Tips and programs to help you and your children stay healthy

By Dr. Lalit Jain, Pediatrician and Dr. Karen Mawn, Pediatrician, Oak Orchard Health Albion 

When it comes to healthcare, it’s important to treat the whole person—body, mind, and spirit. Many things affect your wellness. Physical, emotional, social, spiritual, and environmental factors all matter. That’s where the idea of “integrative medicine” comes from. It’s how providers like pediatricians, doctors, dentists, and therapists at Oak Orchard Health all work together on your care. Integrative medicine combines traditional treatments like medications with therapy and wellness coaching.

Treating the whole family, including children, is important, too. For instance, what affects one family member affects others in your home. Plus, COVID-19 didn’t just affect our physical and mental health at home; it also changed our household routines, from screen time to exercise to schoolwork to sleep habits.

At Oak Orchard Health (OOH), we understand the challenges you and your family face and have the experience to help you stay healthy. 

Supporting new moms and their kids at Oak Orchard Health

From postpartum depression to anxiety, becoming a mother can be stressful. That isn’t something to be ashamed of. These are very common concerns. It’s important to ask for help. Our Mommy and Me program (Healthy Steps in Albion) combines routine office visits with the pediatrician, mental health for parents and caregivers, and social support. We can even provide supplies like diapers and children’s books. The Mommy and Me program also offers friendly people you can trust when talking to others about your changes and challenges. You’re not alone!

Looking out for mental health in young people

Everywhere you look, kids today often struggle with anxiety and depression, which can affect their physical health, too. It’s not always easy to find a therapist. With the recent opening of our Child & Adolescent Wellness Center in Albion and our behavioral health services in Brockport and other locations, Oak Orchard Health is expanding its mental health services so school-age kids up to 21 can see a therapist faster and closer to home.

During routine appointments like physicals or immunizations, we can screen school-age patients for anxiety and depression. If they need mental health services, they’ll get assigned a Care Manager who can get them into therapy, whether through our Wellness Center or a convenient telehealth appointment. Telehealth can also be a great alternative for our busy pediatric population and their families.

Creating a healthier space at home

Just like it’s important to think of yourself as a whole person with different types of healthcare needs, it’s important to think of your whole family, too—the example you set and the routines you put in place for kids affect everyone in the household. For instance, the smartphone age has a big effect on children’s health. We can all get sucked into staring at our screens, from phones to TVs to laptops. That can affect you and your kids.

Here are some helpful tips that can bring balance to your home life.

• Make room in your schedule to be available to talk and give your kids your full attention.
• Include your kids in household routines like family movie nights or cooking healthy meals together.
• Students can be overwhelmed with school activities. Make sure they have some quiet downtime.
• School-aged kids need at least nine hours of sleep. Create a routine that includes turning off their screens an hour before bedtime.
• From bullying to bad information to inappropriate content, social media can be very harmful to young kids and teens. Limit kids’ screen time to two hours daily and use parental controls on devices and apps.

Here for you and your kids

As pediatricians with years of experience, we know what to look for and what to ask. If they aren’t making eye contact with us, facial expressions, fatigue, and simply not talking — often indicate that mental health services are needed. Changes from appointment to appointment are key signs, too. In addition, we often give kids a short questionnaire to help us understand where they are at. They may not want to talk about it and are more comfortable writing it down.

We understand that everything’s connected—not just to physical and mental health but to the health of your whole family. We’re here to support you as your family grows and changes at every step along the way, with caring providers at Oak Orchard Health and helpful support to make home life happier. Call for an appointment at  (585) 589-5613.