“There is a double in 3 and a triple in 4, and I think all five have COVID”. Translated from medical office lingo to English it means: there is a car with two sick kids waiting for me in parking spot number 3, and another with three siblings in parking spot number 4. And in 20 minutes we find out that they do indeed all have COVID.
Since the beginning of COVID era we see sick patients in the cars in the parking lot. The well visits are still seen inside, in our office on the second floor. This way we somewhat reduce the risk of spreading the virus from the sick to the well patients. To further reduce the risk of spreading the bug, we don’t use the elevators. We take stairs.
Each trip is 52 steps: 26 down and 26 up.
If there’s more than one car waiting for me, I consider myself lucky – I don’t have to go up and down between the sick patients.
If I have an alternating schedule (a sick patient outside then a well patient inside then a sick patient outside, etc.) like I had the whole afternoon today, I… still consider myself lucky – I am getting a free extra workout 🙂 .
Dr. Strumba’s schedule is now Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
By popular demand, your pediatrician is back to the pre-COVID schedule: three days per week. I’m in the office on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Tell your kids not to get sick on other days of the week!
Former Providence Hospital Southfield breastfeeding clinic team (2017). Left to right: Jennifer Chivas RN, BSN, IBCLC; Anna Strumba MD, FAAP, IBCLC; LaFreda J. Jones CST, CLC; Holly Collins RN, LCCE, IBCLC. Both Providence Park Novi and Providence Southfield hospitals permanently closed their breastfeeding clinics in March 2018.
With a heavy heart I must announce that I can no longer provide lactation specialist consults to mothers whose babies are not WBP patients. As you might know, both Providence Park Novi hospital and Providence Southfield hospital permanently closed their breastfeeding clinics back in 2018. Since then, I moved my breastfeeding practice to WB Pediatrics in Novi; however, I can only serve WBP’s patients. I am very sorry, but the only way I can provide breastfeeding help is if you switch to WB Pediatrics.
The votes are in! Meet the 2018 Mom-Approved Pediatrician: yours truly.
This is what Metro Parent readers said nominating me to 2018 Mom-Approved Docs recognition:
“Dr. Strumba is by far the best doctor out there. She has so much knowledge and takes her time to explain everything in detail. I recommend her to all parents that are in need of a pediatrician.” – Viola Venetiku
“Dr. Strumba is so fantastic! She is also a board-certified lactation consultant and was very supportive and helpful in with breast-feeding especially when my son was gaining weight more slowly than normal. She is informative and listens well to any questions or concerns. The whole practice is wonderful – we’ve never had a problem getting a sick appointment on the same day and the care is always fantastic.” – Sarah Sidronio, West Bloomfield
“I strongly recommend Dr. Strumba. She is amazing!” – Alla Alexandrov
“Always there to help.” – Ludmila Vorobey, Detroit
Thank you for all these testimonials! Keep them coming, they mean the world to me!
This past July 2018 brought me three other awards shown below: Compassionate Doctor, On-Time Doctor, and Patients’ Choice. (You can see more of my past awards here.)
Children tend to get sick in the evenings or on the weekends as we parents all know too well. Before heading to an ER or urgent care, please speak to your primary care pediatrician on-call to get the best advice. In many cases the advice will be to bring your child for a sick visit next morning, instead of going to the ER or urgent care straight away.
Emergency rooms are intended to save lives and provide care for life-threatening medical conditions. Using ER for non-urgent cases is simply wasteful: not only it wastes your own time and money, it also contributes to inefficiencies, overcrowding and adverse effects in an already taxed healthcare system. West Bloomfield Pediatrics is open for walk-in urgent care visits at both Novi and West Bloomfield locations every Monday morning from 8:30 till 9:30 am, no appointment is needed. We also are open every Saturday morning for same-day sick visits.
Children can not be cared for as “small adults”. The best specialist to take care of your child’s sickness is a Pediatrician: a doctor who, upon completion of a Medical School, spent three more years at a rigorous Pediatric Residency training program, learning about caring for infants, children and adolescents. Unfortunately, very few urgent care clinics in our area have an American Board of Pediatrics-certified Pediatrician on staff. What can you do?
Have a plan. Research the local urgent care clinics well in advance and identify the one that you are comfortable with, the one that specializes in pediatric care and has certified Pediatricians on board. Before heading to an ER or urgent care, call your primary pediatrician to [Continue reading…]
Young parents brought their son to my clinic on Saturday. The boy’s test for influenza came out positive. How the dad reacts is priceless. [Continue reading…]
“Great doctor! Spends enough time with patients. She is kind, understanding, honest and trustworthy. Although she is busy, she never makes me feel rushed and returns my calls in a timely fashion. I would recommend this pediatrician to my friends.” – Marim A., Farmington Hills
“She is the absolute best doctor I have ever been to in my entire life! Spends the time to explain everything for our little girl. Provides the best advice for taking care of our newborn and makes you feel so welcome. I would recommend her to anyone with a baby [Continue reading…]
I received the following question from an expectant new mother:
Hello! My husband and I are expecting our first baby. We don’t know what we’re having. I just started researching Pediatricians in our area and came across your name on a number of review sites.
Everything looks good as I just started my 3rd trimester. We are delivering in Royal Oak Beaumont but want to find our baby’s doctor closer to home — West Bloomfield. Not sure when I should make an appointment or how this works. Please advise 🙂
Thank you Kindly, K.
Hi K.,
While you still have time before delivery, you should meet with potential candidates for a pediatrician for your baby. We offer these visits for free, [Continue reading…]
Thank you for voting me to the Metro Parent’s 2012 Mom Approved Docs! I received the following comment from one of the parents:
Dr. Strumba is very empathetic. Being a new mom, I have all kinds of worries and concerns, but she never makes me feel silly or brushes off questions I might have. Plus, she is a certified lactation consultant, which is a HUGE bonus, since I am a full-time nursing mom! My 11-month-old daughter has also not cried once while in her care. -– Sarah, Livonia
I have many other awards; the patient awards are the most precious of them all.
