Vaccination Policy

Special Needs

We require that all our patients receive their required vaccines according to the AAP Vaccine Schedule. We do not offer delayed or alternative vaccine schedules.


As medical professionals, we feel very strongly that vaccinating children on schedule is absolutely the right thing to do for all children and young adults. We are making you aware of these facts not to scare you or coerce you, but to emphasize the importance of vaccinating your child. We are more than willing to discuss any questions you may have about vaccines, but do require all new patients to our practice to adhere to the vaccination schedule endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)

  • We firmly believe, based on all available literature, evidence, and current studies, that vaccines do not cause autism or other developmental disabilities. 
  • We firmly believe that thimerosal, a preservative that has been in vaccines for decades and remains in some vaccines, does not cause autism or other developmental disabilities.
  • We firmly believe that vaccinating children and young adults may be the single most important health promoting intervention we perform as health care providers, and that you can support as parents/caregivers.

 

The recommended vaccines and the schedule of administration are the results of years and years of scientific study and data-gathering on millions of children by thousands of our brightest scientists and physicians.


Certain vaccines on the schedule are considered "recommended" rather than "required". Examples include influenza, COVID-19, Hepatitis A and HPV vaccines. We highly recommend adhering to the recommended schedule for these vaccines as well, but this is not required in order to be a part of our practice.


Delaying or “breaking up the vaccines” to give one or two at a time over additional visits goes against expert recommendations, is not supported by any scientific data, can lead to unnecessary delays and errors, and can put your child, other children, and adults at risk for serious illness (or even death). 


Families who decide not to adhere to this policy will be dismissed from our practice and referred elsewhere. 


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Regarding the 8/10/2026 federal executive order:


Many of you are well aware of a new federal executive order recommending changes to and restrictions of the traditional US immunization schedule for infants, children, and adolescents. 


Throughout our careers, U.S. immunization recommendations slowly evolved through a careful process of empirically verifiable scientific study done and confirmed by highly trained medical scientists.


The US immunization schedule has historically served as a trustworthy standard for global health recommendations, but the most recent executive orders pertaining to recommended pediatric immunization practices represent an abrupt and unscientific departure from the previous evidence-based traditions of the US medical establishment.


We want to simply reassure our families that the unfounded claims and unwarranted changes included in the most recent executive order have no legal bearing or practical impact on our office immunization practices. Our position is well supported by the President of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Andrew D. Racine, M.D., Ph.D., FAAP, who recently declared “There is no new evidence to justify significant changes to childhood immunization guidance.”


Consequently, we want to affirm for all our families that the recommended immunization schedule at Denver West Pediatrics remains unchanged and will continue to be based only on careful science and thoughtful evidence-based vaccine policy with the highest goal of protecting our patients in mind.


Please feel free to connect with our office by phone or email with any questions.