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As the country continues to curb COVID-19, keeping space between yourself and others can help save lives—especially among those with respiratory problems or diabetes. However, as the new school year starts, both children and parents are learning to change their daily activities to fit the social distancing guidelines. If the return of class and homework has you looking for strategies to create structure while staying home, here are several effective and engaging ways to help kids adapt.

How Parents Can Create Structure While Home With Kids

1. Create a Routine

While most activities will be taking place at home, your family should still follow a routine that promotes balance. For instance, when school finishes for the day, you should limit the time your kids spend in front of screens. Instead, encourage engaging activities, such as reading, painting, or cooking.

Also, sticking to regular wake and sleep patterns helps children develop a balanced circadian rhythm. This ensures that they get enough rest each night to support their immune health, energy levels, and development.

2. Tackle Home Projects

When boredom strikes, think about ways you and your kids can make your home a better place to live—such as by starting a garden, painting the walls, organizing the playroom, or raking the lawn.

Pursuing these activities together will help your children feel more accomplished and develop a greater appreciation for the home. It will also reinforce lessons on teamwork, which kids may be missing when they aren’t in the classroom with their peers.

3. Prioritize Physical Activity

By staying active, your child will strengthen their heart and muscles. Regular fitness will also help them relieve stress, as well as prevent obesity and diabetes.

Ideally, children should get about an hour of activity each day. To make the experience more engaging, introduce your child to a mix of fun indoor and outdoor activities. For example, you could go on family hikes, create an obstacle course, or start learning yoga.

4. Practice Patience

If your child gets frustrated or expresses negativity, you should be patient and gently encourage them toward positive thoughts. Whenever tense moments happen, encourage your family to take a break, practice rhythmic breathing, and channel energy into productive activities. These steps can help reduce stress and make adapting to being home easier.

 

Keeping your family healthy and happy isn’t a task you have to take on your own. Our team at Coryell Health in Gatesville, TX, offers compassionate and accessible medical services to tend to physical and mental wellness for adults and children. We provide immunizations and routine checkups to ensure everyone in your home is healthy. We also offer specialized medical services to help manage diabetes and other chronic conditions. Visit our health center online to learn more about our services. Call us at (254) 865-2166 to schedule an appointment.

Steve Liebing, DO, family medicine physician, joined Coryell Health August 2020. Dr. Liebing, originally from Pasco, Washington, graduated from Brigham Young University – Idaho with a bachelor of science degree in exercise science. He continued his medical education at the A.T. Still University- Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed his training with Waco Family Medicine Residency Program, where he served as Chief Resident.

Dr. Liebing grew up on a farm and has a special interest in rural and underserved medicine, as well as behavioral health.

When not practicing medicine, Dr. Liebing enjoys spending time with his wife and children, woodworking, hunting, fishing, and cooking.

Dr. Liebing is accepting new patients at Coryell Health Medical Clinic, Building 2. To book an appointment call (254) 865-2166 or to find out more about Dr. Liebing, please visit https://coryellhealth.org/physicians/steven-liebing-do/.

The latest surge in COVID-19 cases in our community has presented the challenge of meeting increased demand for COVID-19 convalescent plasma, an experimental treatment for seriously ill COVID-19 patients.  Daily orders from our area hospitals for convalescent plasma exceed available inventory.

As a blood drive coordinator we appreciate the direct connection you have with both blood donors and the community.  We have all come to know friends, family members or co-workers who have been diagnosed and recovered from COVID-19.

Your help is needed to recruit recovered COVID-19 patients to share their immunity and become convalescent plasma donors.  Please share this informational sheet within your organization.  It is a simple process to register to donate, and the community’s need is great.  To learn more about how to help provide plasma for treating COVID-19, visit here.

A couch is a cozy spot for kids to spend their time. However, if your little one is lounging too often, they may not be getting enough exercise. Routine fitness is necessary to help growing children avoid numerous health risks—such as obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure. Specifically, children should get at least one hour of physical activity a day. If you want to help your child become more active, here are a few strategies.

5 Tips to Jump-Start Your Child’s Physical Activity

1. Get Involved

Set a reliable example for your children by participating in exercises on your own, as well as with them. Some easy family activities include playing catch in the park, walking the dog, going for bike rides, or taking a hike in nature. These are fun ways to introduce fitness to your child without making it seem like a workout. A fun and easy way to have active fun together is to prop up the iPad or other device and follow along with kids yoga videos, like this one https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZpkRAcgws4.

2. Make It Fun

If your child has a short attention span or doesn’t like standard sports, look for ways to mix-up their activities and make them more exciting. One way is to make fitness a game—such as by creating an outdoor scavenger hunt.

Many fun toys can also keep kids moving—such as chalk to play hopscotch, bouncy balls for tossing, and jump ropes to see how long they can go without stopping.

 

3. Stay Positive

Negative language won’t motivate your kids and can add extra stress to the situation. Instead, focus on positive encouragement that shows your little one the importance of exercise. For example, you can compliment them on their performance and say how proud you are of their efforts. Stuck inside? Try headstands, jumping rope, build a furniture obstacle course, and have wheelbarrow, crab or bear-walk races. Even older kids will want to get in on the fun!

4. Limit Screen Time

Reducing the time your child spends looking at digital screens gives them less incentive to lounge around the house. Consult with their pediatrician to see how much screen time is appropriate for their age. Then, try to keep televisions, smartphones, and tablets away until your child exercises for the day.

5. Set a Schedule

Between parents’ full-time jobs and kids’ hectic school schedules, it can be challenging to find time for health and wellness activities. However, by incorporating exercise into the schedule, you can make the activity as important as other daily essentials—such as eating breakfast, brushing teeth, or doing homework.

If you’re worried about your child’s fitness level, talk to one of our caring physicians at Coryell Health. We offer primary and specialty care for patients of all ages throughout Gatesville, TX.  For more details on our services for the entire family, visit us online. Call (254) 865-2166 to schedule an appointment.

As an organization, we continue to grow, have new positions open, and new faces to welcome to Coryell. With these changes in mind, we wanted to share glimpse of some of our nursing leadership team. These nurses from across our campus not only manage their own nursing teams, but they are not afraid to roll up their sleeves and give assistance to patients or fellow staff members. Leading by example while working side by side with their amazing nurse teams they continue to be on the front lines during COVID-19 pandemic. Thank you to all our Coryell Health nurses and care teams. Because of you, we live in a happier, healthier world.

#TeamCoryellHealth

Whether your child is entering preschool, kindergarten or heading off to high school, the beginning of the school year is a good time to schedule your child’s annual physical.

“For a lot of families, the yearly physical is the only time they come into our office because their children are generally healthy otherwise,” said Diedra Wuenschel, DO, Coryell Health Medical Clinic Director and Chief of Medical Staff. “However, a back-to-school visit is very important. We include a head-to-toe physical exam, review a patient’s health history, and discuss any concerns about diet, exercise, sleep or school performance.”

The exam begins with checking a patient’s vital signs, height and weight, progress on the growth chart, and hearing and vision tests. Practitioners will also discuss immunization schedules with parents. If vaccines are warranted, they are administered after the exam.

“A sports physical can count as the yearly physical,” she said. “We check all the muscle groups and make sure the kids are fit to play sports, and we sign any necessary sports clearance forms,” adds Dr. Wuenschel.

Regardless of the age of the child, preventative care is essential to getting a healthy start to the school year and beyond.

“We encourage all parents to make that yearly well child appointment as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics,” Dr. Wuenschel said. “Even if your children are currently healthy, it’s important to maintain their health. A regular checkup at the start of the school year is an excellent start.”

To schedule an appointment or find out more, please call Coryell Health Medical Clinic at (254) 865-2166.

Coryell Health COVID-19 Screening Team were pleasantly surprised when a Leaird’s Furniture truck arrived carrying a new Port-a-Cool evaportating water cooler to help them beat the heat while keeping us all safe. We would like to extend a big thank you to the sponsors of the Port-a-Cool: First National Bank of Evant & Gatesville, The Gatesville Lion’s Club and Leaird’s Furniture!

Plasma collected from individuals like you that have recently recovered from COVID-19, can provide hope to a currently ill COVID-19 patient. Even though it is still experimental, convalescent plasma has been approved for emergency use in the management of COVID-19. Coryell Health has partnered with Carter Bloodcare because they are the only blood company that keeps all donations local. When you give blood, you are literally saving your friends and neighbors lives with your donation.

Requirements for convalescent plasma donors:

• Have had a positive test result for COVID19 or antibodies
• No symptoms for 90 days
• Meet regular blood donation guidelines

Are you ready to save lives? You can give plasma every 14 days.

Visit the Carter BloodCare website to check eligibility and register at www.carterbloodcare.org.

#Give4Life

In addition to monitoring heart and blood pressure and testing for diabetes, physicians use this annual visit to discuss diet, exercise options, provide pediatric vision screenings, and testing for cholesterol and anemia.
It’s also a good chance to address important questions or concerns you have as a parent, especially with teenagers, including adolescent issues of substance use such as drinking, smoking, drugs, sexual activity, and depression.

The sports physical is an opportunity to address exercise-specific issues, including injuries, nutrition, training and exercise programs, and even attitudes toward sports participation in the course of the exam.
Your physician can also advise your child if he or she is already involved in an exercise and training program. Overuse and overtraining injuries continue to be huge problems among young people.
If you are struggling with things like making ends meet, navigating special education services at school, finding local extracurriculars or general community support, or frankly a referral for your own care―talk with your physician.
Parenting is hard work; this is even more reason to set aside one day a year for you and your child to have your wellness visits. If you would like to schedule an appointment with one of our medical providers, please call (254) 865-2166.

Coryell Health expands Pain Management services to Waco, TX. Pain management specialist, Richard Hurley, MD, is overseeing Mrs. Sherri Davidson, at the medical clinic’s location on Franklin Avenue. As a team, they bring a combined forty years of experience diagnosing and treating different causes of pain.

“Mrs. Davidson’s training as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse and Acute Care Nurse Practitioner will continue to serve her well, providing our patients with comprehensive, integrated, evidence-based assessment and treatment of pain,” says Dr. Hurley. “Our Rapid Appointment Program allows patients to be seen much faster, next day or even same day, in some cases. We have so many patients making the drive over from Waco, but now they can see Mrs. Davidson quickly and conveniently.”

A native of Central Texas, Mrs. Davidson, attended McLennan Community College where she completed her associate nursing degree. She received her bachelor and master of science degrees in nursing from University of Texas at Arlington.  In addition to having experience in ICU and hospitalist coverage, she has ten years of pain management experience.

Mrs. Davidson is now practicing at Coryell Health Medical Clinic – Waco and accepting new patients. Please call (254) 865-2166 for appointments and ask about our Rapid Appointment Program.

Central Texas is prime breeding ground for rattlesnakes and summer is the height of snake bite season. Getting bit by a venomous snake can be very scary, and can lead people to react in exactly the wrong way.

How should a person respond to a snake bite? Read how Emma Lee Burks was bit by a snake when she was only seven-years-old while playing hide and seek with her brother and cousins.

Emma Lee Burks’ Story, as told by her mother and father.

On September 1, 2018, Emma climbed in a small tree in the backyard. When she came down from the tree, she landed too close to a snake and was bitten twice on the instep of her right foot. She immediately found her dad and told him she had been bitten by a snake.  Emma’s father, Jeffrey Burks, trained paramedic, drew two circles around the fang marks on her foot and wrote the time. Burks’ medical training kicked in, “This is so the medical professionals could document the swelling. I knew she needed to get to the closest ER with CroFab antivenin, as fast as possible,” recalls Jeffrey Burks, Emma’s dad and paramedic, “Time is your enemy in a venomous snake bite situation and the faster she received appropriate medical treatment, the better off she would be.” Emma was not sure of the type of snake that bit her. The Coryell Health ER staff drew blood to check her platelets and other blood clotting factors.

“Blood work showed Emma’s platelets were low which can be concerning for a possible venomous snake bite,” recalls Burks. “Coryell Health Emergency Department Doctor and nurses started her on CroFab antivenin and only then did they arrange her transport to a children’s hospital for further treatment.

It is important to know the closest hospital in your area that carries CroFab. As a paramedic, I was aware that CroFab could treat rattlesnake, cottonmouth and copperhead bites, so you don’t have to know for certain which one it was, although we believed it was a rattlesnake that bit Emma.” Due to the quick thinking of her dad and the Coryell ER staff, only an hour lapsed from the time Emma Lee was bitten until she received her first dose of CroFab.

After a full recovery and two years later you would never know she was bitten. Emma’s mother recalls that upon return from the hospital, Emma immediately ran outside barefoot. “I believe Emma watches more than before, but we don’t want to live in fear.  We know what to do and thankfully, she has no scars – just her story!”

What Should You Do if You or Someone Else is Bitten by a Snake

While snakes typically try to avoid humans and only bite when they feel threatened, nearly three million people worldwide are poisoned every year after experiencing a venomous bite. Only a fraction of these bites are fatal, but toxins in snake venom can trigger serious medical emergencies that occur within hours; they can cause organ failure, uncontrollable bleeding, severe tissue destruction and paralysis that may restrict breathing, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

“With some types of snakes, like rattlesnakes, redness and pain at the bite site develop within minutes, while with other venomous snakes, such as copperheads, the symptoms may take longer to appear. Don’t wait to see what kind of bite you may have, call 911 so EMS can take you to closest appropriate Emergency Room,” says Daniel Lay, Coryell Health EMS, EMT-P Deputy Chief.

“Before the patient reaches a medical facility, the wound should be kept clean and the affected limb should be elevated to reduce the effects of the venom. If the victim or a bystander has a fitness tracker, they can use it to monitor heart rate,” adds Lay. “If you’ve been bitten by a snake and you’re transported by EMS after a call to 911, the responders will be sure to take you to a hospital that has antivenin. If you’re driving yourself, that’s another variable in the equation of ‘did you drive to a place that doesn’t stock the anti-venom’, and that would be time and tissue lost.”

After being bitten, remaining calm and still can also help to slow the venom’s spread, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says.

What NOT to Do if You or Someone Else is Bitten by a Snake “Despite what movie and TV Westerns would have you believe, victims of snake bite shouldn’t try to suck out the venom from the bite site or release it by cutting themselves,” stresses Lay. “After a bite, venom floods the body’s tissues and is impossible to remove through suction. Cutting is equally useless for venom extraction and can result in serious injury,” he adds.

“You shouldn’t ice the bite, use steroids or consume alcohol, and do not apply a tourniquet, if bitten by a native North American snake. It is a less is more- until you get medical care- type of situation. There’s a lot of things people do that aren’t going to help a snakebite, and could potentially make it much worse.”

Resources and Contributions

Special thank you to Emma’s parents, Marlena Tippit and Jeffrey Burks, for sharing her story so others will know how to respond in a similar situation.

Locate a CoFab hospital near you

Prevent or Respond to Snake Bite|Natural Disasters … – CDC

This pandemic has put many things on hold, but your child’s health doesn’t have to be one of them. It is critical for you and your family to keep up your wellness checks and immunizations.

Currently you can see a physician in-office or have a virtual visit with Coryell Health Telehealth.

Our children of today are tomorrow’s future. Let’s join together to get them there safely.

Call (254) 865-2166 to schedule an appointment. Follow the latest updates here https://coryellhealth.org/press-releases/about-us/news/press-releases