explori...

Kim Gubbins, CPNP From the desk of  Pediatric Nurse                                             Practitioner  Kim Gubbins We know that dietary and lifestyle habits are major contributors of chronic diseases including Type 2 Diabetes, heart disease, elevated blood pressure, obesity and dental cavities. We have seen childhood obesity on the rise and many studies have linked sugar intake to this increase. According to the American Heart Association (AHA), “children should consume less than 25 grams (g), or the equivalent of 6 teaspoons, of added sugar per day.” This is significantly less than what most of our children are receiving. On average kids are getting around 80 g of added sugar per day! The experts are telling us that half of this sugar intake it from drinks  (juice, sweet tea, sports drinks or soda) and half of this sugar is from food.  The AHA more sp...

We know it’s hard for kids to come into the office on special days like Halloween!    Our staff tries hard to make it fun for the kids to be here and thought you might enjoy seeing their endeavors. WEST CHICAGO OFFICE Those of us lucky enough to work at Pediatric Health do so because of our love of children.    It’s always so exciting to share in the lives of the kids….from their very first visit as a new born, to their first day of kindergarten, moving onto middle school and graduation from high school.     We enjoy each special moment in their lives!   PLAINFIELD OFFICE NAPERVILLE OFFICE ☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺ Nishat Nasrullah, D.O. Appointments are now being scheduled with our newest physician, Nishat Nasrullah, D.O.   She will be seeing patients at the Naperville, West Chicago and Plainfield offices.  Dr. Nasrullah looks forward to meeting our families and we think you will just find her to be a wonderful addition to ou...