Dr. Yohanna Vernon has a good bedside manner and is fun for kids when they are healthy, but when we really needed her help as our pediatrician she did not fulfill her responsibilities to us or to public health by 1) not advising a COVID test when appropriate, and 2) not providing any guidelines of care or a video appointment when my daughter got COVID. Dr. Yohanna Vernon's behavior exhibited that she had not ever thought through how to deal with COVID patients, which is surprising and deeply concerning given the prevalence of COVID at this time, and the responsibility that she as a health care provider has to help prevent spread of COVID and serious disease.
The long story: My daughter got COVID from daycare, and when I called because she woke up with a cough that scared me, Dr. Vernon told me that "croup was going around" and told me to only worry if she had trouble breathing outside of coughing fits or started turning blue. From this I mistakenly understood that "croup" was a distinct virus that affected children and that I should monitor my daughter for signs of difficulty breathing. However, it turned out the "croup" was COVID, I found out when I got symptoms several days later and decided to test us both. It is disappointing that she did not suggest my daughter get a COVID test, but it was truly poor medical care when I called to ask for care guidelines and got none and did not get a call back for 4 days, and then when I called again I got to listen to a litany of excuses for why this was not within their "triage" procedure, that I should have made an appointment (but did not advise this until after the fact, didn't offer a video appointment, and then when it came down to it didn't want a COVID patient in clinic, of course), I should have looked online (the first thing that comes up is to call your primary care, so this was circular and confusing), I should have known with "common sense" to get a COVID test/wear a mask before I got symptoms/not wear a mask after we tested positive/etc, I should have... and... we needed to find a new pediatrician. Instead of this unprofessional behavior, I feel strongly it would be appropriate to have a clear set of guidelines that could be given over the phone by front office or emailed, and to provide video care for patients with COVID symptoms. read more