Some parents across the Washington, DC, Virginia, and Maryland (DMV) area are looking for new pediatricians after medical practices asked them to leave because of their children’s vaccination status. Pediatric practices in the region have different policies, with some requiring children to follow recommended vaccination schedules while others take a more flexible approach.1
The issue comes as some pediatricians’ report seeing more families question or delay routine childhood vaccinations, leading some parents to look for practices that will continue treating children who do not follow the recommended vaccination schedule.2
Some families seek pediatric practices that describe their policies as “vaccine-friendly” or “vaccine-optional.” A Northern Virginia nurse practitioner, who wished to remain anonymous because some providers who offer vaccine-optional care have experienced harassment, said that families often find these practices through word-of-mouth recommendations and online databases.
The practice where the nurse works does not require families to follow the traditional American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) vaccination schedule. Some parents choose to delay or stagger vaccines, while others choose not to vaccinate their children. The practice does not administer vaccines but directs families elsewhere if they want them. The nurses stated:
We just are all very careful. It’s a pretty insular community. The one thing I never do is tell them what to do.3
DMV Pediatric Clinics Will Not Accept Unvaccinated Children
Pediatric Associates of Alexandria has maintained a vaccination policy for about a decade. The practice recently dismissed more families who did not comply with its vaccination requirements. The practice follows the childhood vaccination schedule recommended by the AAP. Other providers in the area also have policies that do not accept unvaccinated children.4
Milestones Pediatric & Adolescent Care in Gainesville, Virginia states on their website:
Milestones Pediatric & Adolescent Care does not accept patients whose parents or caregivers choose not to vaccinate or choose to delay recommended vaccines by more than 4 months. Parents or caregivers of established patients who choose not to vaccinate or delay vaccines by more than 4 months will be given a 1-month grace period to find another pediatrics practice.
Kenneth J Kim Pediatrics in Fairfax, Virginia states on their website:
Our office has strict vaccine policy. We strongly believe that your child should receive vaccines during recommended scheduled times as recommended by American Academy of Pediatrics unless medically indicated. Also for the safety of other children, our office do not accept children whose parents refuse or delay vaccines.
As Exemptions Rise in the DMV, Some Pediatric Practices Enforce Strict Vaccine Policies
The debate comes as vaccination exemption rates among kindergarteners have increased in several jurisdictions. Nearly 3.5 percent of Washington, DC kindergarteners had vaccination exemptions during the 2025–2026 school year, compared with 2.7 percent during the previous school year. Virginia’s rate was about 3 percent, while Maryland’s was about 2.5 percent. The national rate was about 4.2 percent.5 6
Most vaccine exemptions among kindergarteners in Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia were non-medical. The three jurisdictions allow religious exemptions from school vaccination requirements but do not provide separate personal-belief exemptions.7
Michael J. Hopper, MD of Pediatric Associates of Alexandria said his practice says it has recently dismissed more families who do not meet its vaccination requirements as debate over vaccines has intensified in political and online spaces. He stated:
It has nothing to do with religion. It has everything to do with the skepticism that politicians are putting out there.8
Adding to the debate about vaccine choice, Tyler Evans, MD, founder and CEO of Wellness Equity Alliance, said:
It’s a very sobering time right now in public health. I guess zooming out, we are still sort of shell-shocked as to how vaccinations ended up becoming one of the most sort of politicized topics in the country, perhaps after abortion and guns.9
If you would like to receive an e-mail notice of the most recent articles published in The Vaccine Reaction each week, click here.
Click here to view References:1 Montgomery M. Some DMV pediatricians are kicking out unvaccinated patients. Axios Sept. 28, 2026.
2 Gonzalez J. Some DMV pediatricians drop unvaccinated patients. ABC 7 News Sept. 29, 2026.
3 Montgomery M. Some DMV pediatricians are kicking out unvaccinated patients. Axios Sept. 28, 2026.
4 Ibid.
5 Gonzalez J. Some DMV pediatricians drop unvaccinated patients. ABC 7 News Sept. 29, 2026.
6 U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Vaccination Coverage and Exemptions among Kindergartners.
7 Montgomery M. Some DMV pediatricians are kicking out unvaccinated patients. Axios Sept. 28, 2026.
8 Ibid.
9 Gonzalez J. Some DMV pediatricians drop unvaccinated patients. ABC 7 News Sept. 29, 2026.
2 Responses
1. What and where is their written protocal for identifying and treating each and every documented injury, disablity, possible death caused by each of the vaccines they demand the children receive and on the time frame it is demanded?
2 What and where is the written description by these inflexable doctors distribute to the parents/caregivers of their child patients for the documented injuries, disabilities, and possible cause of death?
How many decades did it take before the public accepted that nicotine is addictive and predisposes people to cancer? After the cigarette companies purchased Big Food how many decades did it take for people to recognize that processed food not only lacks nutrition but is addictive and harmful? How many decades has it taken for research to expose harm of EMFs and neurological addiction to screen time? We finally realize the dangers of vaccine adjuvants and simultaneous administration of multiple vaccines. While Dr. Paul Thomas’ research comparing vaccinated and unvaccinated children from his practice was published in 2020 and immediately censored, this research has been internationally replicated showing the same findings. It is a “very sobering time right now in public health” because the defense of cognitive dissonance is powerful for providers who have been trained to vaccinate and prescribe. I believe that people’s instinct to protect life and health will prevail.