Formula Shortage Guide for Parents and Caregivers

We know the national formula shortage may be causing issues and anxiety for our families. To help you during this time, we've put together a list of resources and advice. Learn more here

Cases of colds, flu, COVID-19, and RSV are rising throughout the country, including in Boston. Learn more about how you can help keep you and your loved ones from getting sick as the weather gets colder and we all spend more time indoors.

We are delighted that you have chosen to allow us to help you keep your children healthy. Our team will work with you to provide the best possible care for your child. We provide comprehensive medical care for children. This includes routine check-ups and childhood immunizations, as well as care when your child is sick or has a chronic medical problem.

BMC pediatric primary care goes the extra mile to help families raising children in Boston. Here are a few of our programs and features of our practice which we are extremely proud of:

  • Thanks to the Reach Out and Read Program, every child gets a book at every check-up from ages 6 months to 6 years old. We often have volunteers in our waiting room to read to your children.
  • Our Health Leads Family Help Desk volunteers help families find out what’s available in their neighborhoods, including after school programs, child care and youth recreation.
  • Through Medical-Legal Partnership | Boston, lawyers are available for families with more complicated problems (including problems with school or housing).
  • Staff and interpreters are available who speak your language – no matter what it is.
  • Pain-free pediatrics and child life specialists help take the sting and the fear out of visiting the doctor’s office.
  • We have expanded hours, including evenings and Saturdays to meet our patients’ needs.
  • Pediatric Healthy Cooking Classes at BMC
  • The Boston Baby Cafés are FREE drop-in sessions offering breastfeeding support from trained lactation professionals and information for new and soon-to-be mothers in the community. Join us in a relaxed, informal, and safe group environment. Boston Baby Cafés are presented in partnership with the Vital Village Breastfeeding Coalition.

Finally, in conjunction with primary care services, The Department of Pediatrics offers a full range of pediatric specialty care clinics and timely referrals to keep children healthy.

We intend to provide your family with the best, most innovative primary care anywhere. Raising children is both a lot of work and a joy; all of us here at BMC primary care pediatrics love helping children and families through the hard work – and sharing the joy!

Eileen Costello, MD
Chief, Ambulatory Pediatrics

Key Principles and Values

  1. Family-Centered Care: We are partners with children’s families to raise healthy, well-adjusted children with good habits for lifelong health.
  2. Quality medical services emphasizing prevention: we are committed to bringing our patients and families the very best medical care available anywhere.
  3. We celebrate cultural diversity: We have a multi-lingual and multi-cultural staff, and easy access to BMC Interpreter Services to enable families to participate in the care of their children delivered within the program.

Choosing a PCP for your Child

Listen as Eileen Costello, MD, discusses how at Boston Medical Center we provide a variety of clinicians to help deliver the best possible care. Our team of physicians and nurses has been recognized by a number of independent organizations for overall excellence.

Contact Us

850 Harrison Avenue, Boston, MA 02118
6th Floor
Yawkey Center
617.414.5946
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday 8:00 AM - 8:30 PM Wednesday 9:00 AM - 8:30 PM Friday 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM Saturday 9:00 AM - 12:30 PM

Specialty Clinics

SOFAR

The goal of SOFAR (Supporting Our Families through Addiction and Recovery) is to create a medical home in the pediatric primary care clinic for parents in recovery and their children. SOFAR provides ongoing support for families to enhance child development as well as ongoing support for recovery, with access to specialty care and social services.

Programs and Services

Breastfeeding: The Boston Baby Cafés

As a new mom, breastfeeding can be hard. The Boston Baby Cafés are free drop-in sessions offering breastfeeding support from trained lactation professionals and information for new and soon-to-be mothers in the community. Join us in a relaxed, informal, and safe group environment. Boston Baby Cafés are presented in partnership with the Vital Village Breastfeeding Coalition.

Health Leads

For low-income youth and families, traditional medical care is not sufficient to improve health outcomes. A prescription for antibiotics is not enough when there is no food at home. Poor health further entrenches families in poverty by jeopardizing educational attainment, economic stability and life opportunities.

Lactation Services

The Lactation Service at Boston Medical Center provides 7-day a week lactation care by IBCLC-certified lactation consultants. Our lactation specialists provide services for patients in the BirthPlace Postpartum Unit, the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, the Pediatric Inpatient Unit, the Pediatric Primary Care Clinic and the Adolescent Center.

Medical Legal Partnership

The Medical-Legal Partnership | Boston allies health care providers with lawyers to improve the health and well-being of vulnerable populations. Combining the strengths of law and medicine, MLP | Boston ensures that patients’ basic needs – for housing, food, education, healthcare and personal and family stability – are met.

Our Team

Pediatricians

Noah A Buncher, DO

Pediatrician

Special Interests

Environmental Health, Lead Poisoning, Environmental Justice

Jessica H Chao, MD

Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrician

Special Interests

Headache, epilepsy, seizure disorders, developmental delay, cerebral palsy

Sigride Jean-Sicard, NP

Special Interests

Infants of Diabetic Mothers, Small for Gestational Age Newborns, Late Preterm and Term Newborns, Newborns Affected by Substance Abuse, Newborns with Hyperibilirubinemia

Patrick D Mabray, MD, PhD

Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrician

Special Interests

Tics, stereotypies, tremors, myoclonus, and dystonia

Lucy E Marcil, MD, MPH

Pediatrician

Special Interests

Pediatric primary care, health equity, anti-poverty financial services

Melissa T Nass, MD, MPH

Pediatrician

Special Interests

Adolescent Medicine, Reproductive health, Health Disparities, Dyadic Models of Care, Healthcare Delivery Transformation

Patient Resources

Frequently Asked Questions

Primary Care Services for children ages newborn to 13 years are offered in the Pediatric Primary Care Clinic located in the Ambulatory Care Center (Yawkey building) at 850 Harrison Avenue. The practice is located on the 6th floor.

Project REACH: Pediatric Resources for COVID-19

BMC Pediatrics is here to help you during the COVID-19 pandemic. We know what your family needs today might be different than tomorrow. We want it to be easy for you to find the information and support you need, no matter what kind.

What Parents Should Know About Bullying

No parent wants to learn that their child is being bullied, or find out that their child may be taking part in bullying behavior. Regardless, bullying is a form of violence that should be taken seriously. Bullying is defined as a pattern of behavior aimed at humiliating, hurting, or dominating another person. Unfortunately, it is a common for school-aged children to experience bullying at some point. A recent, nation-wide study completed by the National Center for Education Statistics and Bureau of Justice Statistics indicated that about 21% of students ages 12-18 experienced bullying.

The Kids Fund

The Kids Fund works in collaboration with the Pediatric faculty and staff in supporting and initiating programs and in making little miracles happen every day. Our support is simple and direct. We want to do everything possible to give children a chance for growth, for a healthy and bright future.

The Joel and Barbara Alpert Endowment for Children of the City

The Joel and Barbara Alpert Endowment and the Center for the Urban Child and Healthy Family will support Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine and Boston Medical Center Department fellows, pediatric faculty or pediatric residents to implement and evaluate projects that innovate and transform pediatric health care delivery and improve child health outcomes. Fellows are also invited to submit more traditional small research grants. 

WE CARE

The WE CARE model is an innovative primary care model aimed at addressing the social determinants of health at pediatric visits, with the goal of closing health gaps between low-income and high-income populations.

Additional Information

Research Overview

The Pediatric Fellowship Program is based in the Department of General Pediatrics at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine and Boston Medical Center. As you may know, BMC has over a 100-year history of caring for poor, urban and immigrant children. Much of our research and many of our programs focus on improving the lives of these children. The clinical service has approximately 2,000 admissions and 75,000 ambulatory visits each year. The residency is combined with Boston Children's Hospital.

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