Fargo Family Benefits From Relationship With Primary Care Physician PARTNERS IN HEALTH

It’s one thing to find a doctor who can care for your child’s earaches and coughs. It’s quite another to find a trusted partner who makes you feel like a good parent. That’s how Stacey Lucht describes Dr. Patty Laqua, a Family Medicine physician at Essentia Health’s West Acres Clinic in Fargo.

Stacey and her husband, Erik, have grown to rely on Dr. Laqua’s advice as they raise their three children. The Fargo couple does their research and comes prepared to discuss their questions with a doctor who is easy to approach and eager to listen.

“Dr. Laqua takes the time to address each and every concern,” says Stacey. “I go out of an appointment feeling like I have a path or a solution to the issues I’ve raised.”

Stacey and Erik especially appreciate that Dr. Laqua shows confidence in their parenting skills. “She’s very affirming,” Stacey says. “She tells us, ‘You’ll make the right decision.’ ”

With five children of her own under age 8, Dr. Laqua has plenty of experience with young kids and lots of empathy for parents. “Stacey and Erik are smart parents,” she says. “They just need affirmation or encouragement to stay on the path. Sometimes we can lay out a more specific plan.”

Getting to know each patient and their family is important to Dr. Laqua. “Our family relationships can have the biggest impact on our health,’’ she explains. “I can see how families help each other meet their health goals or what kinds of challenges they may have.”

Stacey’s relationship with Dr. Laqua deepened when she became pregnant with her third child and began having regular obstetric visits. She was delighted when Dr. Laqua also became pregnant a few months later. “I’d be asking questions and telling her some complaint and she’d say, ‘I know just how you feel,’ ’’ Stacey recalls.

This sense of trust and understanding is one of the major benefits of having a primary care physician – someone who serves as a starting point for all of your healthcare concerns or needs. A primary care doctor can be a family medicine physician, like Dr. Laqua, an internal medicine doctor (for adults) or a pediatrician (for children).

A primary care doctor oversees your care, provides treatment for illnesses and injuries and helps you manage chronic conditions such as diabetes or high blood pressure.

Seeing your doctor for regular physicals means you can get information tailored to your unique needs and goals. This can help you prevent chronic illnesses down the line by keeping your blood pressure, cholesterol, weight and stress levels under control. Your doctor also can keep you on track for important screenings, including mammograms and colonoscopies.

If more specialized care is needed, a primary care doctor can easily refer you to a specialist, and continue to monitor your condition.

Best of all, establishing a relationship means your primary care doctor knows your history, your habits and your personality and can easily recognize signs of a change in your health.

To find a primary care physician, go to Essentia’s website at EssentiaHealth. org. There you will find doctors’ background information and even personal video profiles that give you a chance to “meet” a physician before you step into the exam room.

Once you find a doctor who clicks with you and your family, it’s important to start building that connection. Regular visits, even when your children are well, create a baseline for their growth and development.

“Regular visits help me develop a relationship and a rapport with patients so they feel comfortable talking with me,” Dr. Laqua says. “I like Family Medicine because I get to know more than just their health. I get to know them as a family.”

Don’t have a primary care doctor?

Go to EssentiaHealth.org and enter your ZIP code to find a doctor near you.

Adults can chose a doctor who specializes in Family Medicine or Internal Medicine. Children can see a pediatrician or Family Medicine doctor.

Choosing a primary care physician offers benefits to both you and your family:

• Your doctor gets to know you and your family. It’s not just your medical history but also your personality, habits and goals. Your doctor can figure out what will work best for your and your family.

• Through regular visits, your doctor monitors your health and your children’s growth and development so any changes or issues can be detected early and addressed.

• Your doctor becomes an ongoing resource to answer your questions and address your concerns. You get accurate information tailored to your individual needs.

• If you need to see a specialist, your doctor can easily refer you to one of Essentia Health’s experts in a wide range of medical specialties.