Parents:

Per social distancing guidelines, we are only permitting one parent per child to come into the office, with one exception. If you have an infant under the age of 2 months, both parents may accompany the child. 

Please note, we have updated our Check-in procedures. If you are coming to the office for an appointment, we ask that you call us from the parking lot while you are still in your car. In addition, we require masks for all parents and patients over the age of 2. As always, we also request that you utilize the hand sanitizer provided and that you wash your hands in the exam rooms.

Thank you for helping us to keep all our patients and families safe. Your efforts and cooperation are greatly appreciated and continue to be appreciated.

Please follow our Facebook @summerwoodpediatrics for more up dated information.

2/22/21: It is now an office policy that if you need to obtain a form or document electronically, you must have an active patient portal for us to send it to you. If you do not currently have access to you child's portal, please call the office for details. Thank you!

For more information about COVID-19, click here

Onondaga County (COVID-19) Information 

We now offer telemedicine appointments! For more info....

A Letter from Dr. Dracker

Dear Parents,

I hate February!  Other than Valentines Day, and my granddaughter’s birthday, it is a cold, gray, boring month, made even more monotonous by our cumulative social limitations.  Fortunately, it is also a short month!  The highpoint of my day is when I get to see my patients, regardless of the reason.  I love hearing about how they are feeling, what they are doing, and sometimes hearing about and experiencing their relationships with their family members.  Lately, many of them are telling me how bored they are, and usually their parents express the same feelings.  Personally, I enjoy gardening (not outside right now) and doing research and I love “fixing” things at my house and the office.  In fact, doing repairs, regardless of their nature, brings me a great deal of satisfaction, probably because I can always try to correct things within my control.  I wish diseases and illnesses were as easy to deal with.  This year I started to do some hydroponic gardening and starting seedlings for my garden in the spring.  Every morning I check on them in my basement and critically examine the subtle changes which occur daily.

I am actually a biologist at heart, which is what I majored in as an undergraduate student at NYU.  Most of my family have different terms for me other than biologist, such as nerd, weird, odd, etc.  I shrug the comments off, because my fascinations make me happy and provide wonderful distractions during mid-winter drudgery.  This week, I have taken the opportunity to talk to my patients who I am seeing, to discuss their interests and if they have any hobbies or if there are things they would like to do.  I bring up ideas with them, especially if there are some activities that can also involve their siblings, parents, or grandparents.  Sometimes doing things that are different or involve learning and discovery are wonderful ways to create memories or develop new types of connections with each other.  Some of these “new” things to do can also be a lot of fun for everyone, and can bring a little sunshine into our mundane, shadowed lives.   

There are many crafts that kids can enjoy and if they are not sure what they would like to do, a visit to one of several craft stores around provides innumerable ideas.  Things like soap or candle making, woodwork, making clocks from parts than can be purchased, painting and drawing, model building, cooking and even indoor gardening are just a few suggestions that can brings smiles and satisfaction to everyone.  Please try to make the effort to engage your children in creativity and allow them to explore new ideas or activities.  Helping them to experience the concept of exploration and trying new things will help them in their futures in unimaginable ways.  Children need to learn about the concept of creative risk taking and wonderment, which you may find, reminds us all about the incredible potential of a child’s mind.

Sincerely, 

Dr. Dracker