Health & Wellness Links and Resources
Portland Emergency and Urgent Cares
Need after hours care? Unless it’s an obvious emergency, consider checking with us and/or reviewing our medical advice library first as many things are perfectly fine waiting until morning. If you know you need emergency or urgent medical attention, however, here are some good resources. Make sure to check with your insurance to see what's in network with your plan:
Randall Children's ER at Legacy Emanuel > The after hours option with the most pediatric expertise, staffed by physicians all trained in pediatrics. Highly experienced in care from anything as little as an ear infection all the way up to major pediatric emergencies.
Brave Care Pediatric Urgent Care > Two locations, mostly staffed by physician’s assistants and nurse practitioners. A decent option for things that are very simple.
Providence St. Vincent Children's ER > Good pediatric emergency care if you're on the west side or require using the Providence Network.
Doernbecher Children's ER at OHSU > Pediatric ER up at OHSU, another good option if you’re nearby or if it’s preferred by your network.
Most other facilities have less pediatric experience, such as Providence Portland, Zoom Care, Legacy Go Health, etc., but they do see children for urgent needs and can be nicely convenient for things that aren’t too complicated.
Lab Service Locations
Note: you must have a physician's order form to have labs drawn. Lab orders typically expire within 90 days. If you are going in for a lab draw, check your plan's benefits to see which is in network for you. Here are a few common locations:
OHSU Doernbecher > they have a dedicated pediatric lab which is great for kids. If your child’s never been to OHSU before you must call 503-494-8505 to register them first.
Legacy Emanuel > this is most conveniently located for NE families and they have a lot of pediatric experience.
Providence > usually the preferred lab for those with Providence insurance, and occasionally other plans.
LabCorp > this may be the in-network lab for a few plans.
Dentists for Children
Sprout Pediatric Dentistry > On SE Morrison, they have both a dentist and orthodontist.
Portland Children’s Dentistry > They have a NW PDX and a Woodstock location
General Advice & Useful Sites
Healthy Children > American Academy of Pediatrics advice site, with tons of topics ranging from normal child development (Ages and Stages) to problem-focused issues and symptom-checker.
KidsHealth.org > A good, comprehensive list of pediatric health topics and advice. It has info for parents, but also for kids and teens. Search for a condition (like ear infection) for some useful information about pediatric conditions.
Pediatric Advisor Index > More advice on common pediatric issues.
BabyCentre – pregnancy, baby, and toddler information > – A cool British site that has some helpful info.
Evaluating Health Information on the Web > Can you trust information you find online? Of course, usually not. This page has some resources on how to know when to trust and when to be skeptical.
Food, Feeding and Breastfeeding Sites
Breastfeeding resources:
La Leche League > Number one resource for lactation.
Breastfeeding, Inc. > Dr. Jack Newman's site
Can I breastfeed if…? > Handy answers to common questions.
Medication use during breastfeeding > Good resource
Introducing and making your own baby foods:
Wholesome baby foods > Introducing and making your own baby foods.
How to make your own baby food > From Baby Center.
How do you get your child to develop healthy eating habits and eat healthy foods?
Ellyn Satter is a highly influential nutritionist best known for addressing this question. Some useful snippets on her website, but her books are great:
Food Chaining by Cheri Fraker et al. Great for picky eaters.
Just Take a Bite by Lori Ernsperger et al. Also great for picky eaters.
Counseling/therapy/psychology/mental health
1) child/Family therapy and general counseling:
This section is great for things like behavior concerns, anxiety, depression, etc., if you don’t need an eval. The next section also includes more therapy options, with the option for eval if needed.
Darci Walker, PsyD > Family counseling focused on parenting and raising children, great for parents navigating a wide array of behavioral and family challenges. Similar to SPACE. Downtown Pdx.
Julianna Sapienza, PhD > Child psychology, including cognitive behavioral therapy and SPACE approach.
Ruth Gibian LCSW > Family, adult/parent and adolescent counseling. SE Pdx.
Family Ties Counseling Center > General family counseling, SW Pdx
Mai Roost, PhD > Help for mamas with postpartum difficulties, adjusting to parenthood, and managing their relationship through this transition. N Pdx.
Wiseheart PDX > THE definitive resource for couples. Parenting is hard, and it can put a strain on even the best relationships. These tools have helped so many parents find each other again when the chaos of parenting was pulling them apart. Started by LaShelle Lowe-Chardé.
Pam Smith > Behavior and educational support for children with learning differences (e.g. ADHD, Autism, Down Syndrome, Anxiety).
2) Evals and comprehensive psychology/therapy:
Most of these offer everything the providers in Section 1 can do, plus additional expertise in child psychology. This often includes “psychoeducational evals” and therapy for conditions such as ADHD, dyslexia, autism, anxiety/depression, and other learning, developmental, or emotional concerns. Most offer regular counseling as well, they just have additional skills/expertise in certain areas, so they’re also fine choices if all you need is counseling.
The Children’s Program > Comprehensive mental health services for children and adolescents, with multiple excellent providers that encompass nearly all pediatric mental health needs, including evals, therapy, and treatment. Several SPACE trained providers available. SW Pdx
The Whole Child Collective > Psychoeducational evals and counseling. Services also include coaching and tutoring for children and teens, great for learning better study habits and organizational skills for children with any school/learning related difficulties. Lake Oswego
Melissa Marquardt, PhD > Comprehensive child, adolescent and family care including therapy, parenting support, and psychoeducational assessments for school-related issues.
JUST Psychological Services > Comprehensive psychoeducational evals and counseling for ages 5-18y. In addition to ADHD and learning disabilities, also includes expertise in autism and developmental disabilities, parent training and support, school advocacy, autism evals. SW Pdx.
Ana Cragnolino, Ph.D. > Psychoeducational evals and counseling. SW Pdx.
Megan Nichols, Psy.D > Psychoeducational evals, autism evals, counseling, and parent education. Ages 18 months to 10 years. Beaverton.
Christina Irvine, PsyD > Psychoeducational evals and counseling, ages 6-14y. NE Pdx.
Darren Sikora, Ph.D. > Specializes in the evaluation of suspected autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders. Evals only.
Positive Development > Individual therapy for adolescents, family therapy/parenting skills training for all ages (similar to SPACE approach), and psychological testing/evals for kids ages 4y and up.
Portland Anxiety Clinic > Multiple anxiety focused services for children as well as families and adults. In addition to regular therapy, they also have prescribing providers as well as intensive outpatient programs.
Nancy Loss > Very detailed and thorough neuropsychological evaluations for a wide range of scenarios from a child struggling in school to developmental challenges to recovering from a traumatic brain injury. Private pay only. NE Pdx.
Morrison Center > Child and family mental health services, great option for families with limited financial means. Multiple locations.
3) psychiatry (can prescribe medication):
Willamette Health and Wellness > General psychiatry, NE Pdx
Mind Matters Child and Family Psychiatry > Child and family psychiatry, Hillsboro and West Linn.
The Children’s Program > Comprehensive mental health services for children and adolescents, including evals, therapy, and treatment. SW Pdx
Portland Anxiety Clinic > Multiple anxiety focused services for children as well as families and adults. In addition to regular therapy, they also have prescribing providers as well as intensive outpatient programs.
Karan Randhava, MD > Private child psychiatrist, SE Pdx
Vaccinations
Boost Oregon > An awesome, parent-led non-profit organization for which Dr. Joel is a founding Board Member. Boost provides free community education about childhood vaccines, including information for both parents and providers.
Parent's guide to Childhood immunizations > A booklet for parents that you can read online or download. The best (and most relevant) two chapters for most families will be the following, they actually do a pretty decent job answering the most common concerns and questions that I hear from parents, so it's worth a read:
Vaccines for your children > The CDC's start page for parents seeking information about vaccination, lots of information and resources.
Vaccine Information Statements > This links to the "vaccine information statements" that provide information about the vaccines you receive in clinic. They include what the vaccine protects against, what to watch for, etc.
Current US immunization schedule > The current US schedule.
The Pink Book > Want to geek out and learn a ton of interesting history behind the diseases and vaccines that were developed to fight them? This amazing free resource online provides a fascinating historical perspective on the diseases, detailed information on the severity of the diseases, and everything you could ever want to know about its vaccine.
Voices for vaccines > Because vaccination does not result in direct/immediate benefit, you will always hear far more about reactions posted online than you will about benefits. We don't get to see what we prevent, only experience the side effects of preventing it. And yet, the benefits that go unnoticed are massive. This group of parents seeks to turn that around and maintain a positive perspective instead of one based on fear, a place for positive voices to be heard. Share your story!
Looking for more info? If there is something you would like to learn about vaccination, please ask Dr. Joel during your visits! For even more detailed information, sign up for our community vaccine talks.
Other Portland Services
The Safety Store > A hidden gem! This store at Randall Children's has all kinds of brand new safety gear for hugely discounted prices to promote safe homes for kids. You’ll find helmets, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, safety gates, window guards, etc., as well as education on how to use them.
Multnomah County Health Department > Very useful. Info on birth certificates, health clinics (travel, WIC, STD, health and vaccination clinics), and information about local health issues.
Oregon Department of Education > Great resource for any school-related issues and services.
Documents
Know your Insurance [pdf]
This handout made by Dr. Joel is a critical tool that every family should fill out to make sure they understand the ins and outs of their insurance plan. It is very useful for understanding the TRUE cost of your insurance and it will help you select your insurance plans and use services wisely. Prevent surprises when you get your medical bill!
Flying with Kids [pdf]
An advice article written by pediatricians, definitely worth a review before taking your first flight.
EWG Dirty Dozen [pdf]
A pocket guide you can print out and carry with you that lets you know the 12 fruits and vegetables with the highest pesticide concentrations, as well as the 15 with the lowest.
EWG Parent's Guide [pdf]
A great one page guide to selecting healthy products for your baby/child.
PSR Environmental Health Guide [pdf]
An easy guide to which environmental health concerns to think about at what age.
