Primary & Preventative Care
Your health is your greatest asset, and our team at NorthShore Health Centers is committed to protecting it. Offering a comprehensive approach to primary and preventative care, we provide services that range from routine check-ups to early disease detection.
Health Services
Preventative Healthcare
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 7 out of every 10 deaths among Americans each year are caused by chronic diseases including heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Often times, preventative measures can be taken to avoid the onset of these diseases including a close relationship with your doctor and healthcare team.
The doctors and nurse practitioners at NorthShore will discuss ways to stay healthy such as healthy eating, regular exercise, avoiding tobacco use, and receiving preventative services such as regular wellness visits, required vaccinations and recommended screenings for all stages of your life.
Staying on top of your health year over year will help to avoid and/or delay common diseases caused by an unhealthy lifestyle. For those already dealing with chronic disease, it’s never too late. Your healthcare team at NorthShore can help to gain control of your disease to keep it from becoming worse or debilitating so you can lead a healthy, productive life and save cost on medical bills and medications.
What is prevention?
There are three levels of prevention:
1: Primary Prevention
Primary prevention is taking actions to prevent patients from getting diseases. Primary prevention typically happens with annual wellness visits with your doctor or nurse practitioner. These visits allow your provider to intervene before any major health problems occur through methods such as vaccinations, encouraging life style changes (better eating habits, reducing tobacco use), and eliminating behaviors that maybe linked to certain diseases or health conditions.
2. Secondary Prevention
Secondary prevention is attempting to detect disease early on and then prevent them from getting worse. Secondary Prevention involves receiving screening such as regular blood testing, monitoring blood glucose levels, breast cancer screening, osteoporosis screenings, vision screenings and more, to identify diseases in the earliest stages when signs and symptoms may not yet be present. Early detection allows your doctor or nurse practitioner to recommend treatment in order control the disease, prolong the progression and in some cases provide a cure.
3. Tertiary Prevention
Tertiary prevention is working to reduce symptoms of a disease you already have and improve your quality of life. Your provider will help to manage your disease in order to slow or stop the progression of the disease. This may come after receiving positive results from a preventative screening or receiving a diagnosis based on signs and symptoms. Either way, your doctor or nurse practitioner will work with you to provide the best treatment plan at each stage of your disease.
Frequently Asked Questions
Annual wellness visits are a cornerstone of primary prevention. They allow your healthcare provider to intervene before any major health problems occur through methods such as vaccinations and lifestyle changes, like better eating habits and reducing tobacco use.
Secondary prevention involves regular screenings like blood tests, blood glucose monitoring, breast cancer screening, osteoporosis screenings, and vision tests. These screenings are designed to identify diseases in their earliest stages, even when you may not be showing any symptoms.
Our focus is not only on early detection but also on tertiary prevention, which aims to manage and slow the progression of existing chronic diseases. Your healthcare team will work closely with you to develop a personalized treatment plan that helps manage your symptoms and improve your quality of life.
Our healthcare team advises on various lifestyle changes such as healthy eating, regular exercise, and avoiding tobacco use. These changes are meant to reduce the risk of developing chronic diseases like heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.
No, it’s never too late. Even if you're already dealing with a chronic disease, our healthcare team can help you gain control over it to prevent it from worsening. This can also lead to cost savings on medical bills and medications in the long run.
Meet Our Providers
Andi Arnautovic, MD – Chief Medical Officer
Administration, Family Practice
Andi Arnautovic, MD – Chief Medical Officer
Administration, Family Practice
Andi Arnautovic, MD – Chief Medical Officer
Administration, Family Practice
Andi Arnautovic, MD – Chief Medical Officer
Administration, Family Practice