The 5 Ws of Preventative Healthcare with Teresa Pulvermacher

What is Preventive Healthcare?  

It's healthcare you seek before you get sick.  

Why should you schedule a Preventative Care Appointment? 

You visit your healthcare provider to stay healthy. It’s a service that helps you find health problems when they are treatable, and before they cause bigger problems. An example is finding out at your visit that your blood pressure is high. At that point, it's treatable. High blood pressure is a silent killer. If you wait, and don't take part in preventive care, the first time you learn about your blood pressure may be when you have a heart attack or stroke—too late. Same with diabetes. It's not likely that you can discover on your own that your blood sugar is high—preventive care finds the problem before your body starts to show signs of distress. Every organ in your body is affected by high blood pressure or blood sugar—your eyes, your heart, your kidneys, liver, and more. Why wouldn't you want to know so you can do something about it?  

Fast Fact. A preventive care visit is still called a wellness exam, but the Viaro model is new and innovative, and you won’t find this type of care in traditional health services. 

Who Needs a Preventative Care Appointment?   

Preventive care is for everyone of all ages. Just like adults, children need regular well-child and dental visits to track development and find health problems when they are easier to treat. Preventive care includes services like cholesterol and blood sugar screening, dental check-ups, and vaccinations. Barriers to getting this kind of care include cost, not having a primary care provider, living far away from a clinic, or just lack of awareness about preventive services.   

Fast Fact. Viaro makes it possible to access care through many payment methods, including employer-sponsored plans, government plans, insurance, or cash. The obstacles are gone.   

When Should You Make Preventative Care Appointments?   

Regular preventive care visits are separate from those for sickness or injury. Preventive care includes screening to find diseases early, vaccinations that improve your health by preventing diseases, dental cleaning, and education and counseling to help you make informed health decisions. Be prepared for these visits by knowing your family history of diseases and health conditions, and certain behaviors that you may have in common like exercise, or what you eat. If you have a family history of a disease, you're more likely to get the disease yourself.   

If you want to know the preventive care guidelines in detail for you or those you care about, check out these links for Adults, Women, and Children from Healthcare.gov.  

Fast Well-Known Fact. It’s expensive to be sick. Staying healthy will save you money. It’s even more expensive to have a chronic disease you could have prevented—like diabetes, heart disease, obesity, or osteoarthritis.  

Make your visits regularly to stay up to date on cancer screenings as well. Your healthcare provider will help you know when you should be screened for certain cancers. By keeping these visits, you may find breast or colorectal cancers early when treatment is likely to work.   

Fast Fact. If you smoke or vape, you are at high risk for lung cancer and other lung conditions. Viaro can help you move toward a healthier lifestyle with your provider’s support and a solid method. You can set a goal of cutting back or even quitting when you are ready.   

Preventive care visits are for vaccinations as well. It's one of the safest and most convenient ways to help your body fight off infection. Childhood vaccinations may wear off over time, so adults need to keep their vaccination up to date. As an adult, you are also at risk for different diseases that vaccines can prevent.   

Where Should You Go for Preventive Care?  

We teach a lot about the importance of preventive care because it’s the key to making sure you get the recommended services you need at the right time.  Awareness is the first step. You belong at Viaro, and it’s our honor to serve you and our community in this way.  

Teresa Pulvermacher, RN, MSN, FNP-C 

President, ViaroHealth 

For questions or comments, contact wellness@viarohealth.com