The Daily Record
Get Ahead Of The Game: New Law Requires School Health Assessments
From the Harnett County Department of Public Health
As this school year comes to a close, summer vacations and other fun activities are gearing up. It’s a busy time of year, but also an important time to make sure your child is ready to head back to school in August. A new North Carolina state law requires that all children entering North Carolina public schools for the first time in grades kindergarten through 12th grade have a physical exam prior to the school year starting. This means that children of any grade level who have never attended public school in North Carolina before the 2016-2017 school year will have to have a health assessment form completed by a health care provider before the first day of school according to public health officials with the Harnett County Health Department.
The Health Department staff encourages parents and/or guardians of children requiring physicals and immunizations for school to make these appointments early in the summer to prevent any possible delays in your child starting school on time. The Harnett County Health Department provides physical examinations for all grades including kindergarten, sports, college, Headstart/ pre-K, and day care for children from birth to age 21 through the Child Health Clinic.
Regular check-ups can help identify ways to stay healthy and address other health concerns. The Child Health clinic staff consists of Family Nurse Practitioner Melissa McLamb, Physician Assistant Allison Beam and nurses who are all available in clinic Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. All of the registered nurses have also gone through additional training to become Enhanced Role Nurses, which means they are qualified to perform well child physicals. A midlevel provider is always available for sick visits, sports physicals, and to address questions or concerns that may be brought up during your child’s check-up.
While there are state laws requiring certain vaccines to be given to all children entering kindergarten and seventh grade specifically, it is still important to make sure children of all ages have had necessary immunizations before starting back to school. In addition to offering well child check-ups, the Child Health Clinic also provides sick appointments and an immunization clinic. Making sure your child is up-to-date on required immunizations is another important way to help them be ready for the new school year.
All services are available by appointment Monday through Friday from 8 to 11:15 a.m. and 1 to 4:15 p.m. The Health Department accepts Medicaid, Health Choice and some private insurances, including Blue Cross Blue Shield and United Healthcare. An income based sliding scale program is also available for patients without insurance.
For any questions or to make appointments, contact the Harnett County Health Department’s Child Health Clinic at (910) 8937550. The Health Department is located within the Governmental Complex at 307 W. Cornelius Harnett Blvd. in Lillington.
At left, pictured from left are Tabitha Avery, Allison Beam, Melissa McLamb, Lee Harris, second row: Ainsely Johnson, Norma Black, Ashley Pope and LeeAnn Bradely
Submitted Photo
