A Los Alamitos Institution, Nearly Five Decades in the Making
There are pediatric practices, and then there are the practices that become part of a community’s identity. Los Alamitos Pediatrics is the latter.
Founded in 1979, we have spent nearly five decades building the kind of relationships that span generations and offering a level of care that goes far beyond what most families expect from their pediatrician’s office. Families come to us from throughout the surrounding areas — from La Palma and Buena Park to Long Beach, Seal Beach, Hawaiian Gardens, and beyond — and many of them never leave.
If you’re looking for a practice that truly knows your child, stays with your family from birth through college, and shows up for your community long after the appointment is over, you’ve found it.
Our Story
Los Alamitos Pediatrics was founded in 1979 by Dr. Robert Kaplan and his partner, Dr. Widelitz, who opened their original practice in Cerritos with a simple mission: to provide exceptional, personal pediatric care for the families of this community.
The practice grew steadily over the years, and in 1997 — when their original building was torn down to make way for a Babies R Us — they made the move to their current Los Alamitos home, where they have been ever since.
Nearly 50 years later, the mission hasn’t changed. What has changed is everything the practice has grown to offer, because the families who trusted them from the beginning (and those who found them along the way) deserved more, and they delivered.
A Team That Stays and Gets Better Because of It
One of the most telling signs of a healthy practice is how long its people stay. At Los Alamitos Pediatrics, staff longevity is something we’re genuinely proud of, and it doesn’t happen by accident.
We believe that great pediatricians are also great people, which means giving them the space to be parents to their own children, to have lives outside of medicine, and to practice with a sustainable schedule that keeps them sharp, present, and genuinely happy to come to work.
Physicians here are treated as more than a number of days worked. That culture of respect and balance is what keeps our team here and what makes them better doctors for your family.
The result is a staff that knows your family not just from your chart, but from years of real relationship. When you walk in, you’re not starting over. You’re coming home.
A Practice Built Around Access
We’ve designed every operational detail of this practice around one idea: when your child needs care, you should be able to get it without frustration, delay, or running into a wall.
That starts with our phones. During office hours, a registered nurse answers medical questions over the phone, not a receptionist or a voicemail system. Our phone lines stay open all day with no lunch-hour closures, and our nurses also respond to messages from parents online. At Los Alamitos Pediatrics, real clinical knowledge is available when you need it.
Same-day sick visits are available so that when your child wakes up not feeling right, you have somewhere to turn. Sick and well patients are always seen in separate waiting rooms, keeping every visit as safe and comfortable as possible. And for our student athletes, we provide sports physicals and clearance year-round.
Mental Health Care Under the Same Roof
Pediatric care doesn’t stop at the physical. At Los Alamitos Pediatrics, we provide in-house support for anxiety, depression, OCD, and ADHD, and we stay with children and young adults through that journey long past typical pediatric age cutoffs.
We have a psychologist on site periodically, making it possible for families to access behavioral health support without the logistical burden of separate referrals and separate offices.
We also participate in the One Wish Grants program, which allows us to provide comprehensive autism evaluations for children through age 5. This ensures that families get the answers they need as early as possible.
From Birth to Young Adulthood, and Across Generations
We see patients from birth all the way through college and young adulthood. Many of our patients technically age out of pediatric care, then keep coming back anyway because the relationship they’ve built with our team is one they’re simply not ready to give up. We consider that one of the greatest compliments a practice can receive.
We also see multiple generations within the same family. Parents who were cared for here as children are now bringing their own kids to us, and that continuity of trust is something we hold with tremendous care.
Rooted in the Community
Our commitment to the health of children doesn’t end at our front door.
For nearly five decades, we’ve been a trusted resource for families across Los Alamitos, Cerritos, La Palma, Artesia, Buena Park, Long Beach, Seal Beach, and Hawaiian Gardens. That reach reflects not just our location, but the relationships we’ve built and the reputation that brings families to us from across the area.
Our founder, Dr. Kaplan, spent his entire career as an active participant in the Los Alamitos Educational Foundation (LAEF), supporting Red Ribbon Week and drug and alcohol prevention and treatment programs in local high schools. Dr. Vivi Tran is an active member of the American Academy of Pediatrics Orange County Chapter.
We believe that a pediatric practice has a responsibility to the community it serves, and we take that responsibility seriously.
Connected to World-Class Care
As part of Rady Children’s Health (formerly CHOC), our families benefit from seamless access to pediatric specialists, expert resources, and the highest quality pediatric services in the region. When your child needs a specialist, that connection is already built in, coordinated through a team that already knows your family.
Our Mission
Our mission is to help children reach their highest potential by working with parents to promote and maintain their child’s physical and emotional well-being from birth through young adulthood.
To fulfill this mission, we are committed to:
- Improving the lives of the children we serve through quality, personalized, child-centered care
- Listening to our patients and the families who trust us with their children’s health
- Guiding every child and young adult along a path of optimal health and wellness
- Supporting the whole child: physically, emotionally, and developmentally
- Serving our broader community with the same commitment we bring to every appointment
Our Philosophy
We are true believers that preventive care and education are the keys to keeping your children healthy. We hold regularly scheduled well-child visits to assess your child’s growth, nutrition, and development and offer age-appropriate anticipatory guidance. Vaccines are administered per AAP guidelines, and every appointment is delivered with the same level of compassionate, educational care.
We feel that the care of children is not limited to illness alone, but the total care of the child in the context of their family and community. That means nutrition, parenting, school concerns, adolescent transitions, mental health, and the full range of questions that come with raising children.
As your pediatricians, we hope to be your primary source of trusted medical advice for as long as you’ll have us.
