Children’s Health

Regular check-ups are the best way to keep your child healthy and also treat any problems or potential problems found during a routine check-up.

To help you with making sure your child gets an annual check-up, BCBSAZ Health Choice offers a special program for babies, children and youth up to the age of 21. In this program, your child may receive check-ups, covered health care services and dental services at no cost to you. In addition, if your child needs to see a specialist, Health Choice will cover that service as long as you receive a referral from your provider.

Children ages 0-2 years should visit their physician at 1, 2, 4, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 24, and 30 months. Children, teens and young adults age 3-20 years should visit their physician once a year. Many important items that should be addressed include:

• Checking normal height, weight, and head growth
• Assisting mothers with breast feeding and other feeding/nutrition concerns
• Checking for proper vision, speech, and hearing development
• Checking the teeth and making needed dental referrals
• Checking blood count, lead level, and possibly TB screening
• Giving vaccinations for diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, influenza, hepatitis A and B, and chicken pox

Don’t qualify for AHCCCS? BCBSAZ Health Choice Members – Community Assistors are here to help you!

If you have questions about your AHCCCS coverage or eligibility, our team is here for you.

Children, teens and young adults age 3-20 years should visit their physician once a year, which helps ensure their vaccinations are up to date. Please see the below link for more information on vaccinations.

• CDC Immunization Schedules

Get an early start on keeping your child’s teeth healthy. Most babies will get their first tooth between the ages of 4 – 7 months. Try these healthy habits to make sure your baby has a bright smile:

• Start cleaning your child’s teeth as soon as they come in. (use a soft moist washcloth or soft toothbrush)
• Teach your child to brush 2 times a day.
• Protect your child’s teeth with fluoride.
• Give your child healthy, low-sugar food and drinks.
• Take your child to the dentist every year regular checkups.

Healthy habits can help to prevent tooth decay, which affects nearly 50% of babies today.

Another helpful tip to prevent tooth decay is to give your child healthy foods and limit sugary drinks.

• Make sure your child gets enough calcium.
• Offer your kids only water to drink between meals.
• Don’t put your baby to bed with a bottle.

You should take your child to the dentist by the time they turn one.

To find a dentist, please see the BCBSAZ Health Choice Provider Directory. You can also call Member Services, Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. at 480-968-6866 (Maricopa County) or 1-800-322-8670. We will help you find a dentist.

Dental Home Program

BCBSAZ Health Choice is pleased to announce our new Dental Home program. The Dental Home program helps members who are 0 – 20 years of age access dental care.

Dental Home program details include:

• Members 0-20 years of age will be assigned to a BCBSAZ Health Choice contracted dentist.
• Members will receive a letter telling them who their assigned Dental Home provider will be.
• Members may see any dentist in the BCBSAZ Health Choice network. To find a listing of our contracted dentists on our website click here.
• Covered dental services will not be changed by this program. Members will still receive the same covered dental services.

BCBSAZ Health Choice thinks of you as a valued member. We want to make sure you get the services you need. Please feel free to call Member Services at 1-800-322-8670 if you have any questions or need more information.

For information and assistance with dental health services, call toll-free:
1-800-322-8670

To obtain language or ASL interpretation services for your medical care:
1-800-322-8670

TTY/TDD: 711

You may also contact us by e-mail at HCHComments@azblue.com

A proper education puts your child on the right path to reach their full potential in life. Unfortunately, some children don’t get a right education for different reasons. One of the key steps for your child to get a good educations is by having good attendance.

Here are a few facts about school attendance:

• Being absent in the first month of school can predict poor attendance throughout the school year.
• 1 in 10 kindergarten and first grade students are chronically absent.
• By 6th grade, chronic absence becomes a leading indicator that a student will drop out of high school.
• Research shows that missing 10% of school (roughly 18 days) negatively affects a child’s performance in school.

Make sure your child only misses school days when it is absolutely necessary. Having good attendance will not only ensure they don’t miss any important lessons, but will also set them up for a good future!

Help your child develop positive eating habits by looking for ways to make meal time healthier. There are small things that can be done to encourage healthy eating.

Parents can start by:

• Providing plenty of vegetables, fruits and whole-grain products.
• Including low-fat or non-fat milk/dairy products
• Encouraging your family to limit sugar-sweetened beverages in exchange for water.
• Serving smaller portions.
• Limiting sugar and saturated fat intake.

Kids that are not active are more likely to being inactive as adults. This can lead to several issues including:

• Weight issues
• High blood-pressure
• Weak muscles and bones

Exercise

Remember to remind your child to get out and exercise. It’s recommended that children and teens get at least 60 minutes of physical activity each day. The best way to keep your child active is to make activities fun.

You can do this by encouraging your child to:

• Go swimming
• Bicycling
• Playing tag with friends
• Walking

Your attitude and behavior toward exercise will influence your child to do the same. As a parent, you should make a physical activity a daily routine for the whole family. Going out to play instead of watching T.V after dinner is a good example.

TIP FOR KIDS: If you are not participating in sports already, ask your parents if you can join a local league. You can also ask your parents to play your favorite sport with you during their free time.

T.H.A.N.X.

Health Choice is committed to improving the health literacy of its community through health and wellness education, and to fighting childhood obesity. The T.H.A.N.X.™ (Think Healthy About Nutrition and eXercise) program provides after school health and wellness education to schools in medically underserved communities.

The program’s goals are:

• Increase physical activity
• Increase nutritional awareness
• Decrease negative lifestyle behaviors in children
• Decrease the daily amount of sit and screen time

For more information about T.H.A.N.X™ please call Member Services at 1-800-322-8670.