When our office is closed and you have an urgent issue that cannot wait until morning, you can call our on-call provider at 908-452-6003. Our providers can help you determine if the issue can wait to be evaluated in-office the following day or if the care of an emergency room or hospital is required. We recognize that emergency situations can arise and will do our best to respond to your problem promptly. If you believe any delay in medical attention could result in a life-threatening situation, please go immediately to the nearest emergency room for treatment and notify our office as soon as you are able.
Please Note: we unfortunately cannot prescribe new medications or refill prescriptions after hours. Patients will have to wait until normal business hours to request medications or evaluations. Lastly, our on-call providers do not have access to the scheduling system after hours so will not be able to schedule appointments for you.
Emergency and Urgent care
If you or your child needs to be seen after hours there are several options available. Please remember, in the event of a true emergency, call 9-1-1 or go to the nearest emergency room.
Hospitals in our area:
Hackettstown Medical Center
651 Willow Grove St, Hackettstown, NJ 07840
(908) 852-5100
Morristown Medical Center
100 Madison Ave, Morristown, NJ 07960
(973) 971-5000
Urgent cares (for urgent, but non life-threatening concerns)
Riverside Urgent Care of Hackettstown
228 Mountain Ave, Hackettstown, NJ 07840
(908) 852-2470
Riverside Urgent Care of Ledgewood
501 State Route 10, Ledgewood, NJ 07852
973-584-6751
Riverside Urgent Care of Cedar Knolls
118 E Hanover Avenue, Cedar Knolls, NJ 07927
(973)-644-2223
Excel Urgent Care of Chester
2 North Rd, Chester, NJ 07930
(908) 888-2541
Medication refill requests
Refill requests may be made through MyChart, by calling your pharmacy, or by calling our office during normal business hours. While most prescription refill requests are normally handled within 2-3 business days as long as you are up to date on your “med check” visits, we ask that you plan to call 1 week before you will need your refill to avoid any risk of running out of medication.
Fever
In general, a fever means a temperature above 100.4°F (38°C). You might get slightly different numbers depending on how you take your temperature – oral (mouth), armpit, ear, forehead, or rectal
Always keep your digital thermometer ready and accessible so you don't have to search for it when your or your child is ill.
Most fevers that occur with viral illnesses range from 101-104 degrees and typically last 2-3 days. The height of the fever doesn’t indicate the severity of the illness. What you should look at is how sick your child is acting.
Tips for treating your child’s fever:
- Non-medication management:
- Keep their room comfortably cool.
- Make sure that they are dressed in light clothing.
- Encourage them to drink fluids
- Be sure that they do not overexert themselves.
OTC fever reducers, such as acetaminophen (brand name: Tylenol®) or ibuprofen (brand names: Advil®, Motrin®) can help bring down a fever. But these medicines are not always necessary. For instance, a child older than 3 months with a fever who is otherwise healthy and acting normally, may not need treatment unless they seem uncomfortable. Please see below for appropriate pediatric dosing for these medications.
Antibiotics to fight the infection causing the fever. But antibiotics work only on infections caused by bacteria, not on infections caused by viruses. For example, antibiotics will not work on a cold.
NOTE: Never give aspirin to a child younger than 18 years old. Aspirin can cause a dangerous condition called Reye syndrome which is a serious illness that affects the liver and brain.
TylenolⓇ (acetaminophen) Dosing
Instructions: give every 4 hours as needed. DO NOT give more than 5 doses in 24 hours. If possible, use weight to dose; otherwise, use age.
| Infant’s Tylenol Oral Suspension (160mg per 5mL) |
Children’s Tylenol Oral Suspension (160mg per 5mL) |
Children’s Tylenol Chewables (160mg per tablet) |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6-11 lb | 0-3 months | 1.25 mL | ||
| 12-17 lb | 4-11 months | 2.5 mL | ||
| 18-23 lb | 12-23 months | 3.75 mL | ||
| 24-35 lb | 2-3 years | 5 mL | 5 mL | 1 tablet |
| 36-47 lb | 4-5 years | 7.5 mL | 1 ½ tablet | |
| 48-59 lb | 6-8 years | 10 mL | 2 tablets | |
| 60-71 lb | 9-10 years | 12.5 mL | 2 ½ tablets | |
| 72-95 lb | 11 years | 15 mL | 3 tablets | |
| 100 lb+ |
Caution: Acetaminophen can be found in many over the counter medicines. Read the labels to be sure your child is not getting it from 2 products.
Age limits: Don’t use under 12 weeks of age unless told by your child's clinician.
Reason: fever in the first 12 weeks of life needs to be evaluated urgently. (Possible exception: fever starting within 24 hours of vaccines if child is 8 weeks of age or older.)
MotrinⓇ (ibuprofen) Dosing
Instructions: give every 6-8 hours as needed. DO NOT give more than 4 doses in 24 hours. If possible, use weight to dose; otherwise, use age.
| Infant’s Motrin Concentrated Drops (50mg per 1.25mL) | Children’s Motrin Oral Suspension (100mg per 5mL) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 12-17 lb | 6-11 months | 1.25 mL | |
| 18-23 lb | 12-23 months | 1.875 mL | |
| 24-35 lb | 2-3 years | 5 mL | |
| 36-47 lb | 4-5 years | 7.5mL | |
| 48-59 lb | 6-8 years | 10mL | |
| 60-71 lb | 9-10 years | 12.5mL | |
| 72-95 lb | 11 years | 15mL |
BenadrylⓇ (diphenhydramine) Dosing
Instructions: give every 6 hours as needed. DO NOT give more than 4 doses in 24 hours. Do not use with any other medicine with diphenhydramine in it. When to Use: Treatment of allergic reactions, nasal allergies, hives and itching.
| Children’s Liquid Benadryl (12.5mg/ 5mL) |
Children’s Benadryl Chewable Tablets (12.5mg) |
Benadryl Tablets (25mg) |
Benadryl Capsules (25mg) |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20-24 lb | 4 mL | |||
| 25-37 lb | 5 mL | 1 tablet | ½ tablet | |
| 38-49 lb | 7.5 mL | 1 ½ tablets | ½ tablet | |
| 50-99 lb | 10 mL | 2 tablets | 1 tablet | 1 capsule |
| 100+ lb | 4 tablets | 2 tablets | 2 capsules |
Age limits: Do not use under 2 years unless directed by your provider.
Side effects: this medicine can make a child sleepy. Some children however may get more excited and active instead of getting sleepy. Because this medication can make people sleepy, it is important to be careful when driving or using heavy machines after taking this medicine. This is especially important for teens who are driving.
We recommend URGENT evaluation for a fever if your child:
- Is younger than 3 months (12 weeks) and has a temperature of 100.4°F (38.0°C) or higher
- Has signs of dehydration such as a dry mouth, sunken soft spot or significantly fewer wet diapers, crying without tears, and is not able to take in fluids
- Has symptoms such as a stiff neck, severe headache, severe sore throat, severe ear pain, an unexplained rash, or repeated vomiting or diarrhea
- Has known immune system problems
- Has been in a very hot place, such as an overheated car
- Has had a seizure (You should call the office or present to the emergency room if these situations occur.)
You should call for an appointment for your child’s fever if:
- The fever persists for more than 24 hours in a child younger than 2 years.
- The fever persists for more than 3 days (72 hours) in a child 2 years of age or older or still “acts sick” when the fever goes away
- Child of any age with oral, rectal, ear, or forehead temperature of 104°F (40°C) or higher