Champaign-Urbana Public Health District

Facts

The American Academy of Pediatrics encourages families to keep visiting their primary care provider during the pandemic. This includes adolescents too!

Yearly wellness visits with a primary care physician are an extremely important part of preventative care. Wellness visits help provide a more comprehensive exam than simply a sports physical or a school physical would. It allows physicians to perform lab work that may catch health issues early and lead to earlier referrals to specialists. A person who manages their health issues earlier, could decrease the chance of hospital and emergency department visits in the future. If done properly, yearly wellness visits should also begin including a screening for substance abuse and depression starting at age 12. This allows for proper assessment, medication, and referral to treatment if necessary. This is another part of a yearly wellness visit that is not included in a sports or school physical.

Have you taken your child to have a sports physical or a school physical? While those are good, they are not the same as a wellness visit. Wellness visits are more comprehensive than a sports or school physical. If your child needs a sports physical or a school physical, the paperwork for those can be filled out during a comprehensive wellness exam. This is because all of the things that are included in a school or sports physical are also found in a yearly wellness visit. The wellness visit just includes more components.

More Helpful Information

Local Clinic Locations with Primary Care Physicians

For more information about what your teen should expect at their wellness visit, please see our teen health checklist

Wellness visits are still important even during the COVID-19 pandemic. For more information on the importance of routine wellness visits during COVID-19 click here

What You Should Know -- Adolescent Rights and Services:

In Illinois, youth ages 12-17 years old have rights for confidentiality and consent. This means that you do not need to have your parent's permission, or their health insurance, to receive certain services. For more information read our Adolescent Rights and Services flyer

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Need Assistance?

At Champaign-Urbana Public Health District, we are able to help you get your adolescent children between the ages of 12 and 21 years connected to a primary care provider. If you would like assistance getting connected, or need assistance with a Medicaid application, please contact Kelly Flanigan at kflanigan@c-uphd.org or Phone: (217) 531-4332Phone: (217) 531-4332.