Last week we reminded parents about the importance of vision exams for children who are gearing up for fall classes Aug. 23, but back-to-school checkups, sports physicals, well-child exams — whatever you choose to call these appointments for children and adolescents, they involve several other important points to remember:
Bring your list of questions. Involve your child in this process, as appropriate for his or her age. Teach your child to be a smart consumer of health services.
Ask for a vision screening. Children who cannot see well tend to perform poorly in school and often have headaches from eyestrain.
Get your seventh grader immunized. All students entering the seventh grade should have HepA, MMR, TDap and HPV immunizations to protect them against serious illnesses such as hepatitis, pertussis and measles.
Schedule a dental exam. Oral health is part of your child’s overall wellbeing. A cavity is an infection in his or her system just the same as an infected wound. Seeing a dentist regularly can avoid painful and costly dental work on severely decayed teeth and gums.
Get to know the school nurse in your child’s school. The Perry Middle School and High School Nurse is Jenny Lansing. You can email Nurse Lansing at Jenny.Lansing@perry.k12.ia.us. The Perry Elementary School Nurse is Shelly Thompson. You can emil Nurse Thompson at Shelly.Thompson@perry.k12.is.us.
In addition to tending bumps and scrapes and offering sympathy for tummy aches, the school nurse is a licensed professional who can assist with referrals and information. The nurse also serves as a liaison between school personnel, families and healthcare providers.
Finally if your child does not currently have health insurance, you may want to apply for free or low-cost children’s health insurance through the Iowa Medicaid Enterprise. If your family is over the income guidelines for Medicaid, you may still be eligible for Hawk-i insurance, which is intended for children in households just above the qualifying level for many assistance programs.
Before starting the online application process, gather together this information for everyone in your household:
- Social Security numbers
- Employer and income information
- Policy numbers for any current health insurance
- Information about any job-related health insurance available to your family
Children with a Social Security number may be eligible for Medicaid even if their parents do not have Social Security numbers. Paper applications for Medicaid are available at the Human Services Campus at 25747 N Ave. in Adel, or call Health Navigation at 515-993-3750.
Ann Cochran in the health navigation coordinator in the Dallas County Public Health Department.
