HealthyFresno::Get Preventive Medical Care for Your Kids

Get Preventive Medical Care for Your Kids

It is important that your kids get medical care when they need it and that they get good preventive medical care. The U.S. Surgeon General advises parents get their children vaccinated against preventable childhood illnesses and talk with their child's primary health provider about keeping up to date on all vaccinations.

Before You Visit the Doctor

Here are some things you might want to do before you and your child visit the doctor:

Try to establish a relationship with one doctor (a primary care physician) to take care of your child’s health. Seeing one doctor regularly will help ensure that your child’s health care goes more smoothly and that the doctor knows your child. Ask for recommendations from people you trust.
Keep a list of questions you have about your child’s health as they come up. That way, you’ll remember your questions when you are at the doctor. Be sure to bring this list along with you when you visit the doctor.
Keep track of any unusual symptoms, behaviors, or health-related issues that you’ve noticed in your child and related factors (i.e. when it occurs, what your child is doing at the time of symptoms, what relieves the symptoms, etc).

At the Doctor’s Office

To make your visits to the doctor as valuable as possible, you should:

Tell the doctor your child’s health history and about any health problems that run in your family.
Ask about your child’s current health.
Ask what you should be doing to make sure your child stays as healthy as possible.
Be sure to ask your doctor or other healthcare provider any questions if you don’t understand something.

After Your Visit

Be sure to follow up with your doctor or health care provider’s office if you haven’t heard back about test results or if you have questions about medication or another part of your child’s health and treatment. Sometimes they forget to return a call and it is up to you to follow up.

To help keep track of your child’s health, keep a record of:

All your child’s visits to the doctor and the reason for the visit.
A list of the vaccinations he or she has received and when. (Your child may need this for school, travel, or even to participate in sports or other activities.)
Information about any medications he or she is taking or has taken.
A list of any known medication or food allergies.

What if I can’t afford medical care for my child?

Getting the medical care you need is one of the keys to good health. If you don't have insurance and have trouble paying for your medicine, you may be able to get help.