Start the Year Off Right With Preventive Care for the Family

If your family is like many others, you only go to the doctor when you’re sick. In a recent survey, 25% of the participants avoided regular check-ups for financial reasons, while others skipped a wellness visit because they couldn’t make time in their busy schedules. 

When you’re feeling perfectly fine, it’s not your top priority to think about a trip to the doctor. Still, preventive care helps you and your family stay well by keeping you from developing an illness or by catching problems early before they progress and threaten your health. For instance, heart disease doesn’t often have symptoms until it advances, but can be caught early when it’s highly treatable.

At Harbor Community Health Centers in San Pedro, California, our skilled team offers primary and preventive care for all ages and stages in your family. In this blog, they categorize and outline how regular preventive care can help you prevent chronic diseases that could shorten your lifespan.

Children and teens

You are your child’s health advocate. We partner with you through each phase of their growth and development by offering comprehensive wellness exams that include:

• Full physical exam
• Immunizations
• Nutrition support
• Behavioral health support

Our team provides a well-child schedule to guide you. Of course, if your child gets sick between check-ups, please make an appointment with our primary care team. 

Adults

Regular check-ups help you head off problems in the early stage or before they even begin. Some of the routine components of a preventive care exam include:

• Annual physical to gauge weight, height, and physical changes
• Update vaccinations
• Colorectal health screening
• Mammogram
• Blood pressure check
• Diabetes screening
• Cholesterol screening
• Osteoporosis screening
• Prostate screening
• Cervical cancer screening
• Lab tests
• Discussing behavioral health symptoms 

At a preventive care appointment, you can also take a pregnancy test, have an intrauterine device (IUD) placed, discuss your birth control options, and talk to your provider about all of your family planning options.

Preventive care partners

Our team of providers is passionate about your health and well-being. We use a whole health model to treat the root of potential and existing problems to help you and your family live healthfully and vibrantly. Our goal is to be your partner in health through all of your changing needs through the years. 

To start your new year with a comprehensive health check-up, call our office in San Pedro, or request an appointment online.