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Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, we have skilled providers who can manage the medical needs of most children. There are some medical needs that so significant that collaboration with a pediatric specialist is required. If you have questions whether or not we’d be a good fit for your child’s specific needs please feel free to email Pediatrics@fight.org.
You can make an appointment with Pediatrics by calling (215-525-8600) or by booking online at www.fight.org/pediatrics/schedule.
You can make an appointment with the YHEP Health Center by calling (215-344-1632) or by booking online at www.fight.org/yhep/schedule.
Although we are not a free clinic, we will not turn away families if they do not have the ability to pay. We do have a sliding-scale fee for appointments.
Yes, we are open on the 2nd Saturday of the month. We are also available 24/7 via telephone if you have questions about a sick child.
Absolutely! Call us at 215-525-8600. You will hear a long message. Afterwards you will be connected with a nurse who will either answer your questions or connect you with one of our on-call providers. This service is available 24 hours/day.
We want you to leave our office with all the forms you need in hand. If you call us to request forms our goal is to do that by the end of the day. There is no fee for forms.
Yes- we have skilled medical assistants who are able to do bloodwork onsite in the office, so there is no need to go to a lab. We try to order bloodwork when only necessary to minimize any discomfort for the children.
Of course! Please call (215-525-8600) or schedule online at www.pfightdev.wpengine.com/pediatrics/schedule. If you prefer you can also email us at pediatrics@fight.org
We assess the developmental abilities of all young children using a screening tool called the SWYC, as well as observing and asking parents questions. We refer patients to Early Intervention services in Philadelphia depending on their needs.
No, we do not perform pediatric X-rays or EKGs.
Yes we have a patient portal. You can schedule appointments, access lab results, request refills, view medical records, and send messages directly to your provider. You can learn more here.
We prefer that you use the patient portal which you can access here. That is the most secure and direct way to contact your medical provider electronically. However, you can also send non-urgent questions to pediatrics@fight.org or yhep@fight.org. If you have an urgent issue please call us, 24/7, at Pediatrics at (215-525-8600) or YHEP at (215-344-1632).
Yes! We have a dentist embedded within our Pediatric and YHEP Health Centers. In many cases we can schedule your medical and dental visit on the same day!
We have a provider and front desk staff members who speak Spanish. Additionally we have access to most languages through a telephone interpreter service that is available in each exam room.
Yes, we have skilled medical assistants who are trained to draw blood. With the exception of some very small babies, we can almost always do your blood work right here in the office. We try to order blood work when only necessary, to minimize any discomfort for our patients.
Yes, we assess the developmental abilities of all young children during well child visits and refer to Early Intervention, School-based services, or community-based services as appropriate.
Yes! Dr. Lisa Knoflicek is our onsite international board certified lactation consultant. Not only can she provide breastfeeding support and advice but you can continue to keep her as your child’s ongoing pediatrician. In addition, we work hard to get newborns into our clinic as quickly as possible (within 2-3 days from hospital discharge) so that we can support you through any breastfeeding difficulties or questions that you may have. We also allow new parents to continue to use our rooms to breastfeed the baby after the visit is over. We also recognize some parents just cannot or will not breastfeed, and those parents deserve our support as well. We will support you no matter how you decide to feed your baby. This is a no-guilt zone!
Newborns should be seen within 3 days of leaving the hospital, even sooner if you are breastfeeding and do not have a home visit scheduled. This is so that we can support you with any questions that you may have in those important first few days.
We are located in Center City, on the 5th floor of 1207 Chestnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19107, near the corner of 12th Street and Chestnut Street. We are easily accessible via the Broad Street Line (City Hall stop) and the Market Frankford Line (13th Street stop). Just about any bus that travels near City Hall or comes downtown will get you to our practice. Use Google maps to find out how to get to us using public transportation. If you would choose to drive here we recommend leaving plenty of time in case of traffic or parking issues.
If you plan to park we recommend using the PARKMOBILE app, which allows you to pay the meter remotely using your smartphone.
There are many parking lots in the area, but they can get quite expensive. If you plan to park in a lot you should consider using the SPOTHERO app, which allows you to find the cheapest parking lots in the area during the time of your appointment.
Our hours are:
- Monday, Wednesday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 9am – 5pm
- We are also open one weekend per month on the second Saturday.
This will vary based on the reason for the visit, but generally speaking you can expect a full set of vital signs (Heart Rate, Blood Pressure, Temperature, Breathing rate, and oxygen level). We’ll ask very focused questions and perform a physical exam to identify the reason for your child’s illness. If your child needs lab work or medications we will order them. We will of course answer all questions that you have. Know that after the visit you are able to call us 24/7 if issues get worse (215-525-8600).
You should expect your first visit to be a little longer than usual, due to paperwork needing to be completed, and the doctor or nurse practitioner will also need to get a thorough health history about your child. You can shorten the visit time by completing the registration forms ahead of time (accessible here- link) and bringing them in, emailing us at pediatrics@fight.org, or faxing them to us at 215-567-1012. At the first visit, if it is a well visit or regular physical, we will complete a full set of vital signs (including Heart Rate, Blood Pressure, Temperature, Breathing rate, and Oxygen level), as well as hearing and vision screening. We also complete developmental, behavioral and social screenings during physicals, which you can check out ahead of time, here. If your child is a teenager, the provider will talk to them separately at some point during the visit. At the end of the visit your child will receive any vaccines that are indicated that day, and you and your child agree to.
- Vanderbilt – This is a tool that is used to screen for ADHD whenever there are behavioral concerns. There is a version for parents and another version for teachers.
- SWYC – This screens for your child’s developmental abilities and behaviors, as well as the well-being of the parents.
- PSC Y and PSC- We use this tool to screen for behavior problems in children and adolescents beginning at age 6.
- SCARED- This is a tool that we use to screen for anxiety in children and adolescents.
- PHQ-9- We use this questionnaire to screen for depression in children and adolescents
The best way to get in contact with us is by calling our front desk at 215-525-8600. You can also email with non-urgent issues, pediatrics@fight.org.
Just bring your kids and your questions! …but also you should bring your ID, your insurance card (if you have one), your vaccine records, a list of all medications, and a knowledge of your family’s medical history.
After registration we’ll check your weight and height. For children, depending on age we may also check the head size, vision and hearing. Next we’ll ask you to share your questions and concerns with us so that we can focus the visit on those specific issues. We’ll perform a full physical exam and perform any necessary blood tests (like anemia and lead testing for young children, and STI screening for older teens and young adults). We also check for developmental and behavior problems (like speech delay, autism, depression, anxiety and ADHD). In addition we screen for social issues that may be causing stress for your family (like housing problems or running out of food). Lastly, we will review your vaccine records and offer catch up vaccines for those who are due.
We like to be known for being kind. We will treat your child as we would treat our own. There is a difference between niceness and kindness. Kindness comes with empathy, caring and respect.
All of our staff members wear masks in the office, we ask all patients to do the same. We do our very best to minimize your time in our waiting rooms. We ask patients with covid symptoms to call us prior to coming into the office, so that we can minimize potential exposures. Staff members who are positive for covid are excused from in-office work until they are cleared to return, in accordance with CDC recommendations.
We recommend seeing patients at the following ages:
- 3 days old
- 7 days old
- 2 weeks old
- 1 month old
- 2 months old
- 4 months old
- 6 months old
- 9 months old
- 12 months old
- 15 months old
- 18 months old
- 24 months old
- 30 months old
- 36 months old
- 4 years old
- (Then once a year from age 4 to age 25)
Yes. Although we recommend that all patients be fully vaccinated in accordance with the American Academy of Pediatrics’ schedule, we also recognize that parents have a legal right to refuse to vaccinate for religious, medical or strong personal convictions. We will not shame or “kick out” families who have made these decisions, and we will never be confrontational about the issue. However we do ask that you be open to having conversations about this subject. We will recommend catch-up vaccines at every visit and will work with you to ensure that your child is as safe as possible.
Yes! We are a designated Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC). This distinction allows us to see children regardless of insurance status.
We see children from birth through age 18.
We are not pediatric HIV specialists so we recommend that children with HIV be seen at St. Chris or CHOP as both of these sites have well-established pediatric HIV programs. We are able to see children living with HIV if they are co-managed by an HIV specialist. For several decades, Philadelphia FIGHT has been (and continues to be) at the forefront of HIV prevention and treatment. In recent years Philadelphia FIGHT has expanded its scope to provide internal medicine, dental, and pediatric services for any patient, regardless of HIV status.
Yes, children with mild/moderate behavioral health needs that require medication can usually be managed in our office. However, we strongly encourage all children to receive additional services, such as therapy and school accommodations. We have a social worker who can help connect families to behavioral health services in the community and advocate for children through the school system.
Yes! The medical setting can be challenging for any patient so please feel free to let us know what would make your child’s visit experience most comfortable. For example, if there are there any particular likes or dislikes that your child has.
Yes, we offer robust family planning and sexual health services through our collaboration with the YHEP Health Center. Call the YHEP Health Center for an appointment at: 215-344-1632. They also have walk-in hours, which you can find on their website
Yes! We recognize that trans youth and their families have specific needs, questions, and concerns. We are working hard to make sure our clinic is welcoming for trans youth and their families so they can receive the healthcare that all children need, regardless of their gender identity.
If your child uses specific pronouns or a different name than the name on their birth certificate, we are happy to use their chosen name and pronouns! Our “New Patient Information Form” that you complete during your first visit has separate questions to ask about your child’s sex and gender (if they differ) and also asks about preferred names and pronouns.
We also offer trauma-informed gender-affirming hormone therapy for adolescents through our collaboration with the YHEP Health Center, who provides healthcare to adolescents and young adults aged 12-24. Call the YHEP Health Center for an appointment at 215-244-1632. They also have walk-in hours, which you can find on their website (https://fight.org/programs/y-hep-health-center/). On an as needed basis we will also collaborate with the Gender Clinic at CHOP (https://www.chop.edu/centers-programs/gender-and-sexuality-development-clinic) for their advise and expertise.
We offer the full complement of standard, recommended vaccines for children and young adults, including the covid vaccine and the flu vaccine. If you plan to travel internationally there are some vaccines that you may need but that we do not carry, such as the Yellow Fever vaccine, the Typhoid Fever vaccine, or the Japanese Encephalitis vaccine. Those specific vaccines you’d need to get from an official travel clinic.
Yes, we offer robust family planning and sexual health services through our collaboration with the YHEP Health Center. Call the YHEP Health Center for an appointment at: 215-344-1632. We also have walk-in hours, which you can find at www.fight.org/yhep.
Yes! We work very hard to make sure our clinics are welcoming and affirming to all. We do this with our hiring decisions, our policies and protocols, and our physical space. We want you to feel embraced by our clinics. Our staff undergoes initial and ongoing training on the needs of the LGBTQ+ community. If you or your child have a chosen name and pronouns we will respect and use them. We offer trauma-informed gender-affirming hormone therapy for adolescents and young adults in our YHEP Health Center. We are also able to prescribe puberty blockers for younger adolescents, however, at the moment most younger children are best served by the Gender Clinic at CHOP.
