Pediatrics | Primary Care for Children | UC San Diego Health (2024)

Raising children can be both a rewarding and challenging time for parents. For their medical problems, you want a care team you can rely on.

Get compassionate pediatric primary care to help your kids stay healthy from birth through all their developmental stages in a supportive, family-first environment at UC San Diego Health.

Experts in Children's Health

Our primary care pediatricians and other pediatric professionals are experienced in preventive medicine, acute care for minor illnesses and injuries, and chronic disease management for children.

We also offer direct access to nationally recognized pediatric specialists through our affiliation with the nearby Rady Children's Hospital-San Diego.Our primary and specialty care pediatric teams work together to ensure that your child’s care is comprehensive and coordinated.

Find a Pediatrician

When to See Your Pediatrician

Infants and Toddlers

• Well-baby care: We provide all necessary immunizations and developmental screenings, perform circumcision and frenectomy (release of tongue-tie), and can treat jaundice, feeding problems and respiratory issues.
• Follow-up for high-risk infants: We offer evaluations and referrals for services for babies who are at risk for neurological problems or developmental delays at our NICU Follow-Up and Early Development Clinic.
• Lactation support: Our pediatricians can provide breastfeeding support. We provide several options:
• Attend a lactation visit in La Jolla or Kearny Mesa with one of our pediatricians certified in lactation care.
• Go to our Premature Infant Nutrition Clinic (PINC) in Kearny Mesa, which helps you provide optimal nutrition for premature infants who have recovered from intensive care.
• Go to our Breastfeeding Clinic in Kearny Mesa or La Jolla. We help those with chronic health conditions or risks for feeding problems, including previous challenges with chest/breastfeeding and low milk supply.

Children

• Well-child care: This service includes annual school and sports physicals, all necessary immunizations and developmental screenings.
• Care for chronic conditions: If your child has a chronic condition such as cystic fibrosis, diabetes, congenital heart disease, asthma or a gastrointestinal condition, do not worry. We can coordinate their care with pediatric subspecialists, explain and discuss all diagnostic reports and doctors’ notes, and work with you to tailor a health plan that is appropriate and workable for the entire family.
• Developmental and behavioral help: We may also refer your child to a developmental-behavioral pediatrician for evaluation and treatment of ADHD (attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder) or learning difficulties.

Adolescents / Teens

• Developmental challenges: As kids grow older, their bodies and needs change. Our pediatricians can help your adolescent navigate this challenging period to establish good mental and physical health habits to last a lifetime.
• Gynecologic care: We can help with gynecologic issues, including contraception, and have experience broaching sensitive yet important topics for this age group, including body-image issues, substance abuse and good hygiene.

Same-Day & Next-Day Care

We offer same-day and next-day appointments for fever, respiratory or ear infections, rash, headaches, injuries, gastrointestinal issues, urinary tract infections and other conditions.

Language Services

We recognize the value of accurate and culturally aware communication. Members of our medical team are fluent in Spanish, Japanese and French.

Specialty Care for Children

Specialty pediatric services may vary by location. Please call 858-496-4800 or your preferred location for more information.

• Behavioral therapy: We offer short-term therapy (for a few weeks or months) for common mental health concerns for children right in our pediatric clinics. Our integrated behavioral health providers can help your child learn useful coping skills for issues such as insomnia, anxiety, depression and family and relationship problems. Read the details and ask your child's PCP for a referral.
• Child and teen psychiatric care: You can get a referral for comprehensive psychiatric care — including evaluations, therapy (individual, group or family sessions) and medications — for various mental health issues for your child, ages 6 to 17.
• Pediatric travel medicine: You can get region-specific advice and immunization recommendations to keep children healthy during international travel.
• Complex, advanced care: Through our affiliation with the Special Needs Clinic at Rady Children's Hospital-San Diego, we offer a “medical home” for children with complex, multiorgan system conditions.
• Care of foster children and foster youth: Our physicians offer comforting, knowledgeable medical care for children in San Diego County's foster care system.

Convenient Care

For your convenience, we have an extensive network of pediatricians around the county, including UC San Diego pediatricians in La Jolla and Kearny Mesa and over 160 affiliated providers at Children's Primary Care Medical Group (CPCMG). (Saturday appointments are available at our La Jolla clinic.)

If you can't travel to a clinic or would prefer your child to get medical care from home, you can schedule a video visit. Ask your child's pediatrician.

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