Beacon Health | Focus On You | Fall 2020

Families are focused on staying healthy during the pandemic. And that's the right thing to do. But health experts have an important reminder for parents. COVID-19 prevention shouldn't mean skipping your child's vaccines. Vaccines help protect kids of all ages from serious diseases. Those include diseases like whooping cough and measles. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends children get many of their shots by age two. Despite that recommendation, it seems that fewer kids have been getting their shots during the coronavirus crisis. Schedule your child's shots Doctors' offices are taking steps to keep their patients safe during checkups and vaccine visits. If you think you may have fallen behind on your child's shots, talk to their doctor. They can fill you in on vaccine recommendations for your child. 797 Wilson St. Brewer, ME 04412-1000 Contact Customer Service at 855-429-1023 . Or visit us online at employeehealthplan .northernlighthealth.org . In this issue Snoring? Or something more sinister? Are you always tired? Learn the symptoms of sleep apnea. See page 2. Hitting the ice cream a little hard? Learn about emotional eating. See page 3. We’re available Beacon Health Standard U.S. Postage PAID Northern Light Beacon Health During COVID-19, don’t skip your child’s shots Living with the fear and restrictions of COVID-19 may be especially hard for teens. Help them by acknowledging their feelings and letting them know you’re there for them. Think your teen is depressed? Talk with their doctor about ways to help. Stay up-to-date on important shots! Here are some shots that kids of different ages may need. Infants and toddlers (birth to age two years) • DTaP (diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis). • MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella). • Chickenpox. • Pneumonia. • Hepatitis A and B. • Polio. Preschoolers and school-aged kids (ages 3 to 10) • DTaP (diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis). • Chickenpox. • MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella). • Polio. Preteens and teens (ages 11 to 18) • HPV. • Meningitis. • Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis).