Author: Gulfcoasthc

What You Should Know About the Omicron Variant

Since the beginning of the pandemic, many variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus have emerged. While the changes found in many variants have almost no impact on how the virus affects us, some variants do have genetic changes that can significantly impact the effect of the virus

Since the beginning of the pandemic, many variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus have emerged. While the changes found in many variants have almost no impact on how the virus affects us, some variants do have genetic changes that can significantly impact the effect of the virus. For example, the delta variant became much more easily transmissible.
The latest variant of possible concern, omicron, has already spread around the world and made its way to most of the United States. As of yet, more information is needed to determine the effect that the genetic changes of the omicron variant will have on the way the disease affects us.
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What You Should Know About the Omicron Variant

The CDC continues to monitor the omicron variant. At this time, however, there is still not enough data to determine exactly how the genetic changes of the omicron variant will affect the virus.
More information is needed to determine how severe illness from omicron will be, how well our existing vaccines work against it, and how well our current medications work to treat illness from omicron.
Although it is likely that omicron is more transmissible than the original SARS-CoV-2 virus and the delta variant, we do not actually know how easily omicron spreads. Additionally, it is believed that any carrier – whether vaccinated and/or asymptomatic – will be able to transmit omicron to others.

Continue Protecting Yourself and Others Using the Same Methods

You can continue to protect yourself and others from the omicron variant using the same health safety methods with which you’re already familiar:
  • Wear a high-quality mask
  • Get vaccinated
  • Practice social distancing
  • Get tested and isolate if you have been exposed to a person you know has tested positive for COVID-19 or if you have any symptoms
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Schedule a COVID-19 Vaccine or Booster at Gulf Coast Health Center

According to the CDC, everyone 16 years of age and older is now eligible to receive a booster shot. If you received either the Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, then you are eligible for a booster shot six months after receiving your second dose. If you received a Johnson & Johnson vaccine, then you are eligible to receive a booster two months after receiving your vaccination.
To schedule an appointment for vaccination, to learn more about the omicron variant, or to speak with a doctor about the COVID-19 booster shot, we welcome you to schedule an appointment at Gulf Coast Health Center today.

Healthy Eating Tips for the Holidays

Sweet treats and festive drinks are big parts of the holiday festivities. Unfortunately, most of our holiday favorites are not the healthiest dietary options.

Sweet treats and festive drinks are big parts of the holiday festivities. Unfortunately, most of our holiday favorites are not the healthiest dietary options. While you don’t have to completely restrain yourself from enjoying something sweet, you should treat yourself mindfully and continue practicing your normal healthy habits.

7 Healthy Eating Tips for the Holidays

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1. Plan Your Treats

Rather than eating one of everything, it’s best to pick out and enjoy a couple of your favorite treats every couple of days. This will help you spread out the extra calories over a longer period of time so that it’s easier to burn off and work into your daily intake. If you’re watching your blood sugar, be sure to plan accordingly and keep a close eye on your numbers.

2. Keep Your Teeth Busy

If you’re at a holiday party with an open buffet of treats and snacks, you can keep yourself from eating more than you should by chewing on a stick of gum or sucking on a mint. Then you won’t be as tempted to crunch away on crackers or chips.

3. Be Active

With the increased calorie intake of the holidays, often spread over weeks of celebrations, it’s important to stay active and even to increase your activity level. Be sure you’re exercising regularly and volunteer to help with cleanup whenever possible. Helping to wash the dishes will burn more calories than sitting around chatting.

4. Start With Veggies

Drink plenty of water to help with digestion and to keep you feeling more full.

5. Stay Hydrated

Since nonprofit healthcare providers aren’t worried about satisfying investors or achieving financial growth, they have no incentive to administer or excessively up-charge patients for non-essential services like aspirin or inexpensive laboratory tests.

6. Take Your Time

It takes about 10 to 20 minutes for your brain to realize that your stomach is full. So, eat slowly and take a break before going back for seconds.

Schedule a Post-Holiday Wellness Appointment at Gulf Coast Health Center

Whether you’re concerned about your weight, managing an ongoing chronic disease, or simply want to make sure no new health surprises are in store for you, we encourage you to celebrate the new year by scheduling your annual wellness exam at a Gulf Coast Health Center location near you. To learn more about our affordable services or to schedule your next appointment, please contact us today.
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Are You Eligible for a COVID-19 Booster Shot?

Recently, the FDA and CDC have approved COVID-19 booster shots (a third dose) for certain patients who received either the Pfizer BioNTech or Moderna vaccines for COVID-19.

Are You Eligible for a COVID-19 Booster Shot?

Recently, the FDA and CDC have approved COVID-19 booster shots (a third dose) for certain patients who received either the Pfizer BioNTech or Moderna vaccines for COVID-19.
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Why Get a Booster Shot for a Vaccine?

Booster shots for vaccines are recommended to maintain long-term protection from a virus and reduce a patient’s risk of severe disease and hospitalization.
After receiving any vaccination, a person’s immunity can diminish over time. For example, rebuilding our immunity is the reason why we need a Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis) booster every 10 years.
Additionally, in patients whose immune systems might be weaker or compromised due to any number of reasons (i.e. steroid medications, cancer, and other diseases that cause immune deficiency), vaccinations aren’t always as effective. Immunocompromised patients’ immune systems cannot generate as many antibodies as an individual of average health with an average immune system.

Who Is Eligible for a COVID-19 Booster Shot?

At this time, booster shots are not recommended for everyone. Eligibility depends on your age, medical history, living situation, and potential exposure risk.
You might consider scheduling an appointment for a third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine if you fall into the following categories:
  • You received your second dose of either the Pfizer BioNTech or Moderna vaccine at least six months ago.
  • You are 65 years of age or older.
  • You are 18 years of age or older and live in a long-term care facility.
  • You are 18 years of age or older and have a qualifying underlying medical condition.
  • You are 18 years of age or older and are at an increased risk of exposure and transmission as a result of your occupation (healthcare workers, essential workers, etc.)
At this time, booster shots have only been approved for Moderna and Pfizer BioNTech and have not yet been approved for the Johnson & Johnson vaccination or any other COVID-19 vaccine.
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Should I Get a COVID-19 Booster Shot?

At this time, the CDC recommends a booster shot for individuals in the above-listed categories. Of course, the decision to receive a third dose of the COVID-19 vaccination is a personal choice that should be based on your individual risk and medical history and a decision that should be made in conjunction with your doctor.
If you’d like to speak with a doctor about your eligibility for a third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and your potential disease risk, we welcome you to contact Gulf Coast Health Center to schedule an appointment at a location near you.

What You Need to Know About the COVID-19 Delta Variant

COVID-19 case counts and hospitalizations are, unfortunately, on the rise again.

What You Need to Know About the COVID-19 Delta Variant

COVID-19 case counts and hospitalizations are, unfortunately, on the rise again.
The much-more contagious delta variant of COVID-19 is estimated to be about 60% more contagious than the alpha variant which was twice as contagious as the original novel coronavirus.
Additionally, studies have shown that antibodies in the vaccinated are about four times less effective at combating the delta variant, making breakthrough infections more likely.
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How Concerned Should Fully Vaccinated People Be About the Delta Variant?

According to information from Mayo Clinic, however, breakthrough cases should not all be lumped together because they’re not all the same.
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They separate them into three categories:
  • The first group of breakthrough infections includes fully vaccinated people who contract COVID-19 and have no symptoms. As the article explains, these types of infections are a sign of the vaccines working. because they weren't necessarily supposed to prevent 100% of infection; they're intended to prevent severe illness and hospitalization.
  • The second group includes individuals who contract COVID and develop mild to moderate symtpoms. Since all of the COVID vaccines were expected to be about 90% effective, we should expect to see about 10% of people contract COVID and have symptoms.
  • The third group of breakthrough infections includes fully vaccinated people who become severely ill, and the majority of these cases are, as one would predict, in individuals who are immunocompromised. These individuals' immune systems could not generate as strong of a response to vaccination as those with normally functioning immune systems. As a result, the protection they gain from vaccination isn't as strong or long-lasting.
Despite breakthrough cases, vaccination remains the best way to protect yourself and those around you from COVID-19, serious illness, and hospitalization.

Do Vaccinated People Need to Wear a Mask and Social Distance?

Continuing to wear a mask and social distance will still protect you from contracting a breakthrough case of COVID-19. Additionally, it will help prevent you from unknowingly spreading an asymptomatic infection that you could potentially have to anyone near you who is vaccinated or unvaccinated.
So, although you are at a lower risk of developing a serious illness, wearing a mask and social distancing continues to protect those around you.
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Ask a Doctor About COVID, Get Vaccinated, or Schedule a COVID Test

To learn more about the COVID-19 delta variant, to get a vaccine, or to find out how to get tested for COVID-19 if you’ve been having symptoms, we encourage you to contact the Gulf Coast Health Center location nearest you today.

Benefits of Getting a COVID-19 Vaccine

COVID-19 vaccines have been a contentious issue in the news with people wondering whether or not they’re safe, effective, and worth getting. The scientific data is in, and it has revealed that there are lots of reasons why you should get vaccinated for COVID-19.

Benefits of Getting a COVID-19 Vaccine

COVID-19 vaccines have been a contentious issue in the news with people wondering whether or not they’re safe, effective, and worth getting. The scientific data is in, and it has revealed that there are lots of reasons why you should get vaccinated for COVID-19.
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The Benefits of Getting Vaccinated for COVID-19

  • They are safe. They were developed using science and research that has been around for decades. Plus, they've gone through extensive testing and are undergoing the most stringent safety monitoring in our history.
  • They are effective. COVID vaccines can prevent you from contracting and transmitting the virus.
  • If you do still contract COVID-19, the vaccine can prevent you from developing severe symptoms.
  • Getting vaccinated protects the people around, especially those who are at high risk for severe symptoms.
  • Once you're fully vaccinated, you can resume your normal activities. Additionally, you will no longer have to wear a mask or practice social distancing.

Protecting Everyone: Herd Immunity and Novel Coronavirus

Herd immunity is a point at which enough of a population is immune to a vaccine that it is eventually eradicated.
The point at which we reach herd immunity differs depending on how transmissible or contagious a particular disease is. For example, with highly contagious measles and polio, herd immunity is reached when a respective 80% and 95% of the population is immune.
Additionally, viruses that mutate over time, like COVID-19, require a higher level of immunity before herd immunity can be achieved. So, although initial estimates figured that 60% to 70% of the population would need to be vaccinated to achieve herd immunity, the estimate has increased to somewhere closer to 85% due to the increased invariants.

What's the COVID-19 Situation Like in Texas?

As of the writing of this article, there are an estimated 22,652 active cases of COVID-19 in Texas and, according to the Mayo Clinic’s COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker, 41.2% of Texas residents have been fully vaccinated.
Everyone in Texas who is 12 years of age or older is now eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccination. Additionally, the Federal government has made COVID-19 vaccinations free for everyone in the United States. So, regardless of where you receive yours, you won’t have to pay.
If you have yet to receive yours, we strongly encourage you to talk with a healthcare provider at Gulf Coast Health Center about whether the vaccine is right for you. To learn more, we welcome you to contact one of our locations today.

Do I Need To Wear A Mask If I’m Vaccinated?

If you are fully vaccinated, the CDC no longer requires you to wear a mask or socially distance whether you are outdoors or indoors, at home or in public, with your family or around strangers.

Do I Need To Wear A Mask If I'm Vaccinated?

The CDC has relaxed its masking requirements for people who are fully vaccinated. If you are fully vaccinated, the CDC no longer requires you to wear a mask or socially distance whether you are outdoors or indoors, at home or in public, with your family or around strangers.
According to the CDC’s guidelines, the only time fully vaccinated individuals would have to wear a mask is when they are in a place where masks are required due to any particular laws, rules, and regulations of:
  • Federal government
  • State government
  • Local government
  • Tribal government
  • Territorial government
  • Private businesses or workplaces
The previous masking regulations and requirements from the CDC still apply to individuals who have not yet been vaccinated, including those who have not yet received both doses of their Pfizer or Moderna vaccine and completed the recommended two-week waiting period.
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Are There Any Instances When I Should Choose to Wear a Mask?

Although the CDC’s requirements have been lifted and fully vaccinated people should be adequately protected, there is still a very slight chance of virus transmission in places where not everyone is vaccinated. As a result, there might be some times when you may still want to take precautions to protect yourself and those around you by choosing to wear a mask.
Some of these instances include:
  • Being in a large crowd when you can't be sure everyone is vaccinated
  • Spending time with individuals who are at a high risk of developing a severe illness with COVID-19
  • Spending time with people who are not members of your household when you know that not everyone has been vaccinated
Now that masks are no longer required, choosing to wear one or not in these situations is left up to personal preference, your comfort, and the comfort of those around you.

Who Can Get Vaccinated for COVID-19 in Texas?

In Texas, everyone who is 12 years of age or older is now eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.
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Schedule a COVID-19 Vaccine Appointment With Gulf Coast Health Center

If you have not yet been vaccinated, we strongly encourage you to talk with a healthcare provider at your nearest Gulf Coast Health Center location about getting vaccinated to protect yourself and those around you from the novel coronavirus.
To learn more about the COVID-19 vaccines, where you can get one, and who is eligible to receive which vaccines, we welcome you to contact us today.

Keeping Our Community Safe With COVID Vaccines

Did you know that when you get vaccinated for COVID-19, you’re not only protecting yourself from the virus, but you’re also helping to make the people around you and our communities safer?

Keeping Our Community Safe With COVID Vaccines

Did you know that when you get vaccinated for COVID-19, you’re not only protecting yourself from the virus, but you’re also helping to make the people around you and our communities safer?
That’s right – choosing to get vaccinated for novel coronavirus (or any contagious disease for that matter) actually protects the entire community in which you live – even those who are not yet vaccinated or cannot yet be vaccinated like young children. Plus, the more people who choose to get vaccinated, the safer our communities will be.
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How Does Getting the COVID-19 Vaccine Protect the Community?

The more people who are vaccinated in a community, the less easily a contagious disease, like the novel coronavirus, can spread because fewer people can contract and transmit the disease. When fewer people are walking around susceptible to COVID-19, it won’t spread as rapidly.
The threshold of vaccinated individuals needed to stop the spread altogether is called herd immunity or community immunity. The percentage of the population needed to achieve community immunity varies based on how contagious a disease is to begin with. For example, with highly contagious measles, 94% of the population needs to be vaccinated to achieve community immunity to entirely stop the spread of measles.
The exact threshold percentage needed to stop the spread of the highly contagious novel coronavirus is not yet known, but it is certain that the more people who receive the vaccine, the safer our communities will be.

How Many People Are Vaccinated in Texas?

As of the writing of this article about 33% of Texans have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
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Who's Eligible to Get Vaccinated for COVID-19 in Texas?

In Texas, anyone who is currently 18 or older is eligible to receive all vaccines. Individuals who are 12 years or older are authorized to receive the Pfizer vaccine.

Schedule Your COVID-19 Vaccination With Gulf Coast Health Center

If you have not yet scheduled an appointment to get your COVID-19 vaccination, we welcome you to contact any of our Gulf Coast Health Center locations in Texas to schedule your first and/or second round of COVID-19 vaccines.
Our clinics have a supply of both the Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccinations. Both of these vaccines require two doses to achieve an immune response that will provide adequate protection against the novel coronavirus.
To learn more about getting your COVID-19 vaccine and how doing so will help protect you and the health of your community, we invite you to contact Gulf Coast Health Center today.
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Turning to Alcohol Use During COVID-19: Why It’s Harmful to the Body and Mind

Unwinding with a glass of wine or a beer might seem like an easy way to cope with the stress of the COVID-19 pandemic, but it might be doing you more harm than good. If you’ve been using alcohol to dampen the pandemic’s emotional weight, we recommend talking with a doctor or counselor and finding alternative ways to de-stress.

Turning to Alcohol Use During COVID-19: Why It's Harmful to the Body and Mind

With the lockdowns and quarantines that began in early 2020, a deluge of jokes appeared online about afternoon drinking and mixing “quarantinis.” However, these jokes and new drink recipes weren’t kidding.
People actually did significantly increase alcohol consumption. At the beginning of the Stop the Spread campaign in the U.S., alcohol sales skyrocketed. According to Nielsen, national alcohol sales increased 54% during the week that ended on March 20, 2020, and online alcohol sales were up 262% compared to 2019.
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What's So Bad About Alcohol Consumption?

Although unwinding with a glass of wine or a beer might seem like a simple way to cope with the unprecedented stress of the COVID-19 pandemic, it might actually be doing you more harm than good. Turning to alcohol to ease one’s worries can actually exacerbate feelings of anxiety, stress, and depression.
Additionally, consuming too much alcohol on a consistent basis increases a variety of health risks such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, liver disease, obesity, cancer, depression, suicide, and alcohol-related accidents. It can also lead to dangerous interactions with prescription medications and hinder a person’s overall brain function.
If that’s not enough to melt the ice in your margarita, alcohol consumption can also compromise your immune system, putting you at an increased risk of becoming seriously ill if you contract COVID-19 or any other contagious disease.

How Much Alcohol Is Too Much?

Everyone’s threshold varies depending on sex, weight, and unique metabolic factors. Federal health guidelines define moderate alcohol consumption as one drink per day for women and one or two drinks a day for men. These guidelines define heavy consumption or binge drinking as consuming five or more drinks for men and four or more drinks for women within a two-hour period.

Coping During a Pandemic

If you’ve been using alcohol to dampen the pandemic’s emotional weight, we recommend talking with a doctor or counselor and looking for other ways to de-stress. Cook yourself healthy meals and consider adding a daily walk, meditation, or alcohol-free living room dance party to your daily routine. Making a point to stay connected with the people you care about can help, too.

Counseling Services with Gulf Coast Health Center

You don’t have to struggle on your own. If you’re feeling lonely, stressed, or depressed and find yourself turning to alcohol for comfort, please reach out. We offer a variety of counseling services that can help you navigate the challenges of living during a pandemic. To learn more about counseling, telemedicine services, or to schedule an appointment, contact Gulf Coast Health Center.

Reasons You Need to Get a Flu Shot (This Year More Than Ever Before)

What does COVID-19 have to do with a vaccine designed to prevent a completely different virus? Read on to learn why it’s essential to get your flu vaccine now.

Reasons You Need to Get a Flu Shot (This Year More Than Ever Before)

Every year, doctors encourage their patients to protect themselves from the influenza virus with an annual flu vaccine. However, getting vaccinated for influenza is more important than ever before because, this year, the 2020-2021 flu season coincides with the novel coronavirus pandemic. So, what does COVID-19 have to do with a vaccine designed to prevent a completely different virus?
Read on to learn why it’s essential to get your flu vaccine now.
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Top 5 Reasons to Get a Flu Vaccine in 2020

1. Overlapping Symptoms

COVID-19 and influenza share many similar symptoms. People who develop a fever, cough, congestion, or body aches might have to self-quarantine for several days to protect others from potentially contracting coronavirus. It goes without saying but quarantining can seriously interrupt work, school, and other regular commitments. By protecting yourself from influenza, you’ll prevent the need to self-quarantine due to influenza symptoms that could be mistaken for signs of COVID-19.

2. Strained Healthcare Resources

We vaccinate against influenza because it has the potential to make people seriously ill – ill to the point of requiring hospitalization. In the midst of the pandemic with hospitalization numbers growing, healthcare systems in the United States all already strained under tremendous, unprecedented pressure. Flu vaccinations will prevent a major influenza season from compounding the current strain on healthcare workers, hospital beds, and other medical resources.

3. Vaccination Is Safe and Effective

Despite the rumors, you cannot get the flu from a flu vaccine. While vaccination has some normal reactions like a mild fever, adverse reactions are rarely serious and mild reactions clear up after a day or two. Before getting any vaccination, be sure to talk with your healthcare provider about any past reactions or allergies you have had to vaccinations or medications.

4. Less-Severe Illness

Each year, researchers do their best to predict which strains of influenza will be the most prevalent and serious in the upcoming flu season, and they develop their vaccines based on these projections. Whether this year’s influenza vaccine protects against the specific strain that’s spreading in our community or not, vaccination will still protect you from influenza by minimizing the severity of symptoms and duration of illness should you contract a different strain of influenza.

5. Future Protection

Influenza vaccines also offer compounding protection from flu that recipients benefit from for years to come.

Get a Flu Shot at Gulf Coast Health Center

If you have yet to get your flu shot this year, now’s the perfect time to schedule an appointment to safeguard your health and support our local healthcare workers. Contact Gulf Coast Health Center to schedule your flu shot or to find a clinic or pharmacy providing flu shots near you.

How Healthcare Nonprofits Benefit Your Community

When a person visits the doctor, dentist, psychologist, optometrist, or emergency room, they usually don’t even think about whether the clinic or hospital is a nonprofit or for-profit entity.

How Healthcare Nonprofits Benefit Your Community

When a person visits the doctor, dentist, psychologist, optometrist, or emergency room, they usually don’t even think about whether the clinic or hospital is a nonprofit or for-profit entity. Yes, these types of entities have different responsibilities when it comes to paying taxes, but there are also important distinctions between the two that results in nonprofit healthcare providers playing an important, irreplaceable role in our communities.
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6 Ways Nonprofit Healthcare Providers Benefit the Community

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1. Lower Cost, Same Quality

Nonprofit healthcare providers don’t answer to investors, don’t have to worry about reinvestment, and they aren’t focused on financial growth. However, they are held to the same quality of standards as for-profit healthcare entities. As a result, patients of nonprofit healthcare providers enjoy the same level of care at a much lower price.

2. Community Outreach and Orientation

Nonprofit healthcare providers answer to their board of directors and the community. As a result, they’re focused on providing higher quality community outreach programs, certain services for free, listening to community feedback, and orienting their services to their community’s specific needs.

3. Accessibility

Regardless of the patient’s ability to pay, all healthcare providers are required to provide care to stabilize patients who are in danger. Once patients are stabilized, for-profit providers can lawfully discharge patients who can’t afford ongoing care. Nonprofit healthcare providers are required to treat all patients, regardless of the direness or severity of their situation. Life-threatening or not, able to pay or not, nonprofits treat all patients in all conditions.

4. Uncompensated Care

Nonprofits are also expected to provide a certain percentage of their care for free. As a result, they often forgive unpaid bills and offer community clinics free of charge.

5. Don't Pay for Unnecessary Services

Since nonprofit healthcare providers aren’t worried about satisfying investors or achieving financial growth, they have no incentive to administer or excessively up-charge patients for non-essential services like aspirin or inexpensive laboratory tests.

6. Variety of Services

Nonprofit healthcare providers tend to offer a wider variety of services than for-profit healthcare entities. As a result, patients can access all the services and specialists they need in a single location.

Learn How Gulf Coast Health Center Can Benefit You

With five locations and a mobile medical center, we specialize in providing high-quality, affordable healthcare services to residents of Southeast Texas. As a nonprofit healthcare provider, we strive to make high-quality medical care accessible to everyone. Gulf Coast Health Center offers general health and wellness, behavioral care, dental, vision care, and more to patients!
To learn more about our services or to schedule an appointment, we welcome you to contact the Gulf Coast Health Center location nearest you.
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