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115 Centerway Suite 104, Greenbelt, MD 20770

Hours of Operation:
Monday: 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM | Tuesday: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM | Wednesday: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM |
Thursday: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM | Friday: Closed | Saturday: Closed | Sunday: Closed

Our Services / Vaccines

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Vaccines services offered in

Few medical advances have had a greater impact on human health than vaccines. Julia Gabriel, NP, of Old Greenbelt Family Health in Greenbelt, Maryland, offers the full range of recommended vaccines for children and adults, and she’s also happy to check your immunization record to ensure you or your child are up-to-date. Begin now by calling or visiting the online booking page to set up your visit. 

Vaccines Q & A

How do vaccines work?

Vaccines trigger your body’s natural immune response. They can be thought of as a sort of “training exercise” for your immune system. To understand how vaccines work, it helps to envision how your body naturally responds to a serious infection. 

When your body detects the presence of a potentially harmful bacterium, virus, parasite, or fungus (pathogens), it responds by creating special antibodies that recognize small parts of that pathogen. 

These antibodies then work with other cells in your body to destroy the pathogen, thereby preventing or eliminating the infection. 

At the same time, your body also creates special memory cells that can recognize that specific pathogen in the future and create an army of antibodies to fight off infection. Those cells remain in your body for the rest of your life, waiting to spring into action if you ever encounter that pathogen again. 

This process happens naturally, without any help from vaccines. The problem is that many diseases are strong enough to overwhelm your system faster than you can create a natural immune response. 

That’s where vaccines come in. Scientists formulate vaccines from weakened or dead pathogen cells. The vaccine contains enough of the pathogen to trigger your body to produce antibodies and memory cells, but not enough to make you sick. 

Getting vaccines for the most common and dangerous diseases protects you or your child and protects the population as a whole by giving pathogens no place to hide and multiply.   

How do I know if my immunization record is up-to-date?

If you’re unsure if you or your child are up-to-date on the recommended vaccines, simply schedule a visit at Old Greenbelt Family Health for a review of your immunization record. This can also be done during your routine physical exams or well-child exams. 

If there are gaps in your record, your practitioner discusses the right schedule for getting you up-to-date. In some cases, multiple vaccines can be administered during the same visit, but others are given over a longer period of time. 

Are vaccines safe?

A great deal of misinformation has circulated about the safety and efficacy of vaccines. In truth, vaccines have been around for decades and have been the subject of extensive research and clinical trials. 

Vaccines aren’t only safe, they’re a critical part of controlling infectious disease. You only need to look at the statistics to see that nations with easy access to vaccines no longer struggle with outbreaks of polio, measles, and other diseases that still plague the rest of the world. 

If you have questions or concerns about the safety of any vaccine, you’re welcome to schedule a visit to learn more. At Old Greenbelt Family Health, team members share a dedication to delivering scientifically backed information about all aspects of health and wellness, including the benefits of vaccines for children and adults. 

Schedule your appointment online or by phone today to learn more.