“Health Days Event in San Diego Targets Declining Pediatric Wellness Visits”
San Diego, CA – This weekend, a health event aimed at addressing the trend of declining wellness visits for children and young people was held as part of an innovative pilot program for members of the Blue Shield Promise Health Plan.
The 8-event pilot program, which is designed to provide wellness visits for children, youth, and their families, is currently underway in San Diego. This initiative comes in response to recent statistics showing a noticeable decline in children’s annual visits for medical check-ups as they grow older. By age 3, there is a 10% decrease in annual visits for medical check-ups, and this percentage increases even further after age 5, with the lowest percentage of visits occurring between the ages of 18 and 21.
The pilot program, which is a partnership between Blue Shield Promise Health Plan, Quality Health Partners, Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater San Diego, and the YMCA of San Diego County, aims to promote preventative care and reinforce the importance of regular visits to primary care doctors for ongoing medical care and annual checkups, even when children are feeling healthy.
The goal of these child well-being events is not to replace regular visits to a primary care doctor but to emphasize the importance of such visits. So far, four events have been held for Blue Shield Promise Medi-Cal members, with two more scheduled in Clairemont and Escondido, respectively.
This innovative pilot program demonstrates a proactive approach to addressing the declining trend of pediatric wellness visits and emphasizes the importance of preventative care for children and young people.