Practice News

Hello to our Sapphire Families! 

You are invited to our FLUorescent party. Sapphire is glowing to announce that we have received our seasonal flu vaccines! Please read the following updates closely.
 

Sapphire is strongly urging families to get your child's flu vaccine at your next visit to Sapphire, suggested before Thanksgiving. We can vaccinate siblings at upcoming appointments. Please let our office know so we can plan accordingly. You can send a MyChart message to let us know or let us know at check-in.
 

Due to limited resources and staffing we are not able to vaccinate caregivers for Flu. Thank you for your understanding.
 

For those that do not have an upcoming appointment (before Thanksgiving) please use the scheduling link below to schedule your child's flu shot. 

This link is not to be utilized for any other appointment type than your child's flu shot.

Please be sure to schedule appointments for each kiddo when using the self-scheduling link; each child needs an appointment. We have slots that can hold up to 4 siblings. 

Flu clinics during the day on Thursday, 09/21 and Tuesday, 10/17 will be held in the basement. 

Tuesday, 10/17-night clinic will be held upstairs in the main office. All other clinics will be held upstairs in the main office. 

To schedule your child for a FLU vaccine please click on the link below:

https://MyChart.childrenscolorado.org/MyChart/openscheduling/standalone?id=903339&dept=9026101&vt=212221

Time to be FLUorescent and get those flu shots!

In good health,

Your Sapphire Family

Hello to our Sapphire Families!

We hope everyone had a wonderful summer and that school is off to a good start. We have been getting lots of great questions about the upcoming vaccine season so wanted to update you as we can.

Flu vaccines will arrive very soon. We will be holding clinics after hours and occasionally during business hours. Please keep an eye on your MyChart messages for the scheduling links and check our Practice News section on our website for the most up-to-date guidance and information. If your child already has an appointment in the office in the next couple of months, we would prefer to give the flu shot then and request not to schedule unnecessary separate appointments. We recommend bringing siblings to these already scheduled visits to Sapphire to get their flu shot. Unfortunately, we will not be able to vaccinate parents this year.

Stay tuned for that self-scheduling Flu vaccine link to your MyChart messages and our website.

We have also been getting questions about Covid boosters. At this time, there is not an official recommendation for Covid boosters for previously fully vaccinated children. This may change in the next couple of months, and we will keep you posted if/when that happens. We expect that a new “strain” of vaccine may be released in the next couple of months.

If you child has not been vaccinated for Covid, they could still be eligible for the original series. These vaccines have been provided by the state until now, and we currently don’t have information on purchasing and payment options for the privatized vaccines. Because of this, we do not have them in the office currently.

We are impatiently waiting on more information on how to effectively distribute these and will inform you of the options as soon as we know. If you child is due for a dose in the series, please continue the series until completion. Please utilize this site: https://www.vaccines.gov/search/

You may have heard about an RSV “vaccine” for infants. We are actively pursuing information on stocking and payment options for this as well. This was tentatively approved by the CDC and ACIP, but we are awaiting further instructions on eligibility and billing options.

As always, Sapphire is committed to offering every vaccine that is available to keep your kids healthy. Please bear with us in this quickly-changing environment and know that we are working hard to serve your needs as quickly and efficiently as possible.

In good health,

Your Sapphire Family

May 22nd, 2023 

Sapphire Pediatrics is pleased to announce a symptom checker and guidance library  for our families.  We are sharing this tool so that you can access our advice in real-time, without having to wait for a call back. This is not meant to discourage your call, but more to provide resources at your fingertips that may answer the majority of your questions.  These resources have the identical guidance we would share with you via phone.  These self-service resources are free for our families. 

The medical library portion has guidance on medications, illness homecare for all ages, and advice for deciding when your child might need to be seen. In addition, general topics related to behavior, parenting, teens, and safety are available. 

The symptom checker and guidance library can be found at SapphirePediatrics.com under the homepage heading "Medical Advice". This is the same checker that was a pop-up as you viewed our website.
AND 

Via your MyChart account on the App or your computer. Select MyChart Patient Portal from menu above.

We want to ensure you can access these resources for the more common questions to keep our staff available for more complex medical concerns. Please take a moment to review our symptom checker and illness guidance on our website and ensure you have MyChart portal access for all non-urgent medical needs and questions. 

We would also like to alert you to some triage changes. These are to ensure timely and HIPPA-compliant access for all our patients. 

During office hours: (Monday-Friday 9:00-1:00p, 2:00p-5:00p)

• We are no longer able to accept patient photos for clinical review via text.  (Insurance cards are still ok).
• Any patient photos you wish to send must be sent via your MyChart account.   
• All photos reviewed are subject to a visit charge.   
• Telephone calls and MyChart messages received after 4 pm will be attended to on the next business day. This is to properly serve the patients in-office at this time of day. If you feel you have an urgent need that cannot wait, please call before 4 pm to ensure proper care.   

Outside of office hours: 

• Emergency calls for the doctor only, as non-emergent calls will be advised to call back during office hours. We have our Providers on call to serve needs of emergent calls only. 
• Please always use the symptom checkers before calling.
• Refills, forms, or appointment requests cannot be handled after hours by the Provider on call. 
• If the office will re-open in the next 2 hours, please consider calling later. 
• MyChart messages may be sent 24/7 and will be handled during office hours. 

We hope you feel empowered with these resources!  We are always here for you when you need us. 

Let's have a great summer together! 

In good health, 

Sapphire Pediatrics

720-941-1778

Welcoming Springtime  (3/8/2023)

Spring is in the air and we'd like to introduce some new family of our own!

Sapphire is pleased to welcome Dr. Nicole Stutzman to our stellar physician team.  Dr. Stutzman is a board certified fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics. She earned her MD degree at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and completed her pediatric residency at St. Christopher's Hospital for Children in Philadelphia. She has been practicing pediatrics since 2018. She enjoys caring for patients of all ages. Dr. Stutzman loves reading and travelling with her husband, baby boy, and their dog Mac. 

Dr. Emily Swant’s last day at Sapphire was Friday, January 20th, 2023, and she has transitioned to a practice in Castle Rock, CO.  Dr. Stutzman will take over Dr. Swant’s existing appointments.

Our own licensed professional counselor, Courtney Alberts, wrote the attached article. We are proud Courtney is on our Provider Team! 

09/11/2020

See our providers in the community.