This time of year, resolutions abound that are health inspired, like eating better, losing weight, or exercising more. However, our team at AtlantiCare observes that often missing from these resolutions is the commitment to ensuring a professional healthcare partner is part of a person’s journey of bettering themselves. In addition to resolutions, we have entered the season of the year in which everything from falls on the ice and fireplace burns to the spread of bacteria and viruses precipitated from spending more time together indoors increase threats to a person’s health and well-being.

Here are three “golden rules” to support you in New Year’s health and wellness resolutions, as well as to make sure you and your loved ones get proper care for any illness or injury winter may send your way.

#1 Have and Utilize a Primary Care Provider

Primary care providers help you get better when illness strikes and prevent them in the first place. Beyond addressing a specific illness, every visit has the potential to offer a stepping stone for patients to embark on a journey to consistent care services that can prevent critical health issues and support longer-term health and wellness. However, without primary care visits, concerns such as heart health, cancer risk, allergies, respiratory and many others often go unaddressed—potentially leading to irreversible damage, or the need for chronic care, or worse.

It’s also important to schedule regular appointments as recommended by your primary care provider—and stick to them! They will, for example, keep you current with vaccines and assist you in getting health screenings that are appropriate for your age, risk factors, and more. If a specialist is needed, they will make a referral and support your care with that specialist. Also, when you see another healthcare provider make sure records of your visits and test results are sent to your primary care provider. Your primary care provider knows your medical history best and will manage your healthcare journey, wherever it may lead.

Also, don’t let winter weather or busy schedules deter you from keeping primary care appointments. AtlantiCare offers a variety of appointments that fit your lifestyle and schedule. Many providers offer telehealth appointments using your smartphone, tablet, or computer. These allow you to meet with your trusted AtlantiCare provider in real-time from the convenience of wherever you are. Plus, you can make an appointment with a virtual primary care provider 7 days a week.

#2 Seek Care in a Timely Fashion

“It’s just a cold.” “I’ve had bronchitis before, I’ll get over it.” “I slipped on the ice, it’s probably just a sprain, no worries.” We’ve all heard or expressed similar observations when it comes to a winter health issue. Unfortunately, not seeking care in a timely fashion can lead to more serious conditions. For example, a flu or cold could lead to bronchitis, and bronchitis could develop into pneumonia. A cut from a fall on the ice risks infection. Ignoring a sprain could lead to long-term instability of the injured joint. And even if you didn’t “hear or feel a bone break” during a fall, you could have a stress fracture which could lead to a serious fracture. These are a few examples to emphasize the importance of not delaying care when you suffer a winter illness or injury. And, certainly, if you or a loved one are experiencing symptoms that may indicate a more life-threatening condition such as a stroke, heart attack, or allergic reaction, call 9-1-1 immediately.

Be sure you know the locations of your nearest urgent care centers, including AtlantiCare’s on Route 109 in Cape May, so you can get professional care for non-life-threatening situations close to home and as quickly as possible. You can even utilize options like AtlantiCare’s “Hold My Spot,” which will place you in line at your chosen AtlantiCare urgent care center, allow you to wait from your home, then alert you when it’s time for you to head in for your appointment.

#3 Seek the Right Help

Primary care providers, urgent care centers, and emergency departments are all equipped to handle health and wellness issues differently, so it’s important to make sure you know the best place to seek care based on the type and level of the illness or injury in question. Here’s a helpful breakdown.

• Primary Care—your go-to place for managing your healthcare. This includes annual physicals, routine screenings, vaccines, sprains and strains, medicine refills, colds, flu, anxiety, and depression.
• Primary Care Virtual Care—when you need a same-day appointment 7 days a week and your own primary care provider is not available. Top reasons for care here include colds, coughs, sinus troubles, rashes, urinary tract infections, allergies, and insect bites.
• Urgent Care—for immediate care for non-life-threatening conditions 7 days a week. Seek care here for broken bones, sprains, colds, strep throat, cuts requiring stitches, foreign body removal, vomiting and diarrhea, rashes, and urinary tract infections.
• Emergency Department—immediate care for life-threatening conditions. Reasons to seek emergency care include fever in a child under 3 months; chest pain; shortness of breath; sudden numbness, weakness, or speech difficulty; coughing or vomiting blood; trauma/uncontrolled bleeding, and mental health crisis.

AtlantiCare encourages everyone in our community to follow these guidelines to stay on top of your health throughout the winter, and far beyond! To learn more about AtlantiCare primary care, telehealth, urgent care and emergency services, visit atlanticare.org or 1-888-569-1000.