Season 4: Episode 8 Show Notes
Establishing primary care is about more than getting treatment when you're sick. It allows you to receive regular screenings and health exams for wellness and preventative care while forming a bond with your Primary Care Physician (PCP). JPS Physicians have a history of caring for multiple generations within the JPS community, from grandparents to parents to grandchildren, demonstrating a genuine commitment to continuity of care.
Brian Maschino and Tatiyana Giddings met with Dr. Robert Richard, Family Medicine Physician to discuss the importance of establishing a PCP and what it’s like to serve a mutigenerational community. If this conversation on establishing care speaks to you, speak to us: podcast@jpshealth.org
Meet Dr. Richard
Robert Richard, D.O., has been a Family Medicine Physician at the JPS Polytechnic Health Center for 30 years. His approach to patient care involves establishing strong relationships with patients, which creates trust and comfort that allows him to provide exceptional medical care.
What is Primary Care?
Primary care involves receiving routine healthcare services from a family medicine physician, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant.
Primary care services include:
- Providing health screenings to detect cancer and other diseases early
- Providing checkups and immunizations
- Managing common health problems
- Treating patients when they are sick
- Referring patients to other doctors when they need more specialized care
- Performing school and work physicals
Common screenings that may occur during a health checkup:
Vital sign checks:
- Blood Pressure: Less than 120 over less than 80 is an ideal blood pressure
- Temperature: 98.6 F is the average temperature
Cholesterol test:
- A cholesterol test is a blood test that measures the cholesterol and triglycerides in your blood. The test determines the risk of fatty deposit buildup that can lead to blocked arteries.
- A complete cholesterol test includes the calculation of Total cholesterol, Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, High-density (HDL) cholesterol, and Triglycerides.
A pelvic exam or pap smear:
- A pelvic exam is an exam that can be part of a regular checkup and it assesses the health of the reproductive organs.
- A pap smear collects cells from your cervix to test for cervical cancer.
Testicular exam or prostate cancer screening:
- A testicular exam can be a self-exam to inspect the appearance and feel of the testicles. It is advised that if an individual detects and lumps or changes they make an appointment with their primary care physician.
- A prostate cancer screening or a Digital rectal (DRE) or Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test is an exam that helps detect early signs of prostate cancer.
Connect to Primary Care at JPS Health Network
- Diamond Hill
- Family Health Center
- Gertrude Tarpley
- Grapevine-Colleyville Pediatric Clinic
- Health Center for Women
- JPS Health Connect Clinic
- JPS Magnolia Health Center
- Mansfield Pediatric Clinic
- Medical Home Northeast Tarrant
- Medical Home Southeast Tarrant
- Northwest Health Center for Women
- Northwest Azle-Iona Reed Health Center
- Pediatric Clinic
- Polytechnic Health Center
- South Campus Health Center
- Stop Six- Walter B. Barbour Health Center
- Viola Pitts-Como Health Center
To connect to care or find out more about our locations, visit jpshealthnet.org/locations.
Medical Home Southwest
- Medical Home Southwest will be a primary care medical clinic that serves the Fort Worth Wedgewood neighborhood Southwest Tarrant County. This community showed the highest growth and greatest need for additional healthcare services. This medical clinic will allow JPS to make comprehensive healthcare accessible to their community.
- Renderings for Medical Home Southwest
To learn more about how JPS is expanding its patient care, visit YestoJPS.org.
The JPS Podcast Credits:
The JPS Podcast is hosted by: Brian Maschino and Tatiyana Giddings
Executive Producer: Jessica Virnoche
Producers: Brian Maschino, Gaspar Hinojosa, and Tatiyana Giddings
Audio Mixing and Recording: Gaspar Hinojosa
Editing: Brian Maschino
Art: Jessica Aguillard