As students gear up for summer break, it’s not too early to get a physical or the immunizations they’ll need before school starts again in August.

Incoming kindergarteners and seventh graders are due for routine vaccinations. Junior high and high school students need a physical before they can participate in athletics or marching band.

Cook Children’s neighborhood health centers and pediatric offices can help your family check these items off your to-do list. Make an appointment early in the summer, come in for the required shots or a physical examination, and beat the back-to-school rush.

Amy Medalie, RN, MSN, CPNP advises parents not to postpone scheduling those visits. She wants children and teens to stay on track for their vaccines – or get caught up if they’ve fallen behind.

“This is a topic we talk about all day,” said Medalie, a nurse practitioner at Cook Children’s Neighborhood Health Center Richland Hills. “I tell parents that vaccinations are our best defense at helping prevent illnesses.”

Vaccines to protect against certain contagious diseases – including measles, polio and chickenpox – are safe and effective at stopping the spread. The boosters required in Texas for kindergarten and for seventh grade can usually be administered in one visit to your pediatrician or neighborhood health center.

Before the final school bells ring this May, here’s a quick look at a few key points.

Immunizations

The 2024-2025 Texas Minimum State Vaccine Requirements chart lists in English and Spanish the number of doses that students need. If an incoming kindergartener has missed out on vaccines normally given at age 4, these additional vaccines are due now:

• MMR (measles, mumps and rubella)
• DTaP (diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis)
•  IPV (inactivated poliovirus)
•  Varicella (chickenpox)

And between the ages of 11-12 years, these additional vaccines are due:

• MCV4 (meningitis)
• Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis)

How do vaccines work? If someone who’s been vaccinated comes into contact with that infectious disease, their immune system has already been primed to respond, Medalie said.

“Vaccines teach our bodies to recognize a certain bacteria or virus. If a person is exposed to those bacteria or virus, the immune system is already prepared to fight off infection,” she said.

Sites across Cook Children’s offer a Comfort Menu of items that help patients relax and feel less of a pinch when the needle goes in. Children can request cold spray or a buzzy tool on their skin for comfort and distraction. 

Medalie and her colleagues are happy to answer any questions to provide families with accurate information and reassurance about vaccines.

Sports Physicals

Early summer is also an ideal time to come to Cook Children’s for the physical exam UIL requires before participation in school athletics and activities such as cheerleading and marching band. The form contains two parts:

1. Medical history – a list of yes/no questions about headaches, dizziness, chest pain, seizures, allergies and more. This portion must be filled out every year by the student and parent or guardian.
2. Physical exam – performed by a health care professional to check the student’s lungs, joints, vision, weight, heart rate, blood pressure and more. UIL requires the physical exam before the 7th, 9th and 11^th grades. Some school districts require it annually.

The provider checks one of three options on the form: cleared for participation, cleared after completing additional evaluation or rehabilitation, or not cleared due to concerns.

Medale said the physical exams can identify issues such as irregular heartbeat, vision problems, spine curvature or uncontrolled asthma. A referral might be needed for follow-up testing, such as an electrocardiogram (EKG) if a possible heart rhythm disorder is noticed.

Sports physicals give also teens the chance to ask questions or report any problems that might impact their ability to practice or compete safely. Medalie urges her patients to speak up if something feels off … shortness of breath or a lingering sprain for instance.

“Be honest with yourself and your parents about how you’re feeling, so that you’re not just pushing through something that can contribute to reinjury,” she said.

As a mom, Medalie has seen in her own teens the endurance it takes for marching bands and drill teams to perform in the Texas heat. Connecting with student athletes for physicals early in the summer gives her the chance to remind them to stay hydrated, avoid excessive caffeine, and don’t skip meals.

Three kids have been ejected total, with one child surviving. It probably doesn’t come as a surprise the cause of the tragedies – the children weren’t restrained properly or not at all in their car seat.

Since April 2015, Cook Children’s Trauma team has treated 13 children who were ejected from a car.

Sharon Evans, Trauma/Injury Prevention outreach coordinator at Cook Children’s, says it’s so frustrating because she has seen wrecks where one child who was properly restrained live and the other child not buckled in dies.

“Honestly, it’s just so infuriating,” Evans said. “These accidents are totally preventable. It’s because the adults in the car aren’t doing something that could save their child’s life. I don’t think people think it can happen to them. But it can happen to anyone. It just breaks my heart because these are deaths that shouldn’t occur if people would just place their kid in the proper car seat and buckle them up with a seat belt.”

Statistics show this is especially a problem for Hispanics in the community. Ninety percent of the ejections that have occurred since April 2015 were Hispanic.

“I think a lot of it has to do with our culture,” said Magdalena Santillan, Trauma Injury Prevention specialist at Cook Children’s. “These are people who love their kids and they want to hold their baby. A lot don’t want to hear their baby cry and so it’s easier to hold their baby in the car. They are showing love, but the consequences are too high. This can be a deadly mistake.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, car crashes are a leading cause of death among children ages 3 to 14. From 2002 to 2011, about 9,000 children under the age of 12 died in car accidents, the agency’s statistics show. Correctly using a child safety seat can reduce the risk of death by as much as 71 percent.

“We know that car seats are working,” Evans said. “Research shows that a properly installed rear-facing car seat is five times safer and can dramatically reduce the risk of head, neck and spinal cord injury if your child is involved in a crash.”

Call 682-885-2634 to set up a FREE car seat checkup to ensure your seat is properly installed.

I don’t have to look at a watch to know when it’s time for lunch. At around 11:30 a.m. my stomach starts to grumble. I’m ready to eat.

My gut kicked in once again on a Tuesday when my phone rang at 11 in the morning. It was my son’s school. Trouble.

The school nurse, who I have become all too familiar with, was on the line. She told me “Mr. Jack” had bumped heads with another little boy during a game of tag. Jack bled a bit from his mouth, his gums were swollen and his left front tooth was loose. He wants everyone to know that he didn’t cry.

Overall, he was OK, but now my kindergartner needed to go to the dentist to get checked out. Only one problem – I didn’t know the name of his dentist, what her practice was called or the phone number to reach her. I guess technically, that’s three problems, but you get the idea.

My wife flew to Washington D.C. over the weekend for work. She makes this annual trip and during that time I realize how helpless and hopeless I am. As a product of a single mother, I also tend to make more calls to my mom than normal just to say thanks.

As I write this, my wife’s on her way home, but here’s a quick overview of how the two men in her life fared while she was away:

Saturday – I totally caved and bought Jack unnecessary toys that I would have said no to if I had my wife there to back me up. Honestly, I didn’t want to hear him complain. Wimp. Not him. Me.

Sunday – We had cereal for breakfast, a few chicken nuggets from the golden arches for lunch and a flag football game that afternoon. Then that evening, Jack totally ratted me out to his grandparents at a dinner they made for the two bachelors. “I’m starving,” he said. When asked why, he told my wife’s parents how little he had eaten that day.

Monday – We had cereal for breakfast and dinner. That evening, we went out for Jack to work on his bike riding skills. There’s a challenging hill near our house that he’s had trouble conquering. With his helmet safely on, he asked if I would catch him if he fell. I told him I would do my best. He aced the hill. I strategically cut down sidewalk to be there for him as he rounded the corner. The only problem was that he didn’t round the corner. His momentum took him off the path and face first into the grass. As he lay motionless, I hate to admit this, but my first thought was, “His mom is going to kill me!” Jack was OK. Thank you God. He hurt his nose and his knee was scraped up a bit. He cried (don’t tell him I told you), but he was Ok overall. At least physically. That night he had a nightmare that I’m pretty sure was because of the fall and probably new found trust issues with his father.

Tuesday – We’ve covered it. But one thing I really do want to point out in all seriousness, dads know your emergency contact numbers and know the numbers of everyone you may need to call just in case.

Wednesday – Mommy’s coming home! My son can’t wait. He told me this morning that he was going to give her a big hug as soon as he saw her. Me too.