Preventative healthcare is the proactive approach to wellness.
As we navigate life amidst a global pandemic, staying atop of your health is even more important than ever. Knowing more about chronic conditions that affect your body, screening for cancer, and effectively managing diseases such as diabetes care are among the proper precautions every adult should be taking.
While essential screenings are important for all individuals, Faith Community Health System (FCHS) reminds adults in the community to schedule annual wellness visits.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), regular health exams, screenings and tests can help medical providers find problems in patients before they in advance.
When individuals have a proactive role in their healthcare, they have a better chance at catching diseases and chronic conditions early. Wellness visits are the perfect opportunity to talk about your health risks with a medical provider and identify conditions before they become deadly.
The CDC estimates that fewer than half of American adults, age 65 or older, and fewer than a quarter of adults, ages 50 to 64, receive the recommended level of preventative health services such as immunizations, cancer and cardiovascular screenings.
An annual wellness exam is a yearly appointment with your primary care provider to review your health status and develop a personalized preventative healthcare plan tailored to you. These exams typically review height and weight changes; check for possible diseases that could be treated early; update necessary immunizations; and order laboratory screenings that check cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar levels.
Before your next wellness visit, review your family health history and write down any new conditions or diseases that have occurred in your family since your last visit. If you have put off any health screenings previously recommended, it is important that you share that information with your physician. Lastly, think about any symptoms you have been experiencing or questions you might want to ask your physician.
Annual wellness visits are the perfect opportunity to talk with your primary care provider about your overall health and get answers to all the health and wellness questions you may have
Medicare and most private health insurance plans cover the cost of preventative wellness visits once a year.
For more information about annual wellness visits, or to find a local medical provider, please contact a FCH Rural Health Clinic in Jacksboro, Bowie, or Alvord.
