Priorities

20 // April 2020 by Karen Underwood

Karen Underwood has been married to the love of her life for 38 years and has two children that love the Lord and are raising their children to follow Him as well. She has lived in the Chattanooga area her whole life and loves it here. About The Author I ’m a retired schoolteacher of 35 years and worked mainly with seventh-graders. When I first started teaching, prayer at school functions was still lingering. I only moved four times. My last position was at a wonderful middle school led by an awesome Christian man. I thought I was in a private Christian school. He was not intimidated and did not back down from having a prayer at every school function. We also had several Christian clubs and organizations: FCA, Bible Club, and First Priority, not to mention Bible studies being led by teachers after school with those students interested. I decided I wanted to be a part of the First Priority group and be one of the leaders, so I began attending to see what it was about and how I would fit in. I would show up late or forget the meeting entirely because I kept forgetting. I told one of the sponsors who had been involved and said, “I’m sorry; I just can’t remember to come!” I have never forgotten what he said: “I guess it’s not your first priority, then.” I never missed another meeting and got involved for the next two to three years.

What is your priority? To provide your children with anything the world offers them? Or to provide them with the tools they will REALLY need to make it IN this world? In my experience, I have needed my faith more than what the world offers me. People come and go, but Jesus is ALWAYS there. He is always willing to offer us peace, offer us love, offer us help…offer us whatever we need at the moment. What do we offer Him? Do we offer Him what is left over, or do we offer Him our FIRST? Do we say, I’ll try to get to church next time if I don’t have a game scheduled? When our children became involved with recreational sports because they weren’t in middle school to participate yet,

we always told the coach we would miss games if they were on Sunday mornings—we would be in church. We wanted our children to know that your relationship with Jesus is more important than a game or anything else. It’s funny: I don’t remember ever missing a game. Somehow, ours were always scheduled during the week or on Saturdays when we could attend.

My priority is to get up every morning and have a devotional. I have used many different types, from books, to doing my own, to using the Bible app on my phone. I have been doing this since my children were young, and they observed it. When my son came back and gave a talk at the First Priority group after he had gone on to college, one thing he mentioned was my priority of reading every morning. He knew when he got up where he could find me. What an awesome moment for me to hear him say that. My priority as a teenager was to tell my boss at work that I could not work on Sunday mornings—I would be at church. I would come in later if they needed me. They respected that and never scheduled me on Sunday mornings. My priority was to raise my children knowing that God is first so they, in turn, might teach their children the same. I praise the Lord that they both are married to good Christian spouses and my daughter is raising her children in the same manner that she was: God first.

We need to keep our priorities straight. If God is first, I think it’s easier.

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Healthy Kids, Bright Futures: Bright Pediatrics D on’t settle for anything less than the best for your child’s pediatric care! At Bright Pediatrics, we make it our mission to consider our patients’ health and wellness our first priority, to provide care in a compassionate and professional manner, and to deliver the best-quality and most comprehensive pediatric care to the families we serve every day. About Bright Pediatrics

At Bright Pediatrics, we provide world-class care with a compassionate, personal touch and total patient satisfaction. We believe each child is unique, and each requires a diagnosis and treatment plan tailored to those unique needs. We know having a sick child can be both serious and draining, and we guarantee the ability to see a pediatrician in our office on the same day when your child is sick in order to assess and resolve the issue as quickly as possible. Please call our office ahead of time so that we can minimize the time that you will spend waiting. If you have a medical emergency during office hours, we will do our best to see your child immediately or refer you to the appropriate facility.

With two office locations—one in Dalton and one in Fort Oglethorpe—meeting your needs and the needs of your child is both simple and convenient! Our Dalton office is open 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. on weekdays, 9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. on Saturday, and closed on Sunday. Our Fort Oglethorpe office is open 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. during the week and closed on weekends. We have 10 experienced providers, each with unique individual qualifications and strengths. If a member of your family requires hospitalization, we have privileges at Hamilton Medical Center, Erlanger Health System, and Parkridge Medical Center. We also accept most insurance carriers, and if we file your claim, you are responsible for only the copay at the time of your visit.

Our Patient-Focused Policies

For patients with an urgent issue that cannot wait until our offices are open, you can call our office and be connected to our nurse triage service line, where we offer round-theclock support. It is staffed by pediatric nurses who will give you advice on the management of your child’s problem and help you decide if or when you need to seek medical care. This service is available only to our established patients, and there is a charge for this service, so if your concern is not urgent, you may want to wait until our office reopens. You will be alerted at the beginning of the call if you are going to be assessed a charge. If the nurse determines that your concern is urgent, she will contact our physician on call, and he or she will contact you.

Patients are seen by appointment unless an emergency arises. If you have an emergency, call the office prior to bringing your child in, since it may be necessary for you to go to the emergency room instead of the office. If you are unable to be on time for your appointment, please contact the office to inform us of your delay. It may be necessary to reschedule your child’s appointment. Please be courteous to us and the other patients by scheduling an appointment for each of your children. We will not automatically see and examine siblings of the patient without an appointment. If you are a new patient, we request that you arrive 15- 30 minutes before your appointment to allow for the completion of the necessary registration papers and forms. Please call our office ahead of time so that we can minimize the time that you will spend waiting.

We have clear policies with regards to fevers, vaccines, and antibiotics. Fever is one method the body uses to fight infection. Unless a fever lasts for a long time or is very high, it may serve a useful purpose. However, a temperature greater than 100ºF (taken rectally) in an infant younger

than 3 months old is unusual and should be reported to our office immediately. Our vaccine policy follows the schedule outlined by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and the AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics). Finally, when it comes to antibiotics, we work hard to not overuse them. We educate families on the appropriate use of antibiotics but follow evidence-based guidelines and don’t automatically treat ear pain or a snotty nose with antibiotics. We will prescribe an antibiotic when we believe it is an appropriate treatment.

For a full list of our policies, feel free to visit our website at bright-pediatrics.com. You can also find a list of insurances that we accept online as well. Appointments are available weekdays from 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. at either of our two offices, and you can call our Dalton office at 706-529-4600 or our Fort Oglethorpe office at 706-841-0150 to make an appointment. You can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram. We look forward to meeting all your pediatric needs and making your day a little Brighter!