Support for LAist comes from
Local and national news, NPR, things to do, food recommendations and guides to Los Angeles, Orange County and the Inland Empire
Stay Connected
Listen

Share This

News

Use Telemedicine For Your Kids - But Take Them In for Their Shots

A nurse wears a protective visor while administering vaccines at St. Johns Medical Center in Altrincham, England during the coronavirus lockdown on April 16, 2020. (Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)
()

Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.

L.A. County Health Services has switched many kids’ checkups to telemedicine, but there are some services that can’t be provided over the phone, like the vaccines that start when babies are 2 months old.

“Kids receive a series of vaccines and boosters during that period that are believed to be the most essential to preventing infectious disease outbreaks in the future,” said Dr. Shannon Thyne, the head of pediatric services for the county.

Thyne worries that delays in vaccines now could lead to an outbreak of an illness like pertussis in the future.

Support for LAist comes from

Pediatricians are wearing masks for all visits to county clinics, and they’re offered to families too. Sick patients are routed through different entrances.

“We're trying to provide an environment that allows people to feel like they can safely come to the hospital when they need to,” Thyne said.

READ OUR FULL REPORT:

Our news is free on LAist. To make sure you get our coverage: Sign up for our daily coronavirus newsletter. To support our non-profit public service journalism: Donate Now.

As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.

Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.

We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.

No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.

Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.

Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.

Chip in now to fund your local journalism
A row of graphics payment types: Visa, MasterCard, Apple Pay and PayPal, and  below a lock with Secure Payment text to the right
(
LAist
)

Trending on LAist