Seems like school just let out and already we’re getting ready to go back! Whether it’s your child’s first year of school or your little ones are simply returning to classes, there’s another list to think about other than the school supplies list – the medical needs list.
Has your child received all necessary immunizations? Check with your pediatrician or school system for requirements. Has his or her vision been checked? Have you filled out all the forms the school requires, such as emergency contact and health information forms? Do you have a child with medical problems? If so, then there’s even more to consider.
Sending your child to school for the first time or to a new school is scary for many parents, but it can be even more so if your child has chronic medical issues, such as food allergies, asthma, diabetes or seizures. You might also want to discuss how his medical problems may affect his work at school. According to the Texas State Department of Education, talking with school personnel and having an action or treatment plan may help things run more smoothly.
• Will the teachers know what to do if your child has a seizure or an asthma attack?
• Do school personnel know what foods to keep away from your child that suffers food allergies?
• Do you have his medications available at school? If so, does the school know what medications he should take and when he is supposed to take them?
• Who do you contact at school to discuss these medical problems, and what if that person is unavailable? What is the backup plan?
• Does the school have a treatment plan and know what to do if the condition worsens?
• Are your own emergency contact numbers current? Do you have a plan in case of emergency?

According to Toby Hamilton, M.D., CEO of Emerus, having regular contact with the school nurse or other school personnel is a good idea. “Especially if your child has a serious or potentially life- threatening condition, you need to be in constant touch,” Dr. Hamilton said. “While you want your child to be treated as normally as possible, you do want to be sure that everyone knows what to do in an emergency.”

For many kids, back-to-school is a great time to learn about sharing with one another. For parents, this is a great time to discuss things that shouldn’t be shared – bugs and germs, for example. Parents need to be vigilant and do some at-home health education with their kids before the first school bell rings.
“Preventable illness spreads like wildfire during the school year,” said Toby Hamilton, M.D., CEO of Emerus. “This is the time parents need to educate kids on washing their hands and help them understand why they shouldn’t share things like combs and brushes with their friends.”
Kids should wash their hands before eating and after using the restroom. A good rule of thumb for the length of washing time is to hum the “Happy Birthday” song twice to themselves while scrubbing and rinsing. A sanitizing gel can also be used, if parents teach kids proper usage of the gel and pack a small bottle in their child’s backpack. By reducing germs, kids can have a hand in reducing epidemics like the flu or other viral and bacterial illnesses.
Another school-year epidemic is lice. This bug that lives on the scalp spreads rapidly when children share combs or brushes with each other, or braid one another’s hair. Teach children that hair and hair products are hands-off, no matter how good the friend!
“Parents can greatly influence their child’s hand-washing routine and how they interact with their classmates,” said Dr. Hamilton. “Teaching them good hygiene habits is one of the most important things they can learn to stay healthy now and as they grow up.”

It’s not surprising that the Fourth of July holiday, with its spectacular celebrations, is the highlight of summer in America. But summer is also known as “trauma season” among healthcare professionals, in part because of the thousands of children who wind up in emergency rooms from injuries caused by fireworks.

It’s not only kids playing with fireworks directly that cause the injuries. Often, it’s other children or adults around an innocent child who unintentionally cause harm.

Most injuries occur in the few weeks around July 4th, when celebrations crank up. Almost half of the injuries reported are to children under the age of 15, with burns being the most common injury. While firecrackers are the worst offender, rockets and sparklers follow closely behind.

Sparklers? Yes, sparklers. They are not the “safe” alternative you might have believed. In fact, the temperature of a sparkler can reach over 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit, which can easily cause permanent damage from intense burns.

Sparklers cause half of the injuries to children under the age of five, and 10 percent of fireworks-related injuries overall.

How to avoid injuries from fireworks? Emerus physicians offer one foolproof tip, based on personal experience: Get a nice, big blanket and some lawn chairs, and head for your community fireworks show.

As school winds down for the summer, the number of injuries kids experience from wheeling around on things like skateboards, scooters, bicycles and inline skates tends to go up.

At Emerus 24 HR Emergency Room facilities, we see more injuries to kids’ arms and wrists, including breaks and sprains, this time of year. We also treat children who experience unnecessary head trauma because they are not wearing protective gear.

Here’s how to help keep your child from rolling into the ER.

Make wearing a helmet mandatory for children participating in wheeled activities. Before they can roll, their heads must be protected.
Ensure that the helmet fits snugly, is not tilted back when worn, and does not wobble side to side. Always buy a properly sized helmet, not one for a child to “grow into.” Note that helmets for bicycle riding and skateboarding offer different protection, so it’s important to have one of each for any child who engages in both sports.
Invest in wrist guards and kneepads to help protect other injury-prone areas, and ensure your child wears them correctly.
Leave the iPod or other MP3 devices – anything listened to via headphones – at home. Kids should never wear headphones when riding or rolling.
Model good behavior. If you want your child to wear a helmet, you need to wear one, too. If you tell your child no headphones while riding, that means you, too. Safety first!
Treat wheeled shoes with the same rules you would a skateboard or inline skates: always ensure your child wears protective equipment. Using them as everyday, casual footwear rather than sports gear can easily lead to injury.
Keep kids under 10 on the sidewalk rather than in the street when they’re riding their bicycles or scooters. They can lose control much more easily at that age, and their cognitive reasoning and impulse-control skills are not yet developed enough to interact with regular traffic.

Heat exhaustion and heat stroke are dangerous summer maladies that can easily strike even the hardiest long-time Texans in the summer.

At Emerus, we treat many victims each year, and we can assure you that your ability to thrive in the heat of a Texas summer isn’t simply a question of how many summers you’ve endured extreme heat. It’s a matter of conditioning, age, your ability to acclimate and a host of other factors. It pays to know the signs and symptoms of heat-related conditions so you can take action.

Heat exhaustion is a form of shock due to depletion of body fluids. Treatment consists of getting the affected person to a cool place out of the sun for rest and rehydration. Heat stroke, however, is a more serious medical condition characterized by very high body temperatures, bizarre behaviors, confusion or collapse. In this case, immediate medical care is essential. Dehydration due to drinking alcohol also can contribute significantly to heat exhaustion and heat stroke.

Symptoms of heat exhaustion can include thirst; nausea; body cramping; light-headedness; paleness; headaches; cool, moist skin and fast, shallow breathing. If these symptoms are ignored, in as little as 10 minutes they can turn to heat stroke, which is characterized by extremely high body temperature (103 degrees or higher); hot, dry skin; dizziness; nausea or vomiting; even confusion or unconsciousness. If left unchecked, heat stroke can cause damage to internal organs, or even death.

Summer is meant to be fun. Keep it that way by taking care to stay hydrated and limit your time out in the sun, especially for those most at risk, including the elderly, people with heart conditions, children and student athletes.