Getting Started

Appointments
Patients need a referral from their primary care physician or pediatrician. If there is interest in the Fit Kids program, this needs to be mentioned to the child’s physician. If the child meets criteria for the program, the physician will contact Fit Kids and someone from the program will contact the family to set up a visit.

The First Appointment
A parent/guardian must come with the child to all appointments.
The first appointment is approximately two hours. During this time, the team and the family will cover the following:
• Discuss the possible reasons why the child is overweight/obese
• Review potential problems associated with excess body weight
• Provide a personal treatment plan including food, activity and behavioral goals
• Plan for long-term follow up

Hey Kids! If you are reading this then you hopefully will be coming to our Fit Kids program soon. You may be wondering what is going to happen at your appointments.  When you and your parents come to the clinic for the first time you will get a chance to meet all the members of the Fit Kids team:

• A nurse practitioner will talk to you about your health and perform a physical exam. They will take your blood pressure and listen to your heart. They might even let you listen, too! They may ask you to walk or hop around – this is so she can determine if your bones and joints are moving properly.  They also will talk with you and your parents about the blood tests that you had done before you came to visit us. You won’t see any more needles while you are here, though.
• A dietitian will ask about your eating habits. They will want to know all about your favorite foods, how many meals and snacks you eat per day, and what meal time is like in your house. They will not put you on a “diet,” but will talk about the types of foods that you eat and how they make you feel. They also will encourage your family to sit down and eat meals together.
• The exercise specialist will check your muscles. They may ask you to perform a fitness test. They will talk to you about what kinds of activity you do now, as well as how much time you spend watching TV or movies and playing video games. They will make a plan to help you find ways to have fun doing more activities.
• A counselor will ask you about your feelings and attitudes. They will talk to you about your friends and family, school and your role models. They will work on things like bullying, self-esteem and body image.
• All the members of the team will come up with a health plan with you to work on for the next six months.
• Your next visit will be in two to three weeks and the health team will check in with you about your progress towards reaching your goals. After that, you will come back each month to check-in with your team. You may not see each person every time. If you are doing well in one area, you may not need to spend time with that person any more. You will always have a chance to ask questions at each visit, and we hope you realize that you have lots of support along the way.

Follow-up Appointments
Frequent follow-up care helps to bring about change.
During follow-up appointments, patients spend approximately two hours with the team, decreasing in time as the child continues to meet established goal.
These appointments are scheduled every two to three weeks for the first few months, then less often as the child progresses.

Insurance and Payments
We are committed to making this program available to those who need it. 
Fit Kids will bill insurance companies as appropriate; however, we will not turn
away children who do not have insurance.