Don’t get caught behind the curve on scheduling back-to-school checkups for school-aged kids.
Clinics fill up quickly in August and with the new Iowa law requiring all 7th and 12th graders to be vaccinated for meningitis, it may be challenging to schedule an appointment before school starts.
August is Immunization Awareness Month, which is a good time to phone your clinic and make sure every member of your family is up to date on all needed vaccines. Ask specifically about DTap, MMRV and HPV. Flu vaccines are usually not available and not recommended until later in the fall.
Another point to this discussion is the advice to check with “your clinic.” If you’ve never established what is called a medical home, now is the time. A medical home means a primary care clinic, the place you go on a regular basis for checkups or when you’re sick and where all of your medical records are kept.
The doctors and nurses at your medical home will oversee all of your healthcare and if you have any specialists, your medical home can act as the quarterback to coordinate your care by the specialists.
Schedule that appointment today, and for more information, visit the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services website.
Ann Cochran is the health navigation coordinator in the Dallas County Public Health Department.
