Hello, CHN Members! We are back with another segment of “Houston Happens”: the lifestyle morning show hosted by CW39. This episode features our wonderful Dr. Shari Jackson as she promotes CHN’s Child Wellness Exam for the back-to-school season. Our ‘Well-Child’ Exam is a holistic pediatric exam that examines a child’s physical and mental health for the school year. These exams cover vaccines, sports physicals, mental health, and other medical needs. Most importantly, the exam allows students to go back to school without having to worry! If you would like to see our very own Dr. Jackson explain why you should schedule a ‘Well-Child’ exam, click the link below and skip ahead to 23:00. For those of us who need to read to understand, do not worry! Below are the questions and answers from the session. If you ever need more information or want to schedule an appointment, feel free to visit our website or give us a call at (281) 824-1480.
Houston Happens (Skip ahead to 23:00 to see our incredible Dr. Shari Jackson!)
Question and Answers from Houston Happens: Ft. Dr. Shari Jackson:
I know children will go back to school this fall; how important is it for children to have a well-child visit before going back to campus?
It is vitally important to have a visit before going back to campus. A lot of children have been home for the past several months. Schedules have been laxer, and this is the way to get back in the mindset for school. With everything that’s going on, kids of all ages have had more mental health challenges, and those can be addressed as needed. We want to make sure their immunizations are up to date. Even though the COVID vaccine is not authorized for the younger age groups, schools are going to be a lot stricter about making sure kids are up to date on their other vaccines and may exclude them from school if they are missing vaccines. Remember, there are a lot of illnesses other than COVID that our vaccine program has done an excellent job of keeping at very low levels in the general population, and we do not want to start seeing those diseases– chickenpox, measles, whooping cough, meningitis—come back. And finally, if you have a child that plans to play sports or needs to have medications like inhalers or ADHD medications, the school will need forms from their doctor. That can generally all be done at the well-visit so going back to school will go as smoothly as possible. And parents won’t get that phone call at the last minute that this or that is needed, and they must take off from work etc. to rush around and get things done.
Is it OK to skip your child’s checkup if they’re healthy?
The first few years of your child’s life are so important in their lifelong growth and development, and big changes happen in just a couple of months. Look at the difference between a 1-month-old and a 4-month-old, and a 10-month-old and a 1 ½-year-old. Even if they are not sick, we want to make sure their development and growth are on track. Small things can turn into big things if they’re not caught early. But even once they’ve gotten into school and we just see them after their birthday these are important, too. A lot of times there are other questions regarding school issues, temperament, changes in their body as they’re growing, things you might not make an appt for, but while they’re there you can ask about. We may discover a developing scoliosis, or the vision screen may show they need glasses. We can plot their growth and show that maybe they’ve been putting on weight just a bit more quickly and need to tweak the types and amounts of foods they eat. We can talk about that picky eater and why this older child still wets the bed. And let’s not forget our teens— it’s important to see them as well. As they’re getting older problems that affect adults can start to affect them—high blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, and if we catch it early, we can hopefully prevent the chronic problems down the road. So, these comprehensive checkups which include a complete physical examination, also known as well-child checks, are an opportunity to track your child’s growth and development, make sure they’re getting the care they need to stay healthy, and for parents to get answers to any parenting questions so you can feel reassured that your child is doing well.
Is there a wait time to see a pediatric visit, sick visit, or sport physicals at my CHN?
We have same-day and next-day appointments for our pediatric services, and we have multiple sites for your convenience. The earlier you call in the day the more we’re able to work with you to try to get you in when you want to be seen. Parents or guardians can contact us at 281-824-1480 or visit us at www.mychn.org
What sets my CHN apart from other organizations when it comes to children’s services?
We are like a “one-stop-shop.” In these times where we are all so busy, we have brought everything to you. You don’t have to run all around town. We provide complete integrated care for newborns, toddlers, and teens, with well and sick childcare, chronic illnesses, behavioral health, dental care, and pharmacy services. We have in-office visits and telehealth services. We are Patient-centered and accept all insurances, including Medicaid/Medicare and sliding scale.
What about for the families that don’t have insurance? Medical care can be expensive, but they want their kids taken care of.
- We work with families to take care of their children and our standing as an FQHC gives us unique tools to work with these families. There are in-house programs they may qualify for, and they may not have to pay for vaccines. We also have an in-house pharmacy, so medications tend to be cheaper than at other retail pharmacies.
Should teenagers get the COVID-19 vaccine before going back to school, joining team sports, and become socially active?
- I think it’s a really good idea. We know that COVID spreads when people gather, and Pfizer has been authorized down to 12 years old now. Moderna is probably not too far behind. We see that with vaccination the infection rates go down in a community. And of course, teens in high-risk categories, or living with grandparents and parents with high-risk categories we recommend. Teenagers are social, they are mobile. Anything we can do to help get back to and keep our normalcy would be awesome.
