Ensuring your child gets their flu vaccine is more important this year than ever. It’s a vital piece of slowing the spread of COVID-19, keeping your child and your family healthy, and helping to ease the burden on the healthcare system during this time. Although there are many clinics and pharmacies offering the vaccine, receiving the flu vaccine for children should always be done at their medical care home.

At Coastal Kids, we offer the preservative-free quadrivalent formula. This type of flu vaccine protects against four various strains of the flu, to keep your child protected. It can be administered to patients six months of age and above. Please keep in mind that if the patient is under 9 years of age and has not had a flu vaccine in the past, or has only had one, the patient would need two doses of the flu vaccine this season, so be sure to schedule another vaccination appointment one month after receiving the first dose.

Ease & Convenience Through Our New Patient Portal

Through our new patient portal, you can schedule an appointment for your child to receive their flu vaccine. Here are some detailed instructions for scheduling an appointment, after you’ve created your account: 

  1. Select the toggle button for the patient.
  2. From the patient’s homepage, click the “Schedule an appointment” tile or click “Appointments” in the navigation panel and click the “Request a New Appointment” button.
  3. Use the drop-down to select who the appointment is for, and click the “Continue” button.
  4. Use the drop-down menu to select the practice location where you would like to schedule the appointment, and click the “Continue” button.
  5. Review the disclaimer message, and click the “Continue” button.
  6. Complete the “Reason For Appointment” information:
    • Use the drop-down to select the appointment type.
    • Enter a brief description of the reason for the appointment (i.e. Flu vaccine).
    • Click the “Continue” button.
  7. Complete the insurance information by selecting one of the following buttons, and click the “Continue” button:
    • Select the “New Insurance” button and enter the patient’s insurance policy information.
    • Select “No Insurance. I will be paying cash.” if the patient is currently uninsured.
  8. Complete the Appointment Date & Time Search:
    • Preferred Date: select either Next Available or Around this date and select one that works for you.
    • Preferred Provider: select the provider you would like to see for the appointment or select “Any” if you have no preference.
  9. Click the “Search for Available Appointments” button. The available time slots are displayed.
  10. Select the time that works for you. After selecting the time slot, additional available times may be displayed.
  11. Review the “Confirm Appointment” details. This window indicates whether you are actually scheduling an appointment or requesting that an appointment be scheduled for the patient, as determined by the practice.
    • “Yes, Schedule This Appointment” puts the appointment directly on the practice’s schedule.
    • “Yes, Request This Appointment” sends a message to the practice requesting the appointment for the selected time. The practice will reach out to confirm the appointment. 
  12. Review and close the “Live Appointment Success” or “Appointment Requested” window. If the appointment was scheduled directly on the practice schedule, a notification email is sent to the parent.

 

We look forward to serving all of our Orange County families, and to continue keeping your children safe and healthy. Call any of our Coastal Kids locations, or use our brand new patient portal to schedule your flu vaccine appointment.