Dr. Barra Pediatrics

Happy Halloween from Jessie and (sleep deprived) Dr. Bar(ra)bie. Not pictured: Dr. Ghafurian, who went as a busy pediatrician.

We loved seeing all the kids dressed up in the office today. Please share pictures, if you are comfortable doing so.

Just a few reminders as we head into a very busy cold and flu season!

*If your child is booked for a well check but is sick with new or worsening symptoms (fever, cough, vomiting) please let us know ahead of time. We are doing our best to keep well and sick children separated. If we know ahead of time that your child is sick we can be sure we place them in a room designated for sick visits, possibly move the time of the appointment to avoid other families being exposed, be sure we have enough time for the visit, and be sure the doctor is properly protected. This doesn’t apply if your child has had the perpetual runny nose from the 1st day of school. If you are unsure, please reach out before the appointment so we can better advise you. We need to take proper precautions depending on symptoms and if your child is under or unvaccinated. Just last week alone we had patients with concerns for both mumps and pertussis but because we knew ahead of time we were able to ensure the patients were seen at the end of the day to limit exposures.
*Please remember that if your child is scheduled for a vaccine only visit we likely do not have time to address other concerns. If you think your child will need extra time, please let us know.
*Please be on time (or try to come a few minutes early). We know the parking lot can be busy and as it gets colder it takes longer to get kids dressed and undressed. We never double book appointments and we try to keep patients out of the waiting room. Being on time helps the doctors be on time.
*This is the last week we are doing our food drive. Thanks for all who have donated. If you have an appointment this week and have non-perishable food or toiletries that your child has suddenly decided to hate, please bring them in.
*We have been very busy with nearly 200 patients in the office last week. Please give Ashley time to respond to your voicemail or email before calling and emailing again. If you ask a medical question, she has to review it with a doctor before responding. Doctors are busy with patients throughout the day and respond when they can, generally within 24 hours.

THANK YOU! 😃

We have a disappointing update to share. Unfortunately, there is a shortage of the RSV vaccine and we will not be getting our order as anticipated. We are hopeful that when more stock becomes available we can provide it to those who are interested. We will keep you updated when we have more information.

You can now book flu and COVID-19 vaccines at public health (https://wdgpublichealth.ca/clinics-classes/flu-covid-clinics). We have tried our best to book as many children as possible for flu vaccines but have now paused any further booking as we do not have any spots left. It is a difficult balance to try to vaccinate as many patients as possible while also leaving appointments available for well and sick visits. If you have an upcoming appointment already scheduled and we have the flu vaccine available, we will offer to give it to your child. The priority will be for children less than 2 years old. Please contact public health if you were not able to get an appointment with our office but are looking to get your child vaccinated. We do not do the COVID-19 vaccine in the office.

We are hoping to have the RSV shot (Beyfortus) in the next two to three weeks. We will have limited quantities to start. If you have already contacted our office regarding the vaccine, we will be in touch when we receive the vaccine. If you are interested in your child getting the vaccine AND they were born in 2024, please email the office. We will respond to you when we have Beyfortus in stock. At this time, Public Health is only supplying us with the dose for babies who weigh more than 5 kg. If your baby is offered Beyfortus by the hospital after they are born, we strongly recommend receiving it.

Wishing everyone a fun and relaxing Thanksgiving. We are thankful for all of our amazing patients. The office will reopen on Tuesday at 9 am. Emails and voicemails will not be monitored while the office is closed.

We unfortunately do not have any appointments available today. Please consider using a walk in clinic today if you have a health concern.

😷 We have a lot of patients coming in the office in the next few weeks for flu vaccines, many of whom are too young to wear masks. If you are scheduled for a flu vaccine or well child check and your child is sick with fever, new or worsening cough or vomiting, please let us know. We are trying to separate the sick and well patient visits as best as we can. If your child has a flu vaccine scheduled and is sick, we will do our best to reschedule to another day. If you have a well child check up and your child is sick, please let us know in the event that we have to reschedule it.

We strongly encourage you to wear a mask. If you or your child are sick and are coughing we will ask you to wear a mask. There have been many sick children in this week and we want to do our best to not spread illness to other patients or staff.

If your child is in for a sick visit we ask that you do not stay after the appointment to play in the waiting room. 😷

WDG Public Health is seeking valuable insights from parents of children 0 to 6 years of age to better understand the community need for health promotion strategies on children’s health and development. All parents and caregivers who participate in the survey can enter a draw to win one of five $100 gift cards. The Parenting Insight Survey is available at wdgpublichealth.ca/parent-survey. The survey runs until January 31, 2025.
Survey Details:
Participants must be a parent* of a child 0 to 6 years of age and live in Wellington County, Dufferin County or the City of Guelph.
Takes 10 minutes to complete.
All responses are anonymous.
Participants have a chance to WIN one of five $100 gift cards.
*A parent can be a biological parent, an adoptive parent, a legal guardian, a step-parent, or a grandparent AND lives with the child at least 50% of the time.

We have a small number of Good Start coupons good for a purchase up to $30 that expire at the end of November. If your baby uses this formula, please let us know when you are in the office (or send an email) and we will give you one.

We have an extremely busy week coming up, with over 150 patients scheduled for well visits and flu vaccines. We have limited spots for sick visits.

Given the high volume of patients in the office next week and numerous illnesses circulating, we recommend you wear a mask. We have both adult and children sized masks available at the front desk.

Please consider bringing a non-perishable food item for our food drive when you are in the office. 🙂

Here are some other tips/requests to make the visit as easy as possible for your family:

💉 Arrive on time. If you can be a few minutes early, that would be even better. We expect the parking lot to be busier than normal due to the volume of patients we have scheduled so please plan accordingly.
💉 Make sure your child is wearing a vaccine-friendly outfit. Please have their jackets off upon entering the exam room. Children over 12 months generally receive the vaccine in the upper arm. Younger children/those not yet walking will receive it in the thigh. Please have older children dressed in a short sleeved shirt. It does not matter which arm or leg the vaccine is given in.
💉 Feel free to bring distractions or treats. We will have stickers, nut-free candy, freezies, small prizes/toys, and lollipops available (for the older children if parents are agreeable)
💉 Be prepared to hold your child on your lap. We can play a quick cartoon video as a distraction, if needed. The doctors can also use a tool called a Shot Blocker to help minimize the discomfort of the needle.
💉 If you cannot attend your appointment, please cancel so the spot can be offered to another patient. We will be enforcing our no show policy as we recently have had a rise in no shows and last minute cancellations. There are a lot of sick children who need to be seen and we want to be sure the appointment spots are filled and that is difficult to do if we do not have advanced notice that a patient will not be coming.

These appointments are booked back to back in a short time slot so that we can get in as many children as possible. Other concerns CANNOT be addressed during a vaccine only visit.

The office is closed today. We will reopen on Monday at 9 am. Voicemails and emails will not be monitored until we return to the office. Have a great weekend!

We are expecting the RSV “shot”, Beyfortus, sometime in November. Babies born in 2024 are eligible. Beyfortus is a one time injection and can be given with other injections/vaccines.

Beyfortus is a preventative antibody that gives babies protection against RSV. Antibodies are made naturally by our immune system to fight viruses. A baby’s immune system might not be strong enough by itself to make enough antibodies to fight RSV. Beyfortus can help prevent serious lung infections and the need for ER visits and hospitalizations.

With the busy cold and flu season coming up, we have already booked over 200 flu vaccine visits. To help plan for the RSV shots, please email [email protected] with the subject line RSV if you are interested in having your baby get the Beyfortus injection. We are only offering these appointments for current primary care patients born in 2024. We will not be responding to the emails/booking appointments until the end of October/early November.

📢 **Join Us for a Food Drive at Dr. Barra Pediatrics!** 🍎🥫

This October, we’re excited to support the Guelph Food Bank and help families in need! From October 1st to 31st, drop off non-perishable food items at our office. Together, we can make a difference in our community!

📍 **Location:** Dr. Barra Pediatrics
📅 **Dates:** All of October
🕒 **Drop-off Times:** During office hours

Let’s come together to spread kindness and support those who need it most. Every donation counts! 💙

There has been a confirmed case of Influenza A in a child in the area. We still have spots available for our flu clinics in October. Please reach out if you’d like an appointment if you haven’t already. We are working through all of the emails that have been sent and if you haven’t heard back you will by next week.

As a reminder, all children 6 months and older are eligible.

Do you have questions about setting meaningful goals to increase your non-speaking child’s participation in school?

If your child is non-speaking, this panel will talk about how to use the IEP (Individual Education Plan) to increase your child's participation at school.

This discussion between a Speech and Language Pathologist, Special Education Resource Teacher (SERT) and parent of an autistic student will provide valuable insights and practical strategies to help parents ensure that every student has the support they need to succeed.

Register now: https://bit.ly/3M6LxQh

We are expecting flu vaccines to arrive the second week of October.

We will be holding a number of flu vaccine clinic days during the month of October. We can also do them for any child 6 months or older at their scheduled well child check.

For the vaccine clinics, we will initially prioritize children 5 and under. If you are interested in getting a flu vaccine for your child please email the office at [email protected] with the subject line FLU VACCINE. We will be reaching out over the coming weeks to schedule everyone so please be patient.

There will be some morning and afternoon times available. You can let us know if you have a preference for morning or afternoon but unfortunately we cannot guarantee that we will be able to accommodate as we anticipate we will have a few hundred appointments to schedule. Flu vaccines can also be received through public health and pharmacies if our office availability does not work for you.

We recommend the flu vaccine for all children over 6 months. If it is the first time your child is getting the vaccine and they are less than 9 years old it is recommended they get two flu vaccines a minimum of one month apart. The flu vaccine can be given along with other vaccines. It is safe to give the flu vaccine if your child has an egg allergy. Your child can receive the vaccine if they have mild cold symptoms.

We do not have information about the RSV vaccine at this time but will share news of booking RSV vaccines when we have more information

We are hoping everyone had an amazing first day at school and that minimal tears were shed (looking at you, kindie parents).

We are so excited to hear how everyone’s day went and would love to see pictures if you are comfortable sharing or next time you are in the office.

Wishing Dr. Ghafurian a very happy birthday today! 🎉🥳

The new school year is just days away. If you need any forms completed by the doctor prior to Wednesday please send them ASAP and we will do our best. The office is closed tomorrow. There will not be a receptionist in the office this week. We wish Sara the best as she returns to nursing school. Ashley will be returning after this week. Please be patient as we anticipate a busy week as everyone transitions back to school.

The office will be closed on Monday. We will reopen on Tuesday, September 3 at 9 am. Emails and voicemails are not monitored when the office is closed.

Starting next week our hours will be Monday through Thursday 9-4 and Friday 9-12. Dr. Ghafurian is not in the office on Fridays.

Hope everyone enjoys the long weekend!

We are having intermittent phone issues where some calls are coming through and others are going straight to voicemail. If you are having trouble getting through, please leave a message and we will call you back or you can send an email. We are working on getting it fixed.

A beautiful picture of Amelia and Dr. Barra, 4 year old Jade’s awesome art work, and a sweet message from a patient

The office reopens tomorrow at 8:30.

Unfortunately Dr. Barra was sick before vacation and now Dr. Ghafurian is sick. If you have an appointment scheduled with Dr. Ghafurian tomorrow please check your email.

We have a full schedule with a lot of newborns and young babies on the this week and there are so many illnesses going around. If your child is scheduled for a well visit but your family is sick please let us know. We are trying to keep the sick and well visits separate as to not expose all the babies.

We STRONGLY encourage you to wear a mask in the office.

As a reminder, no shows are subject to a rebooking fee. Please cancel if you cannot make it.

Great news! An RSV immunization will be available to babies born in 2024 this fall.

While everyone is at risk of getting RSV, children, the elderly, and immunocompromised are at the highest risk of serious disease.

Many children at risk of RSV will be able to receive a publicly funded dose of Nirsevimab (Beyfortus).
This includes:
• All children entering their first RSV season (i.e. any child born since January 2024)
• Children up to 24 months of age at high risk due to any of the following:
o Chronic lung disease of prematurity, including bronchopulmonary
dysplasia/chronic lung disease
o Hemodynamically significant congenital heart disease
o Severe immunodeficiency
o Down Syndrome / Trisomy 21
o Cystic fibrosis with respiratory involvement and/or growth delay
o Neuromuscular disease
o Severe congenital airway anomalies impairing clearing of respiratory secretions

RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) is a very common illness seen in the fall and winter months. It can cause serious respiratory symptoms, especially in young babies, leading to hospitalization. There is no treatment for it aside from supportive care. It is easily passed between people through contact and droplets.

We will provide more information when we have it available. We will likely start booking appointments for this vaccine in the fall.

We anticipate a very busy fall with many children starting their first year of school, flu vaccines, lots of babies expected and now the RSV vaccine. Please keep a look out for more announcements regarding the flu and vaccine clinics. We will be prioritizing the youngest children as they cannot generally get the flu vaccine as easily at a pharmacy. Please do not email the office to request an appointment. We will let you know when we have the vaccine in stock but do not anticipate having it until the fall.