Pediatricians Daniel Fraschetti, DO, and Alan Shih, MD, serve the health needs of the children and families in the Morongo Basin. The doctors have valuable advice for families in our community to ensure that kids thrive in good health through all the development stages on their journey to adulthood.

“When we talk about healthcare for kids, we’re not just focused on keeping kids healthy now, we want to make sure things are in place so that they are set up for good health down the road,” said Dr. Shih.

Here are some insights Dr. Fraschetti and Dr. Shih would like parents or family members raising children to know:

Be Sure to be Scheduling Your Child for their Routine Well Checks

Regular ‘Well Child’ visits are essential, and making those appointments around the child’s birthday each year is a good way to remember them. Dr. Fraschetti notes that these visits are the best time to potentially pick up on anything that may not have been recognized. “We want to see if they are meeting milestones by doing height and weight assessments, and as they get older, we’ll check their vision and hearing,” said Dr. Fraschetti. “We also do an autism screening between 18-30 months to check development.”

Dr. Shih added, “Many times I have discovered something in a Well Child exam or in their labs where I thought how thankful I was that the family came to see me so we could catch it and address it.”

Stay Up to Date with your Child’s Vaccinations including a Flu Shot

Some parents have questions about immunizations because there is “some false information out there,” according to Dr. Fraschetti, but he noted that they are extremely important. “I want every child to be immunized, and that includes the flu shot. We recommend everyone over the age of 6 months get a flu shot. We’ve heard some parents think you can get the flu from the flu vaccine, and that is untrue. You may not feel great right after getting the flu shot, but that’s because it is hitting your immune system to build those antibodies.”

Closely Monitor Seasonal Cold & Flu Symptoms

Living in the desert, it’s sandy, dry, windy and dusty, which can exacerbate allergies, asthma and eczema. “There’s interplay with these conditions,” said Dr. Shih. “Heading into flu season, kids can catch colds which can subsequently cause airways to get irritated. Parents should monitor this closely, so their children’s cold signs and symptoms don’t significantly escalate. Often when you hear about people dying from the flu in the United States, it’s not so much the primary flu diagnosis, but the initial viral illness spiraling into a more serious health issue like pneumonia. And some of these complications can be difficult to predict. Natural remedies like a humidifier, saline drops or gel, and honey (for children over one year of age) can be helpful in the healing process.”

Be Sure Your Child is Getting Enough Vitamin D & Nutrients

Some people think that since they live in a desert where there is a lot of sun, they get plenty of Vitamin D. This is not necessarily true. Both doctors feel that a lot of kids don’t get the nutrients they need through their diet, so taking a multi-vitamin may help combat that. “Many kids are Vitamin D deficient, which can affect bone development because Vitamin D is important for helping absorption of calcium,” said Dr. Fraschetti. Dr. Shih added, “Sun does have Vitamin D, but we also need to be wearing sunscreen every day which helps block the sun from our skin.”

Other vitamin supplements helpful to supporting a child’s immune system – especially during flu season – are Zinc and Vitamin C.

The Morongo Basin Community Health Center is Here for Your Healthcare

Of their unique partnership, Dr. Shih explains, “Dr. Fraschetti and I represent a unique synergistic, and complementing partnership. We came from the same rigorous training background at the University of Southern California, so we have medical philosophies that offer contrasting viewpoints to meet the diverse needs of families in the desert area, but that originate from the same, sound medical foundation. We both appreciate how important community health centers are, especially in a rural environment, and how fortunate we are to have an excellent one here in the Morongo Basin.”