If you are unable to readily find formula, please consult the following resources that may be able to assist:
Manufacturer Hotlines
- Gerber’s MyGerber Baby Expert – reach a certified nutrition or lactation consultant by phone, text, Facebook Messenger, web chat, or video call, who can help you identify a similar formula that may be more readily available
- Abbott’s Consumer Hotline: call 1-800-986-8540
- Abbott’s urgent product request line – ask your OBGYN or your infant’s pediatrician to submit an urgent product request by downloading and completing the form
- Healthcare Workers: Contact Abbott to request limited quantities of formula for patients in need.
- Reckitt’s Customer Service line: call 1-800 BABY-123 (222-9123)
Community Resources:
- United Way’s 2-1-1 – dial 2–1-1 to be connected to a community resource specialist affiliated with United Way who may be able to help you identify food pantries and other charitable sources of local infant formula and baby food.
- Feeding America – call your local food bank to ask whether they have infant formula and other supplies in stock.
- Human Milk Banking Association of North America (HMBANA): certain HMBANA-accredited milk banks are distributing donated breast milk to mothers in need; please note that some may require a prescription from a medical professional. Find an HMBANA-accredited milk bank.
WIC-Eligible Families
· The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) provides nutrition counseling, health education, breastfeeding support, referrals to other services, and nutritious foods to women, infants, and young children. As soon as you know you are pregnant, and until your child turns 5 years old, WIC’s public health services can help keep your growing family healthy. F amilies that receive Medicaid, SNAP, or TANF automatically qualify and grandparents, kinship caregivers, foster parents, working families, and non-US citizens can qualify, too. WIC services are currently provided remotely and food benefits are provided electronically on an eWIC card. Chat with Wanda, NYS WIC’s 24/7 virtual assistant, and in less than 3 minutes, see if you may be eligible and get connected with your local WIC clinic. Learn more at WIC Help New York.
General Guidance
- Call your OBGYN or pediatrician to see if they have in-office samples or can suggest a similar formula that may be more readily available in stores and is nutritionally similar to your infant’s typical formula.
- You should not water down formula, try to make formula at home, or use toddler formula to feed infants. Don’t discard formula unless it is expired or is part of the recall. Check your formula’s lot code to see whether or not it was affected by the recall.
- You can find more guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics.
COVID-19 Parent Resources
- Parent resources.
- New York Statehas established a COVID-19 tracker web site that provides data regarding the virus outbreak in New York, including a breakdown of fatalities by age, ethnicity, risk factors, etc.
- The Coronavirus Could Cause a Child Abuse Epidemic – New York Times Op-Ed by Nina Agrawal, MD, FAAP
- COVID Resources for Parents and more parent resources.
- 2019 Novel Coronavirus
- Tips for Coping with a New Baby During COVID-19
- COVID-19: Information for Families of Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs
- Social Distancing: Why Keeping Your Distance Helps Keep Others Safe
- Getting Children Outside While Social Distancing for COVID-19
- Working and Learning from Home During the COVID-19 Outbreak
- Positive Parenting & COVID-19: 10 Tips to Help Keep the Calm at Home
- HealthyChildren.org eNewsletter: Protecting Your Family From Coronavirus (also in Spanish)
- Simple Ways to Entertain & Boost Your Baby’s Development at Home
- Ask the Pediatrician: Are There Shortages of Infant Formula Due to COVID-19?
- Co-parenting During COVID-19
- Breastfeeding During COVID-19 Pandemic
- Cloth Face Coverings for Children During COVID-19
- Teens & COVID-19: Challenges and Opportunities During the Outbreak
- https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/07/opinion/coronavirus-child-abuse.html
A new website by the American Academy of Pediatrics
New York City Immunization Registry
Parents, guardians, and individuals are now able to access the Citywide Immunization Registry (CIR) via a new public website, My Vaccine Record. From this site, members of the public will be able to view and print their own and/or their children’s CIR record. Access is being rolled out initially only for holders of the New York City identification card, IDNYC, which all New York City residents can apply for online at www.nyc.gov/IDNYC.
Individuals will be able to access a child’s CIR record only if his or her name is recorded in the CIR as the child’s parent, guardian, next of kin or primary contact. If the parent, guardian, next of kin or primary contact’s name does not match the information in the CIR, then you will not be able to access the record. Health care providers may add or update this information for you through their electronic health record, or by entering the “Primary Contact” information in the “Update Patient Info” tab in the CIR’s Online Registry web application (www.nyc.gov/health/cir).
Information as to how a member of the public can search for a record in the CIR can be accessed at www.nyc.gov/health/myvaccinerecord.
For questions on access to My Vaccine Record or any other vaccine-related issue, please contact (347) 396-2400 or e-mail nycimmunize@health.nyc.gov.
Some of the files below are in Portable Document Format, (.PDF). These files are viewable only with the Adobe(TM) Acrobat(TM) Reader*. If you do not have the Adobe(TM) Acrobat(TM) Reader*, you may click on the icon to download it.
Application to Teach School Children about Antibiotic Resistance
An Edinburgh microbiologist has created an app to teach school children about antibiotic resistance. Bacteria Combat is a Top Trumps-style game aimed at players aged between eight and 13. Players are given cards representing a wide range of ‘friendly’ and ‘dangerous’ bacteria.
Each card also provides a picture of the bacteria and a short description of their characteristics, helping players to learn more about the world of bacteria. Available on Google Play and the App store.
Read more
Cerebral Palsy Resources
Cerebral Palsy Guide is a national organization that helps families and individuals affected by cerebral palsy. Their web site provides educational material about CP so that parents and caregivers can be better prepared for raising a child affected by this developmental disorder. Another useful resource is Cerebral Palsy Guidance, which provides vital guidance and assistance to parents of a child with cerebral palsy. Included on this site is information on Cerebral Palsy and Bullying.
Families May Face Sharply Higher Costs If Public Health Insurance for Their Children Is Rolled Back
Read the article from Health Affairs, March 2015
Head Trauma/Concussion Information
Recent research has suggested that more restricted management may be necessary after your child has suffered a head injury. Some of the newer Guidelines:
New York State Oral Health Plan
New York State DOH has created an Oral Health Plan. This plan addresses the burden of oral disease in New York State and was developed by the New York State Department of Health in collaboration with the New York State Public Health Association and stakeholders from across the state.
The Plan has identified goals, objectives, and strategies covering a broad spectrum of issues related to policy, prevention, access, workforce, and surveillance and research. The guidance provided in this Plan will serve as a blueprint for achieving optimal oral health for all New Yorkers.
Oral diseases are a major health concern affecting almost every person in New York State. Dental caries and periodontal diseases have a huge economic and social cost and can be a portal for serious systemic problems. Most oral diseases are preventable which can then reduce pain, suffering, and health care expenses. Therefore, every effort to promote and implement preventive measures is a wise investment. Thus, its prevention and control is an important priority for society.
As the Plan moves forward, the DOH invite all stakeholders and interested partners to actively participate in promoting the oral health of all New Yorkers.
* Requests for an alternate format can be made by sending an e-mail note to oralhealth@health.state.ny.us.
OASAS Compendium Available
The NYS Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS) has published a Compendium of Resource Materials on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. This guide, which is available at no-cost, is a valuable resource for anyone interested in the prevention or treatment of FAS. The publication contains FAS facts, research articles, guidelines and tips in working with FAS-affected children, and lists web sites, support groups, and various national & state resources. To request a copy of the Compendium, call the OASAS Bureau of Communications at 518-485-1768 or email your request to info@oasas.state.ny.us.
Immunization Resources
Pediatricians can print out an up to date computerized Immunization Record from NYSIIS or CIR (for NYC) and that print out is now acceptable documentation.
General Immunization and Vaccine information
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- AAP, Immunization – www2.aap.org/immunization/families/families.html
- NYSDOH, Childhood and Adolescent Immunizations – www.health.ny.gov/prevention/immunization/childhood_and_adolescent.htm
- CDC, Vaccines and Information – Parents What You Need to Know – www.cdc.gov/vaccines/spec-grps/parents.htm
- CDC, Preteens and Teens – www.cdc.gov/vaccines/who/teens/index.html
- Every Child By Two, Vaccinate Your Baby –www.vaccinateyourbaby.org/
Vaccine Safety
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- AAP, Vaccine Safety – www2.aap.org/immunization/families/safety.html
- NYSDOH, Vaccine Safety and the Importance of Vaccines – www.health.ny.gov/prevention/immunization/vaccine_safety/
- CDC Vaccine Safety Information for Parents – www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/populations/parents.html
Seasonal Influenza
- NYSDOH, Seasonal Influenza Information for Children and Adolescents –www.health.ny.gov/diseases/communicable/influenza/seasonal/childhood_adolescent/
- CDC, Seasonal Influenza – www.cdc.gov/flu/
Talking About Vaccines with Dr. Paul Offit
The above link goes to a page from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia featuring videos by Dr. Offit. Each video in the series, currently on YouTube, is two to four minutes long and features Dr. Offit answering common vaccine-related questions. All current videos relate to different age groups, while a variety of topics are planned for future additions to the series as well.
Tips from the AAP’s Healthy Children web site
- AAP: Ten Tips on Talking to Kids about War
To help children and families cope with the worries surrounding the war and ongoing world tensions, AAP offers these tips for responding to children’s emotional needs during these difficult times. - AAP: Holiday Safety Tips
- AAP – Car Safety Seat: A Guide for Families
The list from the Medical Library Association of the 9 Most Useful Medical Web Sites:
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
- Healthfinder
- HealthWeb
- HIV InSite
- Mayo Clinic Health Oasis
- MEDLINEplus
- National Women’s Health Information Center (NWHIC)
An additional resource is Recovery Connections’ Alcohol and Drug Rehab for Women - NOAH: New York Online Access to Health
- Oncolink: A University of Pennsylvania Center Resource