Preventative Care is the care you receive to prevent illnesses or diseases, and includes counseling to prevent health problems.
Preventative Care is important because it helps you stay healthy and access prompt treatment when necessary, and it can also help reduce your overall medical expenses. Many types of screenings and tests can catch a disease before it starts. This also includes receiving immunizations. Preventative care can help you stay healthier and get more effective treatment.
Most people don’t think twice about visiting their doctor or healthcare facility when they are sick, but many don’t understand the importance and benefits of preventative care. Prevention of chronic diseases also includes self-care like eating healthy, and giving up unhealthy behaviors.
Preventative Care Services
- Wellness Visits and Standard Immunizations
- Screenings for blood pressure, cancer, cholesterol, depression, obesity, and diabetes
- Pediatric screenings for hearing, vision, development disorders, depression and obesity
Preventative care begins prior to birth and should continue throughout adulthood. Services can begin for women who may become pregnant or are pregnant. Screenings, and supplements are a good start to preventative care for women.
Children should go to the doctor for well-baby visits/well child care. For a well-baby visit, the provider will complete a full checkup to make sure he/she is healthy and developing normally. During these visits, the doctor can catch any problems early to make it easier to treat. Additionally, the provider will discuss and or administer the necessary vaccines. They are eligible for 12 well visits from birth until age 3 and yearly thereafter until age 18. Head Start/Early Head Start children are provided a Child Assessment form for their doctor to complete for their well child visits or they can submit any paper work they are provided in regards to their visit. Most physician offices provide an After Visit Summary detailing the information that was completed during your visit and includes any testing or referrals to other providers. We provide lab services for lead and hemoglobin if families prefer to utilize our service then using a diagnostic center. The health team also completes hearing and vision screenings for our enrolled children. These results are then provided to their listed medical home physician to review and have on file.
After the age of 18, adults should get yearly well visits and keep up-to-date on standard immunizations. The visit can include an overall physical as well as any screenings to detect or prevent any diseases.
Many may not think much of going to the doctor unless you are sick or hurt. They are there for you in “sickness and in “health”. The preventative service you may need might be a test, vaccine or advice from a doctor.
