Acting without evaluation, putting our kids at risk
If I could give zero stars, I would. Blueberry Pediatrics recklessly filed an unfounded CPS report against our family after we followed our actual pediatrician’s advice instead of their misguided recommendation. The doctor never assessed our child via video or requested photos of our toddler to evaluate if there was any consistent evidence of abuse.
Based on a photo of a bruise on his ear sent through chat (the reason for the visit; it looked dark so we wanted to make sure there wasn’t anything we needed to do or follow-up on, making sure it wasn’t a sign of a more concerning illness vs a toddling accident), they claimed concern of child abuse and directed us to take him to the ER for investigation. This was absurd, and we let them know a) he had just been seen by his actual pediatrician who had no such concerns after a thorough evaluation on his 15 month visit and b) we would gladly take him to the pediatrician in the morning but the ER is full of sick people and c) it’s $500 vs a $15 copay. They said we didn’t have a choice and called the hospital to tell them we were bringing him. What we actually did was call the pediatrician, explained what was going on and his office directed us to forgo exposing our little guy to the hospital and bringing him in the next day so they could clear this up with a check up Blueberry could follow up on. We did and as expected they said he was fine; however, Blueberry Pediatrics didn’t follow up—they simply reported us without cause.
Our 6 year olds were traumatised by a social worker (though kind, it’s scary) and police officer showing up to our home. They spent the rest of the day coming up with plans to “keep each other and the family safe” so they wouldn’t be taken away. Heartbreaking given no one had done anything wrong—our little guy’s only been walking for a few months. He’s not steady—toddlers bang into things and fall. And they get bruises. It’s part of growing up. His actual pediatrician took one look at the bruise and said it was clear he banged into something- the crease was evident, and not something someone did to him. Had Blueberry bothered to actually evaluate him, perhaps they would have seen the same. But they didn’t. Their “visits” are chat- and phone-based, though they do have video capabilities, the doctor chose not to use it. Weird and reckless, given her subsequent report first to the local hospital and then CPS.
We have 28 years of spotless parenting between us, and nothing untoward has ever happened in our home. Filing reports like this without evidence is not just irresponsible—it’s harmful. If you’re considering this service, be aware that they may act without due diligence, harming your children and putting your family at risk.
5 marzo 2025
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