It’s time to schedule school physicals and immunizations

Yes, back-to-school time is just around the corner. And if you schedule your child’s back-to-school physical check-up now, you can beat the rush that’s certain to happen. While summer is a busy time for parents and kids, it can also be a good time for a check-up and immunizations before school starts. Calling to make an appointment a few weeks ahead can ensure a convenient appointment with your youngster’s provider.

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

August is National Immunization Awareness Month, an annual observance to highlight the importance of vaccination for people of all ages. And this year it’s an especially good time to stay up to date with your child’s vaccine schedule, UHS’ pediatricians advise.

If a pediatric patient becomes vulnerable to vaccine-preventable diseases and is then infected with COVID-19, they are at an increased risk of serious complications. But some vaccines protect against serious bacterial infections like pneumococcal disease. If a child gets COVID and gets pneumococcal pneumonia, the odds of complications rise.

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 that vaccines don’t just help keep your child healthy–they can bestow herd immunity, protecting immunocompromised individuals in our families, neighborhoods and communities.

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

You can find an immunization schedule on the UHS website at: nyuhs.org/care-treatment/pediatrics/. You will be guided through the process of check-ups 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.