Archive for Jessica Cerretani
Signs of diabetes and other medical emergencies: Don’t delay care during the COVID outbreak
Merlin Ladd had been home from school for about six weeks when his parents started to notice that something was off. At first, they thought that the 13-year-old — like many of us — was simply in a funk from being stuck inside due to the COVID-19 outbreak. “He seemed lethargic and out of sorts,” ... Read More about Signs of diabetes and other medical emergencies: Don’t delay care during the COVID outbreak
COVID-19 pandemic may put kids at risk for accidental poisonings
In the effort to keep kids safe from the new coronavirus, families could be unwittingly putting them at risk for another threat: accidental poisonings. According to the U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, calls to Poison Control Centers during January through March 2020 regarding accidental disinfectant and cleaning exposures increased by 20 percent compared ... Read More about COVID-19 pandemic may put kids at risk for accidental poisonings
Burnout from COVID-19: What clinicians should know
Many clinicians are already all too familiar with the extreme exhaustion and stress associated with burnout. According to one recent report, overall rates of physician burnout for 2019 were at 42 percent. While that’s a slight drop from five years ago, these statistics don’t take the current COVID-19 pandemic into account. Although we don’t yet ... Read More about Burnout from COVID-19: What clinicians should know
Biocontainment Unit supports nurses on the frontlines of infection control
When cases of COVID-19 began to mount this winter, Boston Children’s Hospital was ready to spring into action — in fact, the hospital has been preparing for such a pandemic for six years. In collaboration with Boston Children’s Chief of Medical Critical Care, Michael Agus, MD; Hospital Epidemiologist and Medical Director of Infection Prevention and ... Read More about Biocontainment Unit supports nurses on the frontlines of infection control
It’s okay to be scared: Talking about COVID-19 with your kids
Images and stories of the global COVID-19 pandemic surround us, and it’s normal for kids to have questions. There’s no easy way to talk to children about it, but doing so can help them better understand this and other things that might scare them. Here are some tips to help you have those conversations, from ... Read More about It’s okay to be scared: Talking about COVID-19 with your kids
Send us a smile: How families can help support Boston Children’s
As the world continues to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic, many families are asking what they can do to support our hospital staff. While Boston Children’s is accepting donations, as well as sealed, unused N95 masks and other personal protective equipment, one of the simplest and most heartfelt things families can do is to send ... Read More about Send us a smile: How families can help support Boston Children’s
Parenting in the age of COVID-19: Coping with six common challenges
As families grapple with an ever-changing normal, stress and anxiety can escalate. We turned to Erica Lee, PhD, and Keneisha Sinclair-McBride, PhD, psychologists in Boston Children’s Department of Psychiatry, for answers to six common parenting challenges. Challenge #1: Struggling with schedules With everyone at home, typical schedules have fallen by the wayside, which can feel ... Read More about Parenting in the age of COVID-19: Coping with six common challenges
Asthma and COVID: Four things families need to know now
It’s an ongoing message from the media: People with underlying health conditions appear to be at higher risk for developing complications of COVID-19. So it’s no wonder that kids with asthma and their parents are worried. “Almost every family I speak with has questions about COVID-19,” says Elizabeth Klements, a pediatric nurse practitioner at Bridgewater ... Read More about Asthma and COVID: Four things families need to know now
Help your kids stay busy and happy at home during COVID-19 shutdowns
With schools closed and many parents working from home, it can be a challenge to keep kids both busy and relaxed. For tips on how to help your child deal with cabin fever, we turned to Jill Twomey-McLaughlin and her colleagues in Child Life Services at Boston Children’s Hospital. Relax body and mind Add the ... Read More about Help your kids stay busy and happy at home during COVID-19 shutdowns
Five things parents should know about vascular rings
If your child has a high-pitched cough, breathes loudly, wheezes, has difficulty eating or swallowing, or always seems to be coming down with pneumonia or respiratory infections, the problem could be more complex than you realize. Although rare, abnormal formations of the blood vessels called vascular rings can compress the trachea, esophagus, or both. While ... Read More about Five things parents should know about vascular rings