UHS pediatricians urge parents to act now for back-to-school readiness

Back-to-school time is almost here once again. Act fast, so you can beat the rush by scheduling your child’s back-to-school physical checkup now. While summer is a busy time for parents and kids, it can also be a good opportunity for a checkup and to update immunizations before school starts. Calling to make an appointment a few weeks ahead can ensure a convenient appointment with your child’s provider.

Mary DeGuardi, MD of UHS Pediatrics and Primary Care emphasizes the necessity of strategic scheduling: “While flu season months can be extremely busy, the August rush requires special planning to ensure we have the capacity to meet everyone’s needs. This is why we urge families to book their appointments early, ensuring all necessary health requirements are met before the school year commences.”

Well-child visits with your child’s primary care provider are vital. They help establish a medical history and relationship, detect emerging problems and address developmental, safety or wellness concerns. They also are an opportunity for administering needed tests, screenings and immunizations. For adolescents, checkups include discussions about sexual and mental health and substance use.

While a checkup may include clearance to play sports, a sports physical alone is not a substitute for a comprehensive checkup. Therefore, even if your child received a sports physical at school or a retail clinic before their athletic season started, it’s also important to schedule an annual well visit.

August is National Immunization Awareness Month, an annual observance to discuss the importance of vaccination for people of all ages and a good time to stay up to date with your child’s vaccine schedule.

It is important for parents to remember that schools require certain vaccines for entry in the fall. This particularly pertains to children ages 4, 10, 11 and 16. These vaccines include Diphtheria and Tetanus, Pertussis, Hepatitis B, Measles, Mumps and Rubella, Polio and more.

UHS pediatricians and primary care physicians note generations of American children have safely received childhood immunizations, starting with the whooping cough vaccine in 1914. Other vaccines were added to the list through the 1990s when immunizations against pneumococcal disease and chicken pox were developed. It’s important to remember vaccines don’t just keep your child healthy–they bestow herd immunity, protecting immunocompromised individuals in our families, neighborhoods and communities.

Your child may be healthy when you decline a vaccine, but what if they develop an illness later? You never know when your child might be the one who needs the protection of a fully vaccinated community.

Every year, four million deaths worldwide are prevented by childhood vaccination. It is estimated by 2030, measles vaccination can save nearly 19 million lives, and the hepatitis B vaccination can save 14 million lives. Lack of access to vaccines leaves children at risk of death, disability and illness from preventable diseases. There are more than 25 safe and effective vaccines to prevent diseases, protect health throughout the lifespan, and help to prevent and mitigate outbreaks.

You can find an immunization schedule on the UHS website by clicking here.

At that site, you will be guided through the process of checkups and immunizations in a safe and effective way. If you are looking for a primary care provider, use the “Find a Provider” tool at nyuhs.org to choose a pediatric or family medicine provider at a UHS Primary Care location near you.