Caring for Children, Supporting Families 

For Melissa Simkol, MD, pediatrics brings together two interests that first drew her to medicine: mental health and working with families. Although she initially planned to become a psychiatrist, she found that caring for children offered the opportunity to support the whole family while focusing on prevention. 

A Northern Virginia native, Dr. Simkol has been with Neighborhood Health for more than three years and sees children at our Casey and Mark Center clinics. She recognizes that a child’s health is closely connected to the challenges a family faces outside the exam room, including transportation, language barriers, and interruptions in insurance coverage. 

That understanding also led her to help establish Neighborhood Health’s partnership with Pumps for Mom, a company that provides breast pumps to pregnant and nursing mothers through their insurance. For nearly two years, the partnership has allowed our clinics to keep a selection of pumps available for mothers to receive during their visit. 

Having a pump available that day can make a difference at a newborn appointment, particularly when a mother had trouble obtaining one during pregnancy or when deliveries to the family’s home are difficult. It is one way our team helps families get what they need while they are already at the clinic. 

For Dr. Simkol, the relationships with children and their families are what she values most. Spending time with patients brings her back to what she loves about medicine. 

Community support helps Neighborhood Health provide this care regardless of a patient’s insurance status, background, or ability to pay. For families, that means having a place to turn for preventive care, help when a child is sick, and practical support as they care for their children.