PHC Pediatrics

Our Approach

At Piedmont HealthCare Pediatrics, we recognize that every child and family is unique, with their own individual needs, concerns, and experiences. We believe that quality pediatric care should be both personal and tailored to each patient, ensuring that every child receives the attention and treatment they deserve.

Our dedicated team is committed to providing compassionate, comprehensive care for infants, children, and adolescents, guiding families through every stage of growth and development. We consider it not only a great responsibility but also a true privilege to be a part of your child’s health journey, offering support, expertise, and care every step of the way.

Our Office

  • Board Certified Pediatricians

    Walter Gessler, MD, Elizabeth Rashley, MD, FAAP,

    Julie Schopps, MD, FAAP, FACP, Kristen Stoner, MD, FAAP

  • 3 Nurse Practitioners on Site

    Maegan Galliher, FNP, DNP, Maria Head, FNP

    Courtney Anderson, PA-C

  • Located in Statesville

Online Scheduling
Well & Sick Child Visits
Physicals
Mental & Behavioral Health
Immunizations

Meet Our Team

Our Location

PHC Pediatrics
129 Sherlock Drive
Statesville, NC 28625

704-838-8245 Phone
704-924-4000 Fax

Office Hours

Monday- Friday: 8 am – 4 pm
Saturday: Closed 

We’re proud to be a part of the Reach Out and Read Carolinas network of trained providers supporting children and families in building strong relationships, healthy routines and making moments together. Learn more at www.rorcarolinas.org

Our Services

Well Child Exams From Newborns to Age 18

Well-child exams are essential checkups that monitor a child’s growth and development from infancy through adolescence. At each visit, our pediatricians assess physical, emotional, and developmental milestones, provide important vaccinations, and offer guidance on nutrition, safety, and overall wellness. These routine exams help detect potential health concerns early and ensure your child stays on track for a healthy future. We partner with parents to provide compassionate, personalized care for children from newborns to age 18.

Sick Child Visits

As a parent, you do everything you can to keep your child healthy. When they are sick or injured, your priority is to get them the care they need right away. We understand that because it is our priority too. Our medical staff is available by phone to help you assess how urgent the need is and will do our very best to get them seen on the same day. Unlike a wellness visit, a sick child visit is reserved for acute problems or complaints, such as an earache, a sore throat, a fever, or vomiting and diarrhea. Our goal is to get them feeling better as soon as possible. We encourage you to contact us if you have questions about whether your child may need medical care. Of course, if your child has a medical emergency (such as seizures, shock, respiratory distress) or a traumatic injury (such as a motor vehicle or bicycle crash, poisoning, drowning), please call 911 immediately.

In-Office Services:

  • Providing timely, comprehensive care is our goal. We have the ability to take diagnostic images; offer electrocardiograms analysis and perform laboratory work onsite because we know immediate answers mean immediate treatment. As pediatricians, we specialize in children so our equipment, dosing and imaging expertise is highly specialized for newborns, children and adolescents.We offer a wide range of onsite services including:
  • X-rays
  • Laboratory tests such as rapid strep and flu
  • Electrocardiogram (EKG)
  • Breathing treatments.

School, Sports and Camp Physicals

A school, sports or camp physical is an exam that may be required to determine if it is safe for your child to participate in a particular sport or activity. If you have had a physical done by your primary care doctor within one year prior to the beginning a sport, then you may satisfy your school’s requirement for an additional examination. Some schools however may require that a physical be done within 60 or 90 days prior to beginning the activity. If your school requires a physical, we can schedule one for you to satisfy this requirement. Please remember to bring the necessary form(s) with you to your child’s school, sports or camp physical to be signed.It is important to remember that a school, sports or camp examination should not take the place of a regular annual physical. While it may seem repetitive, a school, sports or camp examination is different form a standard physical focusing on your child’s wellbeing as it relates to physical activity. It is more limited than a regular physical and more specific to physical exertion. In a regular, annual physical, your child’s doctor will address overall wellbeing, including important issues not related to sports. A regular physical is significantly more comprehensive and we recommend them annually.

Management of Chronic Pediatric Illnesses

A chronic childhood illness can be defined as a medical condition that is long-term or permanent and is rarely completely curable. A child with chronic illness may be ill or well at any given time, but always living with the condition.
Examples of chronic childhood illness include: asthma, epilepsy, diabetes, Crohn’s disease and cystic fibrosis.Chronic childhood illnesses may affect a child’s lifestyle, and parents must be prepared to deal with such health needs on a daily basis, often requiring regular medical treatment or hospital stays. With regular medical care, the illness can frequently be routinely managed. Most children can function well and live relatively normal lives. Our medical staff is prepared to help your family cope with the situation and can provide helpful resources for your situation.

Our Services

Behavioral Issues

  • Every child faces emotional difficulties from time to time, as do adults. Feelings of sadness or loss and emotional extremes are part of growing up. Conflicts between parents and children are also inevitable from time to time. And some may have temporary behavior problems due to stress. For example, the birth of a sibling, a divorce, or a death in the family may cause a child to act out. Behavior disorders are more serious. They involve a pattern of hostile, aggressive, or disruptive behaviors for more than 6 months. This kind of behavior is not appropriate for the child’s age.Warning signs can include:
  • Harming or threatening themselves, other people or pets
  • Damaging or destroying property
  • Lying or stealing
  • Not doing well in school, skipping school
  • Early smoking, drinking or drug use
  • Early sexual activity
  • Frequent tantrums and arguments
  • Consistent hostility towards authority figuresAmong the dilemmas facing the parent of a child with emotional or behavioral issues, is whether the behavior is sufficiently different to require professional evaluation. The realization that a child’s behavior needs professional attention can be painful or frightening to parents who have tried to support their child, or it may be accepted and internalized as a personal failure.If you see signs of a problem, ask for help. Poor choices can become habits. Children who have behavior problems are at higher risk for school failure, mental health problems and even suicide. Classes or family therapy may help parents learn to set and enforce limits. Talk therapy and behavior therapy for your child can also help. While there is no substitute for parental knowledge, there are many resources available to guide families and determine whether to seek an evaluation. Our medical staff is here to support you with that information.

ADD/ADHD Evaluation and Treatment:

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a problem of not being able to focus, being overactive, not being able control behavior, or a combination. A diagnosis requires these traits to be out of the normal range for the child’s age and development. ADHD usually begins in childhood, but may continue into the adult years. It is the most commonly diagnosed behavioral disorder in children, and ADHD is diagnosed much more often in boys than in girls.It is not clear what causes ADHD. A combination of genes and environmental factors likely plays a role in the development of the condition. Imaging studies suggest that the brains of children with ADHD are different from those of children without ADHD. Some children with ADHD have mainly inattentive symptoms and others mainly hyperactive and impulsive symptoms. Still others have a combination of different symptom types. Those with mostly inattentive symptoms are sometimes said to have attention deficit disorder (ADD). They tend to be less disruptive and are more likely not to be diagnosed with ADHD.Treating ADHD effectively is a partnership between your health care provider, you and your child. For school age children, teachers are often involved. Medicine combined with behavioral treatment often works best. There are several different ADHD medicines that may be used alone or in combination. Our staff can help you determine which medicine is right based on your child’s symptoms and needs.

Immunizations

Our Vaccine Philosophy:

Our practice believes that all children should receive the recommended vaccines according to the guidelines provided by the AAP and the CDC. Vaccines are safe and effective in preventing diseases and health complications in children and young adults. Regular vaccinations help children ward off infections, and are administered as one of the safest and best methods of disease prevention.

We are happy to discuss your concerns about vaccines at your child’s next visit.

Piedmont HealthCare Pediatrics follows the immunization guidelines recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).For information about these vaccines and the diseases they protect against, please visit http://www.aap.org/healthtopics/immunizations.cfm.

For detailed informational sheets published by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) please visit www.cdc.gov/vaccines.

Piedmont HealthCare Pediatrics Recommended Immunization Schedule:

At 2 months of age: Rotarix, Pediarix, PedvaxHIB and Prevnar

At 4 months of age: Rotarix, Pediarix, PedvaxHIB and Prevnar

At 6 months of age: Pediarix and Prevnar

At 12 months of age: MMR, Varicella and Hep A

At 15 months of age: Pentacel and Prevnar

At 18 months of age: Hep A

At 4 or 5 years old: Kinrix and Proquad

At 11 years of age: TDaP and Meningococcal

**Please be aware that the 15 month and 18 month shot schedule may vary slightly, depending on which physician you see and/or vaccine availability.** 

PEDIARIX®
[Diphtheria and Tetanus Toxoids and Acellular Pertussis Adsorbed,  Hepatitis B (Recombinant) and Inactivated Poliov

M-M-R® II 
(Measles, Mumps, and Rubella Virus Vaccine Live)

ProQuad® 
Measles, Mumps, Rubella and Varicella Virus Vaccine Live Lyophilized Preparation for Subcutaneous Injection

KINRIX™ (diptheria and tetanus toxoids and acellular pertussis adsorbed and inactivated poliovirus vaccine) 
(Diphtheria and Tetanus Toxoids and Acellular Pertussis Adsorbed and Inactivated Poliovirus Vaccine)

Pentacel
(Diphtheria and Tetanus Toxoids and Acellular Pertussis Adsorbed, Inactivated Poliovirus and Haemophilus b Conjugate (Tetanus Toxoid Conjugate) Vaccine

Dosing Charts

DISCLAIMER:

The information provided on this website is meant to provide reliable information consistent with the standard of care at the time of publication. It is not intended to substitute individual care or consultation by your physician or other primary/specialty care provider. Neither Piedmont HealthCare and PHC – Pediatrics (nor any other Piedmont HealthCare publication or medical practice) takes responsibility for the complete accuracy and content of these references and pages or that of links from these pages.