This story about the Family Health Care of Hoopeston Comes from the Hoopeston Chronicle
Local Clinic Looks to Address Student Health Questions
Wamaitha Sullivan, FNP/BC, from Family Health Care of Hoopeston, recently spoke to students at Hoopeston Area High School about health risks specifically related to sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).
Sullivan said the goal of the discussion was to answer any questions students had about STDs.
She said she also made certain to let the teens know that they and their parents were welcome to come into the clinic if they had any questions of a private nature they wanted answered.
Sullivan said the most frequent types of questions she was asked were related to defining specific types of STDs.
During a further discussion of health issues related to teens, Sullivan went through some of the ways STDs are spread and how they can be prevented.
Sullivan said the students were interested in learning and believes the discussion was successful.
Sullivan hopes to further collaborate with the school to continue discussions about student health.
When dealing with student health, Sullivan said parents need to be supportive and matter of fact when talking to their children.
"For teenagers, who are trying to find themselves and figure out who they are," she said. "They need a lot of love and support."
Sullivan said parents who need some helping discussing health risks to their children, the clinic can provide booklets to help with the discussion.
The booklets are surveys teenagers can fill out to gauge their physical and emotional health which are then turned back into the clinic.
Sullivan said the booklets are completely private and are used to look at the specific areas a student is concerned with. Later on, when she meets with the students and their parents, Sullivan uses the survey to mention those things that they want to discuss.
She said, if parents are looking for help, they can call the school or call the clinic to set up an appointment to discuss their concerns.
Sullivan said these appointments will be free of charge and will be aimed at answering any questions the parents might have about helping to keep their children healthy.
"We want to talk to parents about how we can keep their kids healthy," she said.
While Sullivan looks to make certain students know about physical health, she also wants to ensure they are emotionally healthy as well.
Sullivan said there are several different types of health: physical, emotional, financial and social.
None of these are more or less important than the others, she said, because if one suffers its going to affect the others.
Family Health Care of Hoopeston is located at 837 E. Orange (behind
Charlotte Ann Russel Medical Center) in Hoopeston. For more information or to set up an appointment, call 217-283-5330.
