After 25 years, All About Children is still all about kids

For children, a visit to the doctor’s office can be scary. All About Children Pediatrics knows this. That’s why, for the past 25 years, young patients have been greeted by a warm welcome – and Izzy, an adorable green creature.

Originally drawn by a 5-year-old patient, Izzy represents the mission and approach that define All About Children’s pediatric practice. Only the top of Izzy’s head is visible because it symbolizes what clinicians know well – that children can be scared or shy.

Izzy is depicted mentally juggling several things at once, as patients often do as they experience the examinations and treatments that come with a visit to the doctor. At the center of Izzy’s experience, though, is a heart, representing the caring and safety patients find at All About Children.

“We founded the practice to make it all about children, not money,” says Marilou Pederson, certified nurse practitioner and one of the founders of the practice. “The kids love it here because everyone knows them. They often don’t want to leave.”

The clinic, at 12200 Middleset Road, Suite 100, has 12 exam rooms, each with a hand-painted mural featuring characters or quotes from famous children’s books to help put a smile on young patients’ faces.

Pederson and the other two founders, Dr. Angela Busch and Dr. Carmelita Cristobal, had no trouble attracting patients to the new practice. “It was like Christmas every day,” Pederson says. “We advertised, and we were full the first day.”

“Everything we do and all that we are is guided by our mission to be all about children,” she adds. “We know every single one of our patients. We get to know them, their relatives and their connections.”

It’s not unusual, she said, for her to be invited to graduations, bar mitzvahs and other life celebrations of her patients.

“You’re not treated like a number here,” she says. “It’s personal. We’ve served multiple generations of the same family. I have between 50 and 100 patients who are now adults who bring their children here.”

Pederson notes that the length of each visit is personalized, too. “We have a lot of children with autism or kids with depression, so we need to take more time with them,” she says. “Or if a kid is going off to college and needs medication, we take time to go over everything with them.”

Over the years, the staff has changed. Busch returned to her hometown of Grand Rapids, Mich., and Cristobal retired. Today, All About Children has four practitioners: Pederson and Amanda Flannery, both certified nurse practitioners, and Drs. Gitte Wengler and Crystal Singewald. The doctors have privileges at Fairview Southdale Hospital and Children’s Minnesota in Minneapolis.

The practice provides a range of services, including asthma and allergy testing and treatment, flu shots and other immunizations, ear piercing and sports physicals. While walk-ins aren’t accepted, the staff tries to accommodate same-day appointments for those who call. The office has a separate waiting room for children who are ill.

Another important part of the practice is behavioral and mental health care. Depression, anxiety, eating disorders and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are all addressed. “One of the biggest changes in our practice over the years is the amount of mental health concerns that need to be addressed,” Pederson notes.

All About Children is part of the Children’s Health Network, which provides the practice with educational tools and treatment updates. “They are very helpful in supporting clinics,” Pederson says. Besides educational classes and resources, the Children’s Health Network also negotiates fees with insurance companies.

Pederson began her career as a registered nurse in 1968. Besides her work within the clinic, she has volunteered for 12 medical trips to do cleft palate care for children in other countries. She has traveled to India five times and has also done work in Mexico, Peru, Haiti and Guatemala.

Pederson said the practice serves many Somali and Indian patients. “We get a lot by word of mouth,” she said, adding that they bring in an interpreter as needed.

The care the practice extends to its patients also applies to those who work there.

“We value balance in work and family life,” Pederson said. “No one here works 40 hours a week. We give each other time for activities by covering for each other. There’s not a lot of turnover in our staff.” However, she noted that if a patient calls after hours, the call goes to one of the practice’s providers, not a triage center.

The practice’s 25th anniversary is April 18, though no public celebration is planned.

For more information, see the All About Children website: allaboutchildren.net.