Back-to-School health checklist: Vaccines, exams, and supplies
Houston - In just a few weeks, students will be heading back to school, so it's time to make sure your child is up-to-date on all of their vaccines required to attend class. It's also the perfect time to make sure kids are healthy from head to toe!
While many families start to gather school supplies to get kids ready to head back to class for a new school year. Medical workers urge you to book an appointment for your kids. Stephanie Ramirez is with Legacy School-Based Health Care. They're in 36 schools in Houston I-S-D plus one location is open all summer.
"We have both pediatrics and behavioral health services for patients. We provided services virtually and in-person," says Stephanie Ramirez, Vice President of Operations with Legacy School-Based Health Clinics.
It's time to check those shot records, and we'll share the requirements below from Texas Health and Human Services for all students in K-12th grades.
"It's very important if we want to get the children to school in a timely manner and for them to start that very first day. It's very important for them to have the vaccines and we also want to protect them from getting ill in the first few weeks of school because kids have been traveling and they've been doing a lot of fun stuff. So, really to have them come into school feeling healthy and well is really important to their learning," says Ramirez.
Susanna Blanchard is a Nurse Practitioner and Clinical Director at Legacy. She lives up to what she suggests to other patients; by making sure her own son is up-to-date on health exams, even before he becomes school-age. We know that vaccines are the number one way to prevent a lot of these illnesses, including whooping cough, varicella, and measles, all of these have had recent outbreaks in our community. So it's very important that kids get vaccinated," says Blanchard.
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Just a reminder to all families who want to get their child exempt from vaccines, you'll need plenty of time to get approved. You can't get that online, it will come through the mail in writing, and it's done on a first come, first served basis, so it can take a while, so it's important plenty of time to receive the paperwork.
Jasmine Govea is making sure her daughters are ready for school.
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"So, right now it is time for my girls to get their dental check-ups because they go twice a year. They do get yearly checkups for their eyes, so I know she has mentioned her eyes and is getting checked before school because she's so excited about the sixth grade," says Govea. Doctors like that plan! Every year, teachers complain that students struggle in class and don't realize it's poor vision causing their problems. "In order to learn well, you must be well, which is our motto. Children need to be able to see the blackboard, they need to be able to see to read," explains Ramirez. "If you pass your eye exam, then you're golden, but if you do have an abnormal vision exam, then we recommend seeing an eye doctor," states Blanchard. Then students might need to get glasses or contact lenses to see properly.
Don't forget about taking care of those pearly whites! "It impacts their confidence level! So that's where the dental aspect of it comes in. If they have their teeth and they're not in pain and they're clean and they have a healthy smile, it just builds their confidence and the child being well! Vision, dental, physically, mentally - a lot of people forget about the anxiety part of it," says Ramirez. Feeling good overall does help students succeed!
Finally, for all children who need to take medication to school, you'll not only need to meet with the school nurse to provide that medication, but also have a doctor's note to go along with it, whether it's an EpiPen or Advil. By putting your kids' medical plans in place before school, you can relax and enjoy the rest of summer break!
Click here for more information and click here to learn more about Legacy Community and its locations. Call
The number to schedule appointments is (832) 548-5000.