A Healthy Start to the School Year

Every August, families across Pawnee County and the surrounding area begin preparing for another school year. Back-to-school shopping starts, Fusion Bank releases its annual school calendars, and schedules quickly fill with open houses, sports practices, and activity meetings.

A back-to-school wellness visit is one of the best ways to make sure your child is healthy and ready for the year ahead. These annual checkups allow providers to monitor growth and development, discuss nutrition, sleep, and mental health, address concerns, and identify potential health issues early. They are also a convenient time to complete sports physicals, which can benefit all children and teens by providing an opportunity to discuss physical fitness, injury prevention, and overall wellness.

Back-to-school appointments also provide an opportunity to make sure children are up to date on recommended immunizations. With August being National Immunization Awareness Month, it’s a good reminder that vaccines play an important role in keeping children healthy and in school. As students return to classrooms, buses, playgrounds, and sporting events, they will spend more time together, increasing opportunities for contagious illnesses to spread. Vaccines help protect children from serious diseases and reduce the spread of illness throughout schools and communities.

Kansas requires certain immunizations for school attendance, including vaccines that protect against diseases such as hepatitis B, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, and chickenpox. Students entering seventh grade also need a Tdap booster and a meningococcal vaccine. Families who are unsure whether their child is up to date can contact Pawnee Valley Community Hospital (PVCH) Family Medicine before the school year begins or ask their provider during a wellness visit.

Beyond annual checkups, sports physicals, and immunizations, having an established primary care provider is an important part of keeping your family healthy. Whether your child needs a routine wellness exam, treatment for an illness, a sports physical, or care for an unexpected health concern, having a provider who knows your family’s health history can make all the difference. Access to quality healthcare close to home provides convenience, continuity, and peace of mind for busy families.

At PVCH Family Medicine, we care for patients from newborn screenings through childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and beyond. Our Family Medicine providers include Dr. Arlo Reimer, MD; Susan Aistrup, APRN; Lacy Bowman, APRN; Kathryn Buchanan, APRN; Heather Holaday, DNP, APRN; and Marley Palmer, DNP, APRN.

As you check off your back-to-school to-do list, don’t forget to schedule your child’s wellness visit. Whether your child needs a well-child checkup, sports physical, immunizations, or you’re looking to establish primary care, the providers at PVCH Family Medicine are here to help.

To schedule an appointment at our Family Medicine clinic, call 620-804-6007 or visit pawneevalleyhospital.com/family-medicine.

From a child’s first newborn screening through every stage of life, Pawnee Valley Community Hospital Family Medicine is proud to care for families across Pawnee County and the surrounding area.

A Healthy Start to the School Year

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