Dr. Pamela M. Klein, MD

      Dr. Pamela M. Klein of Pensacola Pediatrics does not always listen or care about what you as a parent want for your child.  When legally possible, Dr. Klein will ignore what you want for your child if she disagrees with you.   I have 3 children who saw Dr. Klein for six years.  She was fine in diagnosing colds, ear infections, etc.  When my daughter was 12 years old, I took her in to get her 7th grade immunizations.  I let them give her all the shots they recommended, including GARDASIL, which is the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine.  I was told this vaccine was to prevent cervical cancer, which I thought was a good thing.  Later on, I found out the vaccine is really to protect against 4 types of Human Papillomavirus Virus or HPV which causes several sexually transmitted diseases.  The HPV vaccines are given as 3 injections over 6 months.  
     After researching this vaccine, I decided not to give my daughter the remaining two boosters.  Dr. Klein did not agree with me and we discussed this on more than one occasion.  Fast forward 6 years later, my then 18 year old daughter goes by herself to see Dr. Klein to get a physical exam for college.  Dr. Klein told her she needed the HPV vaccine.  She and Dr. Klein discussed my previous requests for her not to be given that particular vaccine, so I know Dr. Klein remembered the conversations we had previously had with her in years past.  She convinced my daughter she should have this vaccine.     
    My daughter came home and told my husband and me she had taken the vaccine because Dr. Klein convinced her she needed it.  Dr. Klein told her, "You're 18 now, you can decide for yourself."   I think this was backhanded coercion.  Most 18 year olds will trust someone in a white lab coat, especially when they have been going to that doctor for 7 years.  Dr. Klein talked my daughter into taking the shot, knowing full well that we -- the parents -- did NOT want her to have it.  This was a good life lesson for my daughter about blindly trusting people just because of the position they hold.       
     Whether you believe the HPV vaccine to be safe or not is not really the issue.  We had told Dr. Klein on many occasions not to give this vaccine to our daughter.  She remembered us saying this (because she told my daughter this), and then she convinced my daughter to take the shot anyway because "she's 18 and can decide for herself."