Summer Health Tips from Urgent Care Experts

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Many thanks to Legacy-GoHealth Urgent Care for sponsoring this post and sharing your health tips!

Summertime. We’re outside, we’re active, and we go to sleep tired every night. In all its awesomeness, summer does come with certain health risks, and we’ve partnered with Legacy-GoHealth Urgent Care to chat about summer safety and options for treatment when problems crop up.

Summer Health GoHealth Urgent Care

Few people are as familiar with typical aches and pains as the folks at Legacy-GoHealth Urgent Care. Seeing everything from allergic reactions to zinc deficiency, they’re experts in treating what is treatable and escalating when necessary. As always, prevention is key. Alexis Smithers, a Legacy-GoHealth Nurse Practioner who met with us at the N. Williams clinic, has some practical advice on how to make your summer a healthy one:

Create or Update Your Emergency Kit

GoHealth Emergency KitBe prepared for the unexpected when summertime hits its highest temps. Every mom should have a small emergency kit ready to go, which includes the following items:
  • Sunscreen
  • Bug spray
  • Bandaids (variety of sizes)
  • Antibiotic ointment
  • Instant cold compress
  • Pediatric pain reliever
  • Pediatric antihistamine
  • Ace wrap

If you already have an emergency kit organized, take this reminder to check the expiration dates on those items that have them. Keep the kit on hand in the car or in your everyday bag.

Summertime = Sunshine

 As much as we love getting out in the the summery sunshine, sunburns can reeeeeeaalllly hurt. Waterproof sunscreen is mandatory, to be applied 30 minutes before expected exposure and re-applied every two hours (or earlier if your kiddo has been playing in water or is extra sweaty from running around). And with the sun comes the heat, so be sure to hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. Encourage extra fluids with higher temps, and try to always have spare water bottles on hand when able.
 

The Great Outdoors

Portland and hiking go hand-in-hand, which also often means encountering plants or bugs that can cause some unpleasant reactions. If out in the wilderness, consider putting your kiddos in lightweight long pants or long sleeves to limit skin exposure. “We see a lot of rashes,” Alexis added, “It’s easier to protect the skin ahead of time than to go through all that discomfort.” Longer pants and sleeves can help prevent bug bites, as well, but it’s a good idea to also use insect repellent for added protection.
 
Go Health Check In
GoHealth Urgent Care quick check-in stand and a view of a treatment space (the glass goes opaque for privacy when a patient is in the room – so neat!)

Know Your Options

When something crops up, panic can set in. Take a calm moment to familiarize yourself with Portland urgent care locations, as well as the different Portland-area hospitals. Legacy-GoHealth Urgent Care provides real-time information on wait times at all of their 14 Portland-area locations, which are almost always far lower than those in the ER (at the time of writing this post, estimates ranged from 0-12 minutes, maximum!). Once at the clinic, the electronic check-in process is seamless and quick. That said, if you arrive at Legacy-GoHealth Urgent Care and it’s determined you need to go to the hospital, they facilitate transport and reach out directly to the hospital provider, ensuring a smoother ER transfer.
 
With these tips in mind, as we hone in on our final days of summer, get out there and enjoy it!

Legacy-GoHealth Urgent Care has 14 urgent care centers throughout Oregon and four in Washington, including Barbur, Oregon City, Progress Ridge, Cedar Hills, Sunset, N. Williams, Johnson Creek, Lombard, Fairview, Gresham,Camas,Cascade Park,Lake Oswego and Pearl District.


Alexis SmithersAlexis Smithers MBA, MSN, FNP-BC
Nurse Practioner, Legacy-GoHealth Urgent Care
Alexis Smithers has been providing adult and pediatric medical care for 5 years and has been with Legacy-GoHealth Urgent Care for1 year. She received her MSN from Rush University, and also has her MBA from Pepperdine University. Outside of the office, Alexis is passionate about animal rescue and loves caring for her own 2 rescue dogs and spending time with her family.