Upstate pediatrician Steven Blatt, MD spoke with CNYCentral about the paperwork parents need to leave with caregivers and babysitters when they are away. This is called a "Consent for Medical Decisions for a Child by Designation."

Blatt is the director of the general pediatric division at Upstate. He points out that many children in the Central New York community live with people other than their parents, and many are looked after by caregivers other than their parents. Even if it's only for an evening, babysitters need to be equipped with the proper paperwork, in case the child(ren) need medical care.

"Anybody who's caring for a child has to know what to do if the child is ill, what to do if the child has an accident, where the child's doctor is, what the medications are," Blatt told  Laura Hand.

Contact Upstate Connect at 1-800-464-8668 for the form.

See the CNYCentral interview

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