Franklin Health Pediatrics

We are located on the 1st floor of the Franklin Health Medical Arts Center, which is on the Franklin Memorial Hospital campus.

Monday - Friday: 7:30 a.m.-4:45 p.m.
Walk-in Clinic Hours: 7:45-8:45 a.m.
24-hour call coverage and hospital care

• We are accepting new patients.
• Same day appointments are often available.
• We offer 24-hour call coverage when the office is closed. Simply call the medical practice and listen to the instructions on how to reach the on-call provider. If you do not need immediate help, you can leave a message on our answering machine and we will return your call during office hours.
• If you have any questions, please feel free to give our office a call at 207-778-0482 and someone will be happy to help you.

Your Child's First Visit

If you have been referred by your Primary Care Provider for a consultation, you will need to obtain a referral if your insurance carrier requires one. If you have transferred from another doctor, you will need to sign a release form so we can obtain your child's records. Please arrive 15 minutes early for your first appointment, in case there is any paperwork you need to complete.

Prescription Refills

If you are not scheduled to see your doctor and notice that your medication is running low, please call seven days in advance of your medicine being completely gone. Those days give your physician time to review your record, call you back with any questions, approve the refill, and contact the pharmacy per their policy. Please plan ahead.

Appointment Policy

Parents and/or legal guardians are required to be present for all health maintenance/behavioral visits. When calling for an appointment, please help us schedule an adequate amount of time by describing the reason for your visit. For your first visit, we would ask you to arrive 15 minutes before your scheduled appointment to complete any necessary forms. If you are unable to make your appointment, 24-hour advance notice is appreciated whenever possible. This allows us to open up that time for another patient needing care.

Emergencies

In an extreme emergency, such as loss of consciousness, chest pain, severe breathing problems, or major bleeding, call your emergency service number (usually 911) first. Do not delay emergency care by calling our office or the hospital. Afterward, if necessary, call your physician for further advice and coordination of your emergency care.

Franklin Memorial Hospital, Franklin Health Pediatrics, Farmington Family Practice and Livermore Falls Family Practice all participate in the Raising Readers program, the statewide network of hospitals and medical practices that gives books to Maine children.

Giving a book to each child at birth and at all well-child visits from two months to five years presents providers with the opportunity to stress to parents the importance of reading aloud to their child, and to give suggestions about how to use the books. Research shows that reading to children daily helps their brains grow and develop, and promotes literacy skills and educational attainment.

Pediatrician Dr. Gabriel Civiello serves as a clinical advisor for this program funded by the Libra Foundation, led and administered by MaineHealth in collaboration with Eastern Maine Health System, and with support from the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital at Maine Medical Center.

Let’s Go! is a nationally recognized childhood obesity prevention program based in Maine, that encourages increasing servings of fruits and veggies each day; decreasing hours of recreational screen time; increasing physical activity; and avoiding sugary drinks. As a Let’s Go! Health Care Site of Distinction, Franklin Health Pediatrics has Let’s Go! posters with the 5-2-1-0 message for daily behavior change in patient waiting rooms and all exam rooms; providers determine patients’ body mass indexes, percentiles and weight classifications; and providers use the 5-2-1-0 Healthy Habits Questionnaire at well-child visits as a tool to have a respectful conversation around healthy eating and active living.

Having clinical social workers alongside health care providers is a new model being used at Franklin Health primary care medical practices. Social workers perform behavioral health services on the spot, as well as by primary doctor referral, providing assessment and diagnosis, and brief counseling for patients of all ages. Your doctor or nurse may ask you to take a moment to meet our practice’s social worker, Christina Christie, LCSW.

Social Worker Services

Provide assessment, diagnosis, education, and therapeutic interventions to help identify strengths, access supports, and increase coping skills to better meet patients' needs.

Connections to Resources

Connect you to needed resources including crisis services, case management, long-term therapy, medication management, support groups, substance abuse services, and children’s services.

Conditions Treated

Social workers assess and treat a wide range of emotional and behavioral health concerns such as:

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Mood disorders
• Relationship issues
• Trauma experiences
• Grief and loss
• Attention issues
• Disruptive behaviors
• Child developmental issues
• School-based performance concerns
• Identity issues
• Substance abuse
• Chronic illness
• Phase of life issues

We offer outpatient pediatric subspecialty care in telehealth, endocrinology, and cardiology to care for children’s special health care needs.

For established patients who need psychiatric services we offer telepsychiatry every week. Every three months we host pediatric services for endocrinology and cardiology. We host these services in our practice to decrease out-of-town travel and to help accommodate busy families.

Access to a patient portal called MyChart is given to all Franklin Health patients. MyChart, a free secure website that lets you see your health information online. It will allow you to:

• Request and manage your appointments
• Review your health summary
• View your lab or test results
• Communicate securely with your care team
• Request prescription refills
• Make an online payment

 At your next scheduled appointment you will receive an activation code and instructions for enrolling in MyChart/

 The MyChart customer support team can be reached 24 hours a day at 855-255-2300 (toll-free).

Your Baby’s Growing Teeth

Most kids start to get their baby teeth when they are between 6-10 months old. By the time they are 2 years old they should have all 20 baby teeth.

Kids should have their first visit with a dentist by their first birthday. It helps to start a relationship with a dentist early so that it is part of your child’s normal routine.

Tips to Prevent Tooth Decay:

• Before your infant gets their first tooth, try to clean their gums once a day with a soft, clean, damp cloth. This gets your baby comfortable with the feeling.
• Don’t share spoons and cups with your baby.
• Don’t clean your baby’s pacifier with your mouth.
• If you put your baby to bed with a bottle, fill it with water only. Milk, formula, juices, soda and breast milk all have sugar in them that can puddle around a sleeping baby’s teeth, causing tooth decay.

Protect your child's teeth with these 3 easy steps:

• Brush two times a day with fluoride toothpaste. Use a thin smear of toothpaste for children under three years of age and a pea-size amount for kids over three years old.
• Serve your child a healthy diet, and keep them away from sugary drinks and snacks.
• Ask about fluoride varnish the next time you visit your child's doctor or dentist. Fluoride varnish can prevent or even reverse tooth decay.

What is Fluoride varnish?

Fluoride varnish is extra protection for your child's teeth. The application of fluoride just takes a few minutes for your child's doctor or dentist to apply. It is put on your child’s teeth with a soft brush. The varnish dries quickly and kids like the fruity taste. After the fluoride varnish is put on, follow your health care provider's instructions.

Kids who get at least four treatments of fluoride varnish before their fourth birthday are less likely to have cavities. Kids who get fluoride varnish at earlier ages benefit even more.