If 2020 taught us one thing, it’s the importance of protecting and caring for our physical well-being. As your student prepares for the New Year, help them continue to make their health a priority, not just to prevent COVID-19, but to help them live their best life.
Here are a few ways you can help your student have a healthy and happy 2021:
- Remind your student to schedule an annual physical and wellness profile. Even if your student is free from chronic health concerns and leads a generally healthy lifestyle, they should continue to get an annual checkup. Rather than make an appointment on their behalf with your family doctor, encourage them to make the appointment on their own and with a provider in Lincoln. This helps them gain experience accessing health care on their own and lets them establish a relationship with a local provider in case issues arise in the future. The University Health Center is a great on-campus resource for this need.
- Talk to your student about your family medical history. Is your student aware of the conditions and diseases that run in your family? If not, set aside a few minutes to talk to your student about this. Students will need to share this information when they access health care in the future. This knowledge also helps them develop healthy habits now so they can reduce their risk of developing the same condition or disease later in life. The US Surgeon General’s “My Family Health Portrait” is a useful online tool to help you collect family history information for your student.
- Ensure your student has a copy of their current immunization records. Your student submitted their immunization records when they were admitted to UNL, but do they have a physical copy on hand? If not, contact your family doctor and request a certified copy for your student to keep. They will need to bring it the next time they visit the doctor. This helps ensure they get any missing immunizations from childhood and any immunizations that are needed routinely, such as a tetanus-diphtheria booster or an annual flu shot.
- Help them restock their first aid kit. Remind your student to audit their first aid kit supplies. If they were sick in the fall, they may have used up some or all of their common medicines, such as acetaminophen, ibuprofen and cough drops. If they are running low on their supplies, send them a care package to help them replenish their kit or encourage them to visit the University Health Center pharmacy where they can purchase these products at a discounted rate.
- Remind them to schedule other routine health care appointments. In addition to annual physicals, adults should have a reproductive health exam and an eye exam once per year. They also need a biannual dental exam and cleaning twice per year. It’s best to schedule these types of appointments at the top of the year so that students can have them marked on their calendar before their year becomes busy with school, work and other activities. Many of these preventive care services are available at the University Health Center for your student’s convenience.
If your student has a health care need, let them know they can contact the University Health Center. Both in-person and telehealth care is available. Students can call 402.472.5000 to schedule an appointment or
More details at: https://health.unl.edu