At Solantic Baptist Urgent Care, we know springtime means more than love is in the air – competition is in the air too. It’s also on the fields, courts and water, especially here in sunny Florida. In fact, April is National Youth Sports Safety Month – and with good reason.

Before your kids huddle up, make sure you know all the youth sports safety tips.

According to Safe Kids USA, a nonprofit organization solely dedicated to eliminating preventable childhood injuries, more than 3.5 million children ages 14 and under nationwide receive medical treatment for sports injuries each year. Nearly half of all sports injuries to middle and high school students are overuse injuries, caused by repeated motion such as pitching a baseball or throwing a football. It’s important to note than 62 percent of organized sports related injuries among youth occur during practices – not games. That’s because many young athletes (and their parents and coaches) fail to take the same safety precautions during practices as they would for a game.

Solantic Baptist Urgent Care clinics treat hundreds of youth with sports injuries every year, and the vast majority of these injuries are preventable. To help ensure your child stays safely in the game, consider these tips:

• Be sure your child stretches the muscles he or she will be using most during a game. For instance, in youth baseball pitchers should concentrate on stretching the arm and back muscles while catchers should focus on the legs and back;
• Warm-ups, such as life calisthenics or a short jog, are just as important as stretching. Warm-ups help raise the core body temperature, preparing all of the body’s muscles for the demands of physical activity;
• Keep regular ice packs (not chemical packs) on hand during both games and practices to help control pain and swelling caused by springs, strains and contusions;
• Never let anyone, including coaches and teammates, encourage your child to “play through the pain.” Pain, especially when accompanied by swelling and limitation of movement, can be a warning sign of a serious injury;
• Be aware that injuries that look like sprains in adults can be fractures in children. Because children’s bones are still growing, they’re more susceptible to fractures and breaks, especially during growth spurts;
• Provide your child with appropriate, well-fitting helmets. Sports and recreation related activities account for 21 percent of all traumatic brain injuries among American children;
• Be sure your young athlete gets plenty of rest, particularly in the weeks following an injury;
• And make sure your child drinks plenty of water to keep hydrated during times of vigorous activity.

All of these tips will help ensure that your child’s body stays healthy. But don’t forget the most important potential injury – emotional injury by overzealous or abusive coaches and taunting teammates. Even well-meaning parents can go overboard, criticizing game-day mistakes and pushing children to their physical and emotional limits. Studies show that 73% of kids drop out of youth sports by age 13 because it’s just not fun anymore, particularly as more emphasis gets put on winning games and the potential of sports careers. This robs young athletes of all the benefits of sports, including confidence building, goal setting and friendships. To make sure your child is ready for the sports season, stop in at the nearest Solantic Baptist Urgent Care Center for a sports physical today.

Center’s Physicians to Continue Staffing

Longtime Neighborhood Medical Resource

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (April 21, 2010) - Arlington Acute Care officially became Solantic Baptist Arlington Monday, April 19, as part of Solantic and Baptist Health’s joint venture to provide Northeast Florida residents access to an expanded continuum of care. This is the 32nd Solantic center statewide.

The Arlington center, located at 1021 Cesery Boulevard, was previously a Baptist Health facility. Robert Kiely, M.D. and Carlos Barberis, M.D., who have owned the practice since 1981, will staff the center along with April Turner, M.D. and Solantic personnel. Managing the center is Heather Parrish, who previously managed the Mandarin Solantic.

Dr. Kiely, who has served as Jacksonville Fire/Rescue Department Medical Director for more than 25 years and was named a 2008 Healthcare Hero by the Jacksonville Business Journal, said the decision to allow Solantic to manage the center came from knowing the company’s good business track record and his longtime friendship with Solantic CEO Karen Bowling. The two worked at Memorial Hospital in the 1980s.

“We had a decision to make, as owners of this practice, whether to carry the clinic on our own,” Dr. Kiely said. “We felt, at this point in our careers, Solantic had a good track record of being successful in providing urgent care in this market.”

Renovations to the center are scheduled to begin during the summer and are projected to cost $150,000, said Mark Reddinger, Solantic North Florida Market Leader. Center enhancements will include an expanded reception and waiting room area, a separate childrens’ room, and a new digital x-ray system, which will allow patients to receive results immediately and take a CD copy of their images with them for future medical consultations.

“It’s very exciting for us and will be for a lot of patients that have been coming to this center for years, because they will get to experience the brand new look and feel of the center,” Reddinger said. “It’s one more example of how the Solantic and Baptist joint venture is reinvesting in the community.”

The Solantic/Baptist Health joint venture, announced January 14, 2010, encompasses 11 urgent care centers in North Florida, which are jointly owned by Solantic and Baptist, but are managed and staffed by Solantic. A new co-branded Beach and Hodges center is scheduled to open in late May at 13460 Beach Boulevard.

Solantic Baptist Arlington center hours of operation are: 8 a.m. – 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturdays, and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays.

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Any given month or week of the year is dedicated to some particular health issue, and this month, Solantic Baptist Urgent Care urges you to recognize April’s status as Alcohol Awareness Month.

Alcohol abuse is prevalent among various demographic groups including teenagers who fall prey to peer pressure, college students who binge drink at parties and local bars, professionals aiming to relax after a long day of work and senior citizens who find solace in alcohol during what can be a lonely and reflective time of life. If you’ve ever forgotten what you did while drinking, if your family or friends have talked with you about concerns over your alcohol intake, or if you find that that you drink to deal with loneliness, sadness or anger, you may well have an alcohol abuse or addiction problem.

Solantic Baptist Urgent Care recommends several tips to help you curb or cut out your drinking. First, write down your reasons for taking control of your drinking, such as getting better sleep, improving your health, being more productive at work or improving your relationships. Post these in a spot you’ll see each day for a visual reminder of the better life that awaits you. If you drink socially, alternate alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. For instance, enjoy a glass of wine, then a glass of sparkling water. Drink both slowly and keep a journal listing each drink you have as another visual reminder to help you avoid overindulgence. Steer clear of temptation by keeping a small amount or no alcohol at home and carefully plan your socializing calendar. Rather than meeting a friend at the local bar Friday night, plan a workout in the park or a shopping trip on Saturday instead.

When you visit Solantic Baptist Urgent Care for your annual physical, be sure to talk with our physicians or nurse practitioners about your concerns. Our expert medical staff is trained to pinpoint many lifestyle factors that are potentially harmful and can help tailor a plan to help you address these issues and live a healthier lifestyle. If you are an employer and suspect that an employee may have a substance abuse problem, any Solantic Baptist Urgent Care location can conduct reliable alcohol and drug screenings. In fact, you or your company representative can set up an account for all your occupational health and screening needs by emailing us at occhealth@solantic.com.

If you have questions or concerns about your alcohol intake, Solantic Baptist Urgent Care has nearly 40 locations throughout Florida ready to help. Visit our website to find a location near you and set an appointment today.