FAMILY WELLNESS MD BLOG
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3/13/2021
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Welcome.
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Life has its many challenges and privileges. It has definitely been a privilege to be a part of so many wonderful families at Family Wellness MD. My personal journey has spanned many decades and it has lead me to be the new owner of a wonderful small pediatric office in Berkeley Lake, Georgia. After joining the practice founded by Dr. Nadia Taylor last year, I have been overwhelmed by the kind and warm reception I received. I was happy to help Dr. Taylor transition back to her hometown in Florida and continue her legacy of providing excellent care to her patients.
My current goal is to make sure that we at Family Wellness MD continue to provide comprehensive, specialized and patient focused care for all of our children. We will continue to provide natural alternatives to traditional medicine and work with families to decide the best plan of care for their child.We have changed some of our processes to provide a streamlined flow from check-in, triage, referrals and check-out.
May 9, 2021
As I reflect on Mother’s Day this year, my thoughts are drawn to the sacrifices we make as mothers. No matter where on the earth you may have been for the past 15 months or so, we have all experienced something we have never experienced in our lifetime.
We may have had the privilege of spending more quality time with our household family members.
We may have suffered a job loss, watched as our partners lost their jobs or had unexpected changes in our living circumstances.
And unfortunately for some of use, we may have lost a loved one.
Despite how the last year may gone, I am reminded everyday of the love of mothers; the dedication of a mother to her child.
Even in sometimes difficult circumstances, most mothers do their very best to make sure their children are loved and well cared for.
I am so proud of the mothers I interact with every day. They are concerned parents wanting the very best health for their child. They are the best advocates for their child and they seek the knowledge to provide life long wellness and longevity for their sons and daughters.
So, on this Mother’s Day, I salute all of our mothers at Family Wellness MD.
I salute their strength, tenacity, willingness to do their best and most of all, the love they have for their children.
Happy Mother’s Day
Dr. Hodge-Spears and Family Wellness Staff
June 19, 2021
Fathers are so important to the development and love in every child's life. From the rough and tumble play to the strength and direction that fathers bring to lives of their children, it must be said; fathers are awesome.
I am always so pleased to see fathers at the office visits with their kids. There are fathers with presence and very few words and there are fathers that have a multitude of insight and questions. There are fathers that brave an office visit on their own and act as videographers as they hold the camera of their phone to show their wives all the details of the visit. There are also the fathers that call their wives during the visit to make sure they haven't forgotten any important details.
Fathers are important and a father's love and care for their children is irreplaceable.
I am so proud of the fathers that come into our office. They are an important part of the family in Family Wellness MD.
Thank you to all of the fathers out there.
Happy Father's Day!
Dr. Hodge-Spears and Family Wellness MD staff
August 8th, 2021
Hello everyone! I am back again for a short blog today.
With the new technologies of the recent years, we have been able to connect our parents and their children's information in a more streamline way. We have a portal connected to our medical records system that allows parents to request refills, send messages to our office, find appointments and view some of their child's medical records. And now, we also have an app you can download on you phone to access the information in an easier way. Below, you will find a short tutorial on how to use the app if you are interested. It is called Healow Kids and can be downloaded for the iPhone or Android App Store.
I hope you enjoy using our app. Please contact us if you have any questions or if you need help getting started.
October 25, 2021
It is with a sad heart that I must inform all of our families that Mrs. Maggie Symonette NP has decided to take her talents in a different direction. She has provided excellent care to our Family Wellness families and patients for the last 3.5 years and we will miss her dearly. We would like to thank her for her loving care, kindness and dependability. We at Family Wellness MD wish her well with wherever life takes her and whatever she pursues in the future.
June25, 2022
The development of every child is important to their health and wellness. There are important milestones that every child needs to meet throughout their life. If milestones are not met in an appropriate timeframe, action should be taken in order to give the child the framework needed for success.
At Family Wellness MD we take the development of each of our children seriously which is why we ask for parental involvement in completing developmental assessment forms. We now have a new system called CHADIS. With our new system, we are able to send an email with the developmental forms 1-2 weeks prior to your child's appointment for you to complete at home. But no worries, if you don't get the email, we can use a QR code to send the forms to your phone for you to complete while you are in our office for your child's appointment.
Another way to follow your child's development is through a new app by the CDC called Milestones. The app will allow you to follow your child's development, keep notes for questions or observations and will give you Tips and Activities to do with your child.
If you have questions about any of the new developmental tools at our office please give us a call.
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October 1, 2023
A lot has happened this year! We have moved our office to a new location in Duluth, not far from our other office. If you haven't seen the new office, please come by to see what has changed. We have added Rachel Poage as a full-time provider and we are so excited to have her on a more permanent basis.
We have added a new check in process to refine the process of the check ins for our patients.
We have continued to have our online dispensary but have changed from Wellevate to Fullscript starting today. Please feel free to visit the website to search for high quality supplements and vitamins.
And best of all, we have increased our Family Wellness Family with great new patients and families that call us their primary care home and great new hard working employees.
We look forward to what the rest of 2023 brings and we look forward to the new year in 2024!
March 2, 2024,
We will miss you Rachel!
This is a note to everyone that our beloved nurse practitioner Rachel Poage PNP is no longer at our office. Her life has called her on to newer and exciting adventures. We will miss her smile, caring, compassion and friendship. We were blessed to have her in our office for the past 2 years and hope that she enjoys the next chapter in her life.
Dear patients and families,
Over the past several years, it has been a privilege and honor to be able to serve each of you and your families here at Family Wellness, MD. I have loved caring for your children and joining you in your journey to provide the best health for your family. However, as many of you already know, I have resigned my position at this time. I will be taking this time to stay home with my daughter before she goes off to college and to spend time with my husband and all of my children, hopefully doing some traveling.
Thank you so much for allowing me to be a part of each and every one of your lives. I have sincerely loved serving you and will miss each of you. I know you will continue to be well cared for with Dr. Hodge-Spears at Family Wellness, MD.
Sincerely,
Rachel Poage, CPNP-PC