Preventative Care Specialist

What is preventive care?

Preventive care consists of services like regular physical exams, screenings, and patient counseling that are designed to detect problems or illnesses at an early stage. When you take advantage of preventive care, your medical team keeps track of your health on a continuous basis. Preventive care is one of the best ways that you can take control of your health and stay well for a lifetime.

What are some preventive care services?

The integrated health care team at Midwest Regional Health Services offers preventive care services for babies, children, and women and men of all ages. Some preventive care services may include:

Preventive care for children (ages 0-21):

• Regular exams for newborns to 2 years
• Annual well-child exams and screenings for children over 2 years
• Blood, bilirubin, and hypothyroidism screening for newborns
• Developmental screening for children under 3 years
• Behavioral assessments
• Depression screening after age 12
• Immunizations
• Vision testing

Adolescents who are sexually active can undergo screenings for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).

Preventive care for all adults:

• Annual physical examination and screenings
• Blood pressure, cholesterol, and colorectal cancer screenings
• Depression screening
• Alcohol and drug abuse screening and treatment
• Immunizations
• STD and hepatitis screenings
• Diet counseling 
• Fall prevention for adults over age 65

Preventive care for women only:

• Annual well-woman exam
• Contraception
• Anemia screening
• Prenatal folic acid supplements
• STD screening
• Gestational diabetes screening
• Urinary tract infection (UTI) screening
• Annual mammograms 

Your insurance may cover some or all preventive care services.

Why is preventive care so important?

When you take advantage of annual exams and screenings, your health care team is able to catch problems early, so you can get the treatment you need at a stage when it’s most likely to be successful. Many diseases and illnesses are more difficult to treat at later stages.

Regular preventive care also gives you the chance to develop a long-term, trusting relationship with your medical team. Then whenever you have a problem or troubling symptom, you already have someone you can reach out to for help.

To find out more about how to use preventive care to keep yourself and your family healthy, call Midwest Regional Health Services today or use the online scheduler.