Recent Posts in Youth Health

Sick Child? Our Provider Moriah Specht Offers Parents 4 Nuggets of Advice

The following tips are for children 6 months or older –for infants under 6 months, parents are advised to contact their primary care provider (PCP) immediately. What can you do at home? You may treat your child at home if their symptoms are mild, such as, mild cough, fever less than 101˚, nasal drainage, mild sore throat, few episodes of vomiting or diarrhea (without abdominal pain or signs ...

A Special Halloween Treat

Nobody plans to spend time in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit with a new baby – especially during a holiday. But for premature babies born at Catawba Valley Medical Center, Halloween brings a special treat for parents. A holiday seems like a natural time for parents to show off their new arrival, but when their baby demands around-the-clock care, nurses try to make the occasion as special as ...

Urgent Care vs ER vs Primary Care: Where to Go When Your Child is Sick

Whether your child is a newborn or a college student, when he or she gets sick, you will want to know where to turn for medical care. Dr. Ryan Greemann with Catawba Valley Family Medicine – Maiden encourages parents to be prepared before their children get sick by understanding the difference between getting care in an Emergency Room (ER), at an Urgent Care clinic or at a Primary Care ...

A Backpack Guide for Parents

Backpacks are one of the must-have back-to-school items for kids. But, could they be doing more harm than good? Carrying too much weight in a backpack or wearing it incorrectly can place added strain and cause unnecessary pain to your child’s body. The good news is that as parents, you can take steps to help children load and wear backpacks the correct way to avoid health problems. How can ...

Distracted Driving - An Alarming Trend

Vehicles were made for transportation, serving as a way to get passengers safely from point A to point B. However, with our busy lives and over-full schedules we often treat them like a sort of mobile dining room/bathroom/office combo. Driving demands are full attention requiring the use of our visual, auditory, manual and cognitive skills. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety ...

College Students Vulnerable to Meningitis Virus

Warning parents, your college students may consider moving back home for the rest of their freshman year after reading this. The American Medical Association (AMA) recently published a study, conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), reporting that college freshmen living in dorms were more than seven times as likely to acquire the infection leading to meningitis than ...

Treating Ear Infections in Children

Ear infections in children are often the result of a condition known as acute otitis media (AOM). The problem often begins when infections that cause sore throats, colds, or other respiratory problems spread from the nose or the throat up the eustachian tube. The infections can be viral or bacterial. The tube, which is designed to drain fluids from the middle ear, then gets blocked. The infection ...

Playing it Safe on the Playground

It’s that time of year again, the weather is warming up and kids are itching to be outdoors. “Going to the park is a great way for families to enjoy a spring day and perfect for children to get plenty of exercise,” said Kayla Hefner, Health First Center Health Promotion Specialist. “With all the fun activities parks and playgrounds can provide, we must make sure we’re ...

Healthy Tips for Sugarcoated Traditions

‘Tis the season of sugarcoated traditions — from Halloween’s Trick-or-Treat bags overflowing with candy to the lavish meals filled with pies, cookies and decadent snacks whipped up for Thanksgiving and Christmas gatherings with family and friends, and of course you can’t forget Valentines Day’s sweet exchanges and the Easter Bunny’s baskets of goodies. Sweets ...

6 Tips For A Healthy Holiday Season

‘Tis the season for holiday gatherings, delicious treats and special traditions. Unfortunately it’s also one of the busiest times for urgent care and emergency rooms too. “Amidst the craziness of the holiday season, parents might fail to notice something that may lead to injury that could have been prevented,” said Nurse Practitioner, Carrie Herman of Catawba Valley Family ...