by Penny Duncan & Marcia Widolff
Whiteside County Health Department

The state of Illinois requires that all children entering preschool, kindergarten, fifth and ninth grades receive a school physical examination. The examination must include a complete and updated immunization record. The state of Illinois has added a new recommendation this year requiring children in kindergarten, second and sixth grade receive a dental checkup with their school physical. A dental checkup consists of an oral exam by a dentist, x-rays, a cleaning and fluoride treatment.

A comprehensive school physical exam is a way to assess overall wellness in a child. A regular school physical generally includes a height/weight check, a blood pressure screening, blood lead level, blood iron level, urine screening, immunization status, as well as checking heart rate, listening to lungs, checking eyes, ears, joints, and screening hearing and vision.

A fairly new requirement during the school physical is to graph the child’s body mass index (BMI) which assesses the child’s weight for their height. Another addition to the school physical in response to the increase in children with Type II diabetes is to do a diabetic screening that assesses the child’s risk of developing diabetes.

The Illinois High School Association requires that all students participating in a sport receive a yearly preparticipation sports physical. The sports physical determines if the child is physical fit and able to compete without any limitations. A sports physical requires that the healthcare provider perform a resting heart rate, a heart rate immediately following activity and a heart rate recovering from activity.

The Whiteside County Community Health Clinic is now offering sports and school physicals by appointment. The cost for a sport or school physical is $20. Hearing and vision checks are an additional $5. If children need immunizations the cost is $8 for Whiteside County residents or $10 for out of county residents. Public aid is accepted. Dental visit charges are discussed with parents prior to appointment scheduling. Appointment times are limited so parents need to call early to ensure their children will not be excluded from school attendance or sports practice. Call your healthcare provider or Whiteside County Community Health Clinic at (815) 626-2230 to schedule your child’s physicals early

Whiteside County Health Department