Piedmont Pediatrics

09/04/2026

Piedmont Pediatrics families - influenza vaccines are in our offices and our annual Flu Clinic dates have dropped! Call us at 434-975-7777 to schedule your child’s appointment.

Here are upcoming dates:

⚽️ Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026,
5-7 pm at the Charlottesville (Rio Road) office

⚽️ Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026,
9 am-1 pm at the Charlottesville (Rio Road) office

🥅 Saturday, October 3, 2026,
9 am-1 pm at the Crozet office

To schedule a spot, please call us during regular office hours at 434-975-7777.

If you have another appointment at our practice coming up soon, and your child is not ill, we can offer your child the influenza vaccine at that time also.

Please remember:
• All patients under 18 years old must be accompanied by a caregiver or have written permission to get the vaccine
• Please come at your scheduled time
• Please call to reschedule if your child has had a recent measles or COVID-19 exposure, or if your child has a fever, or is ill on the day of the clinic.

Our GOAALLL - to protect your children, and all those around them, from influenza this season! 🏆

09/03/2026

Holding the students, teachers, staff, families and community of Waynesboro in our hearts.

WAYNESBORO - At approximately 9:12 a.m., on Sept. 2, 2026, Waynesboro Police were notified of a
suspicious individual on the grounds of Westwood Hills Elementary School, located at 548 Rosser
Avenue in the City of Waynesboro.

The individual, Anthony I. Ignatiadis-Isabelle, 19, of Waynesboro (Augusta County), Va., forced entry
into the school. Law enforcement responded within minutes and immediately entered the school.
There they located, in the library, the suspect dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

There were no students in the library at the time.

The time between the initial call and the location of the suspect was approximately three minutes.
One adult staff member did suffer a non-life-threatening gunshot wound. The staff member has
been treated and since released.

This remains an active and ongoing investigation. As investigators continue their work, additional
information will be released when it is appropriate and confirmed.

Westwood Hills Elementary School will be closed Thursday. Waynesboro Public Schools will
communicate directly with families regarding available resources and any additional information
concerning school operations.

We recognize how frightening an incident like this is for students, parents, staff, and the entire
Waynesboro community. We are extremely grateful for the immediate response of school staff and
the coordinated response of the Waynesboro Police Department, Augusta County Sheriff’s Office,
Virginia State Police, and our other local, state, and federal law enforcement partners.

We also want to sincerely thank the parents, guardians, and families of Westwood Hills Elementary
School for their patience, cooperation, and understanding throughout today’s reunification process.
We know how difficult it is to wait for information when your child is involved in an emergency
situation. Your willingness to follow the established reunification procedures allowed school officials
and law enforcement to account for students and reunite them with their families in a safe and
orderly manner. We are extremely grateful for your cooperation during what was an understandably
stressful and emotional time.

We also want to thank the Westminster Presbyterian Church, which served as our reunification site for
our families. Their help was immense in bringing our families back together in this trying situation.
There are still aspects of this incident that are under investigation, so there will be questions we simply
cannot answer today. We will provide as much verified information as we can while protecting the
integrity of that investigation.

Quote from Dr. Jeffrey Cassel, Superintendent of Waynesboro Public Schools:
“Today is the day every school system hopes they never have to deal with. I need to praise the
response of our staff and the Waynesboro Police Department, Augusta County Sheriff’s Office,
Virginia State Police, and our other local, state, and federal partners. Our safety and security protocols
and procedures worked. Staff notified law enforcement immediately, and our school executed our
lockdown procedures. Every student and staff member is safe and returned home to their families.
”

09/03/2026

09/03/2026

This week the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the Infectious Diseases Society of America jointly released their respiratory vaccine recommendations for the fall. That guidance normally comes from CDC's vaccine advisory committee, which has been in legal limbo since a federal judge ruled in March that the health secretary likely acted unlawfully in altering vaccine policy, so the societies stepped in.

Behind it is an independent evidence review from the Vaccine Integrity Project, conducted with the American Medical Association. Reviewers screened more than 5,800 studies and identified 69 published between August 2025 and June 2026. They found no new safety concerns.

For flu, everyone 6 months and older should be vaccinated. October is a good target for most people, and later is much better than skipping it. Adults 65 and older should preferentially receive an enhanced vaccine (high dose, adjuvanted, recombinant or mRNA) when one is available, but should not delay vaccination to get one.

For COVID, AAFP recommends an updated 2026-2027 vaccine for all adults 19 and older, with adults 65 and older getting a second dose six months after the first. AAP recommends it for all children 6 through 23 months, and for older children based on risk or parental preference. ACOG recommends it during pregnancy and lactation, in any trimester.

For RSV, adults 75 and older, and adults 50 through 74 at increased risk, should get a single dose, and for most adults it isn't an annual vaccine. Infants are protected a different way, through maternal vaccination at 32-36 weeks or an antibody immunization after birth. AAP recommends the antibody for babies under 8 months entering their first RSV season if the mother wasn't vaccinated, and for certain high-risk children 8 through 19 months entering their second season.

All three vaccines can safely be given at the same visit, including during pregnancy, without reducing how well they work. Talk with your clinician or pharmacist about which of these apply to you.

Great summary by WaPo: https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/09/02/fall-vaccine-guide-what-know-about-covid-flu-rsv-shots-this-year/

09/03/2026

09/03/2026

Just dropped - the AAP’s recommendations for RSV, influenza, and COVID-19 immunizations for this upcoming cold and flu season.

Piedmont Pediatrics is already administering influenza vaccines, COVID-19 vaccines are on the way, and we will start giving RSV immunizations October 1st!

Current patients can call us at 434-975-7777 during regular office hours to schedule an appointment. We can also give these immunizations at the same time as your provider appointment if your child is not otherwise too ill.

Thank you for protecting your children and all those around them by keeping them up to date on their shots. 💙💚

Thank you to American Academy of Pediatrics for these excellent slides!

08/29/2026

08/29/2026

The nature parade at our C’ville office continues - there’s a hawk in our backyard today 🪶

08/29/2026

Martin Horn Helps has been picked as the new local affiliate serving Charlottesville and Albemarle County, which means local children will still get free, age-appropriate books in the mail every month from birth to age five at no cost to their families.