Stylish new gym shoes, notebooks with the most popular superhero or princess and the oh-so-important back-to-school outfit top the to-do list for most kids heading back to school. But for parents, some health-related items need to be added to the list.
If your children are entering pre-K, kindergarten, sixth or ninth grade or are new to Illinois or Springfield Public Schools, they need a medical checkup. High school seniors also need the meningococcal vaccine.
For Springfield School District 186, the first day of school is Aug. 22. All required health information is due at that time. If students don’t have the required medical care by Sept. 6, they won’t be allowed to return to school until they receive care. In 2013, more than 700 students in Springfield Public School District 186 were excluded from school because of missing physicals and/or immunizations. District officials urge parents to make an appointment with their child’s pediatrician now.
In 2014, the Keep Kids in School Coalition, a group of local health care providers and district officials, worked together to provide physicals and vaccines for students who had difficulty getting to a doctor. This group is a collaborative effort among Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Springfield Public Schools District 186, Central Counties Health Center, St. John’s College of Nursing, St. Clare’s Health Clinic at Catholic Charities, Sangamon County Department of Public Health, Sangamon County Medical Society and Midwest Technical Institute.
“By keeping these students in school without interruption, it’s not only benefiting the students but also the students’ families and teachers,” said Nalo Mitchell, District 186 Coordinator of School, Family and Community Relations and a member of the Coalition. “This coalition has been a fantastic team effort to help families get their students the required physicals in time for the first day of school.”
To keep kids in school this year, several events are set in August to provide physicals and immunizations for District 186 students. Only students currently attending or entering District 186 are eligible for the physicals. No appointments are necessary for these events. A nominal charge for immunizations will be billed to the parent’s or guardian’s insurance. Sports physicals will not be provided.
The physicals and immunizations will be offered on multiple dates at several Springfield locations:
Aug. 4, Grant Middle School, 1800 W. Monroe St., 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Aug. 4, Washington Middle School, 2300 E. Jackson St., 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Aug. 5, Grant Middle School, 1800 W. Monroe St., 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Aug. 5, Washington Middle School, 2300 E. Jackson St., 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Aug. 13, Springfield High School, 101 S. Lewis St., 9 a.m. – noon
Aug. 30, Sangamon County Dept. of Public Health, 2833 S. Grand Ave. E., 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Janet Albers, M.D., chair of the SIU Center for Family Medicine and a member of the coalition, noted, “Working as partners, the coalition has been able to help students have a healthy start to the school year. We hope parents will make that appointment with their primary care provider to ensure their children get a checkup before school starts.”
Make an appointment with your pediatrician or family physician to ensure that your student starts the school year healthy. Parents who have questions about vaccines should talk with their primary care physician, pediatrician or local public health department.
Lauren Murphy of Springfield is the publicity and promotions specialist at SIU School of Medicine and a member of the Keep Kids in School Coalition.
This article appears in Capital City Parent August 2016.
