The importance of preventive care

Did you know that within the first year of a child’s life, he or she should see a doctor for a well-child visit seven times?  These frequent but critical visits – known as preventive care – are the optimal way to track children’s growth and development, to administer required shots that keep children healthy, and to provide an opportunity to ask the doctor questions about children’s health.

A guest column (“Preventive care very important for healthy kids”) by Partnership Board Member and social worker at Duke Children’s Primary Care David Covington appearing in today’s Herald-Sun makes the case for preventive care. The piece promotes the importance of ensuring families have health insurance and a regular health care provider; ensuring primary care providers use standardized developmental screenings during well-child visits; and, educating parents on developmental milestones during routine well-child visits. 

Click here to read the column in full.

Link to our brochure online: Healthy & Ready: A Guide to Preventive Care.  Spanish version.

Click here to read more about the Partnership’s Kindergarten Health Assessment (KHA) Project.