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If you're looking for a quiet, friendly place to take your child for medical care, a place where appointments are plentiful—and where you can park for free right next door—then the full-care pediatrics practice at MIT Medical/ Lexington may just be the place for you. Located on the grounds of Hanscom Air Force Base, the Pediatric Service at MIT Medical/ Lexington is housed in a sparkling facility that opened just two years ago. It features pediatrics coverage five days a week from 8:30am to 5pm, with either a pediatrician or nurse practitioner. Three MIT Medical pediatricians—Mark Goldstein, M.D., Bobbi Katz, M.D., and Laura Need, M.D.—share physician coverage, with Goldstein and Katz working in Lexington a half day each week and Need there three afternoons a week. Nurse practitioner Sheila Morehead, R.N.,C.S., is in the Lexington office every day, as is medical assistant Janet Otovic. Otovic refers to herself as a "jack-of-all-trades," doing everything from drawing blood and taking temperatures, to administering hearing and vision tests. The Lexington pediatric practice provides the same complete range of services as its on-campus cousin: well-baby exams, primary care, preventive care, physicals, treatment for minor illnesses, and immunizations. Lexington also offers the same referral physicians and referral hospital (Children's). Laboratory blood samples are sent to the lab at MIT Medical/ Cambridge every two hours, and the facility has an arrangement with a nearby Lexington radiologist who can perform urgent X-rays. Prescriptions are sent out from Cambridge every two hours or can be picked up at the MIT Pharmacy. "We have starter packs of many drugs on site for immediate use," notes Morehead. "Our small size and less hectic atmosphere allow us to provide a very family-centered approach," says Lexington Nurse Practitioner Deborah Sigman, R.N.,C.S. "We get to know the parents as well as the children. In fact, it's not uncommon for me to see a sick parent while a pediatric clinician is evaluating the child." Need stresses that patients should be aware of the security procedures that are part of everyday life on an Air Force base. Cars bound for MIT Medical/ Lexington must pass through a security checkpoint at the base entrance, where adults will have to show two forms of photo identification (one can be an MIT ID card). Children, and adults, should be prepared to see uniformed soldiers at the checkpoint. Nevertheless, the experience at Lexington should be pleasurable. "I love working out here," says Need. "It's a comfortable, intimate setting with a good group of people who give great care. More people should use it." MIT Medical/ Lexington |
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