Happy 4th of July

Happy 4th of July! We hope you have a very safe and fun holiday. We will be seeing urgent sick patients only on Friday July 4th. Our phones will turn on at 8:30 tomorrow morning and we will book in consecutive order for a few hours that morning to see Urgent sick patients. We will also have our regular Saturday and Sunday clinics to accommodate sick patients over the weekend.  Check out our past post about Fireworks and Sun Safety! Have a wonderful and Safe July 4th weekend!

Preventing Lawn Mower injuries in Children

According to the journal Pediatrics, approximately 9,400 children in the U.S. are treated each year for lawn mower related injuries. These injuries result in loss of fingers, toes, hands, feet and even eyes. Injuries involving lawn mowers can also results in permanent brain injury or death.

These general lawn mower safety tips have been developed by The American Academy of Pediatrics.

--Always prepare your lawn for mowing--Check your lawn for items such as sticks, rocks, toys, sport equipment, dog bones, wire and equipment parts. Make sure miscellaneous items are not hidden in tall grass. The debris could be thrown while mowing, possibly hitting the operators or bystanders
--Check your children--Always make sure children are indoors or at a safe distance from the area you plan to mow.
--Make sure the operator is age appropriate--Children younger than 16 should not be allowed to use ride on mowers. Children younger than 12 should not use or walk behind mowers.
--Handle fuel with care--Always use care when filling the tank with gasoline. Wipe up spills. Start and refuel mowers outdoors, no in a garage or shed. Never fill the tank on a mower that has been operation and is hot. Never smoke or use any type of flame around gasoline.
--Mow forward--Do not pull the mower backward or mow in reverse unless absolutely necessary, and carefully look for children behind you when you mow in reverse.
--Wear protective clothing and shoes--Wear long pants and long sleeved shirts, close fitting clothes, eye protection, heavy gloves and hearing protection. Wear sturdy shoes with slip-resistant rubber soles.
--Turn it off--Always turn off the mower and wait for the blades to stop completely before removing the grass catcher, unclogging the discharge  chute or crossing gravel paths, roads or other areas.

Bike Safety Fair

Bike Safety Fair

Saturday, June 28th

10:00 am - 1:00 pm

South Point Pediatrics Parking lot

9071 S 1300 W

One of our offices at Wasatch Pediatrics is holding a Bike Safety Fair this weekend and we wanted to let you know of this fun event!

Safety Clinic Featuring:
-Bike safety stations for the older kids including a track to practice traffic laws.
-Bike course for the younger kids to ride and learn skills and practice bike safety
-Balance bikes to help beginners and kids with physical challenges.
-Helmet fitting and prizes.
-Minor bike maintenance assistance.
-Bring your own bike or try one of ours.
-Raffle for 3 bikes!!!

Don't Miss:
-Princesses will be there to sign autographs and take pictures.
-Face painting
-The Matterhorn French Toast Food truck

Sponsored by:
-South Point Pediatrics
-Jerk's bike shop
-UDOT
-Salt Lake County "Safe Kids"

Asthma Triggers

 

Article Body

We are seeing asthma flare up right now and thought it would be a good idea to go over what to do to help it. Certain things cause asthma “attacks” or make asthma worse.  These are called triggers. Some common asthma triggers are

• Things your child might be allergic to. These are called allergens. (Most children with asthma have allergies, and allergies are a major cause of asthma symptoms.)
• House dust mites
• Animal dander
• Cockroaches
• Mold
• Pollens
• Infections of the airways
• Viral infections of the nose and throat
• Other infections, such as pneumonia or sinus infections
• Irritants in the environment (outside or indoor air you breathe)
• Cigarette and other smoke
• Air pollution
• Cold air, dry air
• Odors, fragrances, volatile organic compounds in sprays, and cleaning products
• Exercise (About 80% of people with asthma develop wheezing, coughing, and a tight feeling in the chest when they exercise.)
• Stress

Be sure to check all of your child’s “environments,” such as school, child care, and relatives’ homes, for exposure to these same things.

Help Your Child Avoid Triggers

While it is impossible to make the place you live in completely allergenor irritant-free, there are things you can do to reduce your child’s exposure to triggers. The following tips may help.

• Do not smoke or let anyone else smoke in your home or car.
• Reduce exposure to dust mites. The most necessary and effective things to do are to cover your child’s mattress and pillows with special allergy-proof encasings, wash their bedding in hot water every 1 to 2 weeks, remove stuffed toys from the bedroom, and vacuum and dust regularly. Other avoidance measures, which are more difficult or expensive, include reducing the humidity in the house with a dehumidifier or removing carpeting in the bedroom. Bedrooms in basements should not be carpeted.
• If allergic to furry pets, the only truly effective means of reducing exposure to pet allergens is to remove them from the home. If this is not possible, keep them out of your child’s bedroom and consider putting a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter in their bedroom, removing carpeting, covering mattress and pillows with mite-proof encasings, and washing the animals regularly.
• Reduce cockroach infestation by regularly exterminating, setting roach traps, repairing holes in walls or other entry points, and avoiding leaving exposed food or garbage.
• Mold in homes is often due to excessive moisture indoors, which can result from water damage due to flooding, leaky roofs, leaking pipes, or excessive humidity. Repair any sources of water leakage. Control indoor humidity by using exhaust fans in the bathrooms and kitchen, and adding a dehumidifier in areas with naturally high humidity. Clean existing mold contamination with detergent and water. Sometimes porous materials such as wallboards with mold contamination have to be replaced.
• Pollen exposure can be reduced by using an air conditioner in your child’s bedroom, with the vent closed, and leaving doors and windows closed during high pollen times. (Times vary with allergens, ask your allergist.)
• Reduce indoor irritants by using unscented cleaning products and avoiding mothballs, room deodorizers, or scented candles.
• Check air quality reports in weather forecasts or on the Internet. When the air quality is poor, keep your child indoors and be sure he takes his asthma control medications.
• Decreasing your child’s exposure to triggers will help decrease symptoms as well as the need for asthma medications.

 If you feel like your child may have asthma please call and schedule an appointment with your Primary Care doctor today. He/She would be happy to help and see if your child has asthma. If you child is having a lot of "flare" ups than you may want to also consider coming in to manage your childs asthma better. Please feel free to contact us for more questions.

**Info from healthchildren.org/ AAP

Helmets are for EVERYONE

Wear a helmet every time you lace up your roller blades or climb on your bike, skateboard, scooter or horse--no matter what your age!

To fit your child's helmet, follow these steps:
1-Place a snug-fitting helmet on the child's head
2-Adjust the helmet straps so the helmet cannot be moved from side to side or back and forth.
3-There should be about one finger width between the chin strap and the child's chin.

Remember to:
1-Ride your bike on the right-hand side of the street
2-Obey all traffic laws, signs, and signals
3-Ride skateboards and scooters on the sidewalk
4-Give cars and pedestrian the right-of-way
5- Wear a helmet and protective clothing, no matter how slowly you are riding, because a fall at any speed can cause severe head injury.

Set an example by wearing a helmet and encouraging your friends to wear them! Remember a helmet only works if you were it!

**info from PCMC

Report says US children are spending less time reading for fun

Summer is right around the corner! We suggest that you make reading a part of the FUN that you do for the summer. Dr Jopling found this wonderful report and wanted to share it. Your local libraries all have summer activites planned for the next few months. Drop by your local library to pick up a schedule and a few "FUN" books while you are there! Have a fun time reading!

A Common Sense Media report showed that 76% of 9-year-olds reported reading for pleasure at least once a week in 2013, down from 81% in 1984. Reading for fun was less prevalent among older children, with approximately a third of 13-year-olds and nearly 50% of 17-year-olds in one study saying they read for fun less than twice a year.
(Reuters Health) - Although American children still spend part of their days reading, they are spending less time doing it for pleasure than decades ago, with significant gaps in proficiency, according to a report released on Monday.
The San Francisco-based nonprofit Common Sense Media, which focuses on the effects of media and technology on children, published the report, which brings together information from several national studies and databases.
“It raises an alarm,” said Vicky Rideout, the lead author of the report. “We’re witnessing a really large drop in reading among teenagers and the pace of that drop is getting faster and faster.”
The report found that the percentage of nine-year-old children reading for pleasure once or more per week had dropped from 81 percent in 1984 to 76 percent in 2013, based on government studies. There were even larger decreases among older children.
A large portion rarely read for pleasure. About a third of 13-year-olds and almost half of 17-year-olds reported in one study that they read for pleasure less than twice a year.
Of those who read or are read to, children tend to spend on average between 30 minutes and an hour daily with that activity, the report found. Older children and teenagers tend to read for pleasure for an equally long time each day.
Rideout cautioned that there may be difference in how people encounter text and the included studies may not take into account stories read online or on social media.
The report also found that many young children are struggling with literacy. Only about one-third of fourth grade students are “proficient” in reading and another one-third scored below “basic” reading skills.
Despite the large percentage of children with below-basic reading skills, reading scores among young children have improved since the 1970s, according to one test that measures reading ability.
The reading scores among 17-year-olds, however, remained relatively unchanged since the 1970s.
About 46 percent of white children are considered “proficient” in reading, compared with 18 percent of black children and 20 percent of Hispanic kids.
Those gaps remained relatively unchanged over the past 20 years, according to the report.
“To go 20 years with no progress in that area is shameful,” Rideout said.
The report highlights some behaviors that have been tied to children being more frequent readers. Those behaviors include parents setting aside time to read with their children and parents reading themselves to model good behavior.

Utah Autism Waiver

 

Accepting New Applications!!!

 

 

From May 4th to May 18th, 2014 the Utah Department of Health will accept applications for the Medicaid Autism Waiver program.

 

This program assists children, ages 2 through 6, who have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.

 

For more information, please contact the Utah Department of Health at 801-538-6357 or visit the website at: http://heath.utah.gov/autismwaiver

 

If you need any help please contact our office and talk to our Home Health Coordinator/RN Noemi

On this website, you will find the following information:

• Documents/criteria needed to qualify
• Services offered in the program
• Sign up for automatic email updates