CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The West Virginia Department of Health (DH) is encouraging parents and families to keep their children up to date on their Well Child Visits.

Well Child Visits are one of the most valuable tools medical professionals have to ensure children in West Virginia are staying healthy, as well as growing and developing appropriately. They also provide parents and guardians routine opportunities to ask their child’s pediatrician questions or share concerns. These health checks are designed to promote regular preventative medical care and facilitate the diagnosis and treatment of any health problems found during a screening, such as utilizing statewide services offered by Birth to Three. 

Visits can begin as early as one week after birth and occur regularly up until the age of 21. In the first year of life, babies should attend seven Well Child Visits. By the age of two, they should have attended 10. Schedules have been established by medical, dental, and other health care experts, including the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

“These health checks are essential to making sure our children are growing as they should, and that we are addressing any issues in their development as early as possible,” shared Department of Health Secretary Sherri Young, D.O., MBA, FAAFP. “We want to provide every child the opportunity to live a healthy life, and starting early is the key.”  

As family schedules free up over the summer months, Dr. Young says now is the perfect time to plan a health check and get a front spot in line for back-to-school immunizations. 

Well Child Visit screenings can include laboratory tests; vision, hearing and developmental screenings; physical exams; immunizations; oral health screenings; health education and more. 

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