Make this a successful school year!
Put your child’s check-up at the top of your back-to-school checklist.
Getting a check-up is an important part of getting your child or teen ready for school.
Contact your primary care provider to make an appointment today!
For help finding free or low-cost health care, call Health Assist Tennessee at 244-0488
or click here for the United Neighborhood Health Services clinic.
Your child or teen needs to see his or her primary care provider every year, even if he or she isn’t sick. During the check-up, you will have a chance to talk to your provider about concerns you might have about your child’s health.
Annual check-ups are sometimes referred to as “well visits” or “well-child checkups.” These visits are also sometimes referred to as an EPSDT – which stands for Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment. Through annual check-ups, potential disease and disabilities can be prevented or detected early, when they are most effectively treated. Annual check-ups at regular, recommended intervals also assure a young person’s healthy development which can help to reduce behavior problems, reduce school absenteeism, and improve academic performance.
During the check-up, your provider will do a number of things to keep your child or teen healthy, including:
- Health history: talking with you and your child about how they have been feeling and about any questions that you or your child might have about their health.
- Physical exam: listening to your child’s heart and lungs; checking their skin, muscles, bones, eyes, ears and stomach.
- Developmental or behavioral screen: Your provider will ask you and your child or teen questions to make sure that they are growing and developing normally.
- Immunizations: Your child or adolescent may need shots to help protect them from diseases. Shots are not just for babies and young children; adolescents need them too!
- Lab tests: Sometimes, your provider may need to order lab tests (checking blood or urine) to look for health problems.
- Hearing and vision screens: At some visits, your provider will want to check to make sure that your child can see and hear well.
- Education: Your provider will talk to you about things that are important for keeping your child healthy. Your child’s provider may talk about risky behaviors – risky sexual behavior, drinking alcohol, smoking tobacco, or using other drugs. This is also a time to talk about ways to stay healthy – like eating a healthy diet, getting regular exercise, wearing a helmet and seatbelt, and getting plenty of sleep.
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