Wellness Tips during COVID-19

By Dr. Deborah Vasquez Director of Pediatrics Whitney M. Young, Jr. Health Center

The events of the past few weeks of been stressful on everyone. Families are separated, holiday plans and social events cancelled, and places of worship closed.

However, there are ways to promote well-being while practicing social distancing.

Maintain a routine

  • Get a good night’s sleep. Try to go bed and get up around the same time every day. And while teens naturally prefer to stay up and sleep; there is no need to stay up past 10:00 or 11:00 pm.
  • Don’t skip meals. Eat breakfast, lunch and dinner at around the same time each day. Remember to include fresh fruit and vegetables in your daily diet.
  • Sit down to meals together as a family. Mealtimes are great time for family members to discuss fears and concerns and feel connected.
  • Get exercise every day. There are many free online videos. Do some gardening. Try to get some fresh air every day. Go for a walk in small groups. Spend some time in the sun on nice days. Take the kids in the yard or around the neighborhood and look for signs of spring.

Take care of routine medical needs

  • It is important to continue to care for you and your family’s medical needs. This is no time to fall behind on immunizations or to ignore chronic medical conditions.
  • If you or your child have a regularly scheduled medical appointment, CALL the office to discuss whether you should come in. It may be possible to schedule a virtual visit where to you can meet with your provider via video or telephone conference.
  • Whitney Young Health patients have access to secure telehealth appointments through our patient portal (for use on desktop or laptop computers) or our mobile phone app, Healow.

Below are some helpful links to resources that can help you and your family get through this challenging time.

General information:

Information for Parents: