As another school year begins, I will sit across from parents who all want the same thing: to keep their children safe.
Some come with questions about vaccines. Others arrive with uncertainty shaped by something they read online or a lingering worry that they might make the wrong decision. These conversations are rarely about whether someone “believes in science.” More often, they are about something deeper: trust.
Parents today raise children in a world where information has never been more abundant — or more confusing. Social media can deliver frightening stories stripped of context. Algorithms reinforce fears, and misleading claims can spread thousands of times before reliable information catches up. Families may even hear conflicting messages
from sources they once relied upon. It is understandable that parents wonder whom to trust.
Medicine has changed, too. Office visits are shorter, and families may see different clinicians from one appointment to the next. In a typical 20‑minute visit, we discuss growth, development, school performance, mental health, nutrition, ear pain, and preventive care — all while trying to build a relationship. Trust takes time, and time has become one of medicine’s scarcest resources.
Parents fear making the wrong decision. They worry about side effects. They encounter conflicting information and wonder whom to believe. These fears deserve to be heard, not dismissed.
Healthcare professionals carry fears as well. We fear seeing a child become seriously ill from a disease we can prevent. Many of us remember the profound losses of the COVID‑19 pandemic. In its first 15 months, researchers estimated that more than 142,000 U.S. children lost a parent or primary caregiver to a COVID‑19‑associated death. Every statistic represented a child whose life changed forever.
This is why the answer to fear is not judgment, but empathy.
Empathy does not mean abandoning science or weakening medical recommendations. It does not mean treating misinformation as equal to decades of evidence. It means listening long enough to understand a parent’s concern, answering questions honestly, and recognizing that people are more reachable when they feel heard rather than criticized.
Part of the challenge is that many vaccine‑preventable diseases feel distant. I have (luckily) never seen measles in my office. It is easy to imagine measles, pertussis, or meningococcal disease as illnesses from another era. But Ventura County’s data tells a different story.
From 2014 to 2024, Ventura County reported 844 cases of pertussis, 16 cases of measles, 20 cases of mumps, and seven cases of invasive meningococcal disease. These diseases have not disappeared. We see them far less often largely because of vaccination.
Our local vaccination numbers also deserve attention. In the 2018-19 school year, 96.1% of Ventura County kindergarteners had received all required immunizations. By 2024-25, that number had fallen to 94.1%. A two percentage‑point decline matters when dealing with highly contagious diseases.
Our County Health Officer, Dr. Uldine Castel, recently shared her perspective: “Few achievements in public health have had a greater impact than vaccination. Over generations, vaccines have transformed diseases that once caused widespread illness, disability, and death into rare or preventable disease. But these successes should not be taken for granted. With our recent case of measles in the County, we are reminded how population protection depends on high levels of vaccination. We need to stay vigilant and continue to create safe and thriving communities with vaccinations.”
The remarkable thing about successful prevention is that we rarely see what it prevents. It is the child who never develops meningitis. The teenager who never develops an HPV‑related cancer. The mother who never hears, “You have cervical cancer.” The family that never has to say goodbye too soon.
Prevention is quiet. The tragedy that never happens does not make the evening news or go viral on social media. Yet preventing those tragedies is one of medicine’s greatest accomplishments.
Healthcare professionals must continue offering clear, evidence‑based vaccine recommendations — but also create space for questions. Healthcare systems need to recognize that continuity and time with families are essential for building trust. And we must remember what is usually behind a hesitant parent’s concerns: someone trying to make the best possible decision for a child they love.
As children return to school, this is an important moment to revisit these conversations. Science has given us powerful tools to prevent disease. Trust is what allows families to use them. That trust begins with listening, empathy, and honest conversation.
When families feel heard and supported, we build stronger relationships and greater confidence in vaccination. Ultimately, those relationships help families make informed choices that protect not only their children, but the health of our entire community.
Dr. Joni Bhutra is a pediatrician and a medical director with Ventura County Health Care Agency. A mother of two, she believes strong relationships, honest conversations, and empathy are essential to helping families make informed decisions about their children’s health.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Trust makes vaccination possible | Your Turn
