New mini-series starts in January with Dr. Richcreek

The Coshocton Public Health District is launching a new community mini-series called Access to Care.

Access to care affects health at every stage of life. This mini-series explores how health care services are delivered in Coshocton County and the factors that shape access for individuals and families.

Through short features and spotlights, the series will highlight the following:

—Local health care providers and organizations.

—Preventive care and early intervention strategies.

—Why providers choose to serve Coshocton County.

—Barriers to care faced by residents.

—Community health needs and emerging challenges.

The goal is to increase awareness, share local perspectives and strengthen understanding of how access to care impacts community health.

Follow along beginning in January. Updates will be shared throughout the series.

The first featured provider is Dr. Stephanie Richcreek. She is located at Family Care of Coshocton, and her specialty is a broad base of acute and chronic care. Richcreek can be called at 740-622-0332.

“I grew up in Coshocton and wanted to return to this community to provide care for the people I know and my hometown community,” Richcreek said. “My roots run deep in this area, and I came back to serve in our small town.”

One small lifestyle change she suggests that can impact your health is to get outside.

“Go for a walk or even just sit in the fresh air,” Richcreek said. “Talk with or explore with your children or friends while you are outside, play games or act silly, or just breathe and relax in nature. Even just your backyard or porch can bring some much-needed lower stress time.”

Richcreek loves working in the community and bringing care to those in rural areas.

“CRMC has walk-in clinics at Newcomerstown and Warsaw which help bring care closer to home for many patients,” she said. “You don’t need an appointment, but if you would like to call and schedule one to hold a spot, you can also do that. Not only do we see things like colds and flu, but also can follow up with your chronic needs like diabetes and high blood pressure.”

Richcreek encourages people to find a primary care doctor.

“Many people feel healthy and do not have known medical conditions. This leads them to believe they do not need a primary care physician,” she said. “I would recommend reaching out to have one, even if you are only seen yearly, so we can make sure silent conditions don’t lead to long-term care issues. For instance, you may not know your blood pressure is elevated daily as you do not necessarily have symptoms unless it is very high. Over time that high blood pressure can lead to damage to your heart, kidneys and eyes. By catching this early, we can work together to prevent these issues.”

Richcreek also encourages Coshocton County residents to be mindful of their own health and others.

“If you see someone in your family or friend group struggling, speak up,” she said. “Changes can be so gradual that we do not even realize it ourselves until we sit and think about it. See a relative not being able to get to the car without taking a break, speak up. They may have heart or lung issues. See a mole that is new on a friend when at the pool, let them know. It could be skin cancer or a sign of another underlying skin condition.”