LOUISVILLE, Ky. As parents replace worries about bedwetting and ear tubes with questions about puberty, high risk behaviors and driving, they may find themselves wondering: How old is too old to see the pediatrician?
University of Louisville Pediatrics has opened UofL Pediatrics-Young Women’s Health, a clinic to help families deal with the health and developmental challenges of their daughters’ teenaged years. The practice will be limited to girls 11- 21 years old (as of initial visit).
“Girls of this age have their own set of health care needs. Many feel too old to see a pediatrician but require attention that an internist or family medicine doctor can’t usually provide,” said Monique Howard, M.D., attending physician. “At this age, girls need someone who can take into account their developmental stage and understand the limits of their ability to participate in their own care.”
“Sometimes girls will stop going to the doctor at this age because they don’t fit in. Our goal is to bridge the gap between the pediatrician and the adult medicine world so we can keep these girls in the healthcare loop as they make the transition from childhood to responsible adulthood,” Ken Schikler, M.D., chief, UofL Pediatrics Division of Adolescent Medicine, added.
Howard, who has been practicing pediatric medicine since 1999, is board-certified in Pediatrics and as a sub-specialist in Adolescent Medicine. Currently, she sees younger children and adolescents at the UofL Children & Youth Project and cares for teens at Maryhurst and the Department of Juvenile Justice Audubon Youth Development Center.
In addition to routine health care services, Howard is trained to help patients with: