MILWAUKEE — Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted most Americans' lives back in 2020, an unknown number of people have missed countless doctor's appointments, medical screenings and prescription refills.

"If you think about preventative health care, you're talking about breast cancer, colon cancer, cervical cancer screenings, blood cancer checks," said Dr. Sandra Kamnetz, Interim Senior Medical Director for Primary Care with UW Health. "If you go back to early 2020, if you were due for a mammogram and you put it off for a couple of years, you may now show up having your mammogram and have breast cancer, and it may be significantly advanced because you delayed it for 2-3 years."

Dr. Kamnetz added that the first step to getting one's health and preventative health care back on track could be as simple as having a conversation with one's doctor, assuming that person has a primary care provider to begin with.

"If you don't, find one," Dr. Kamnetz said. "Go on to your electronic medical record and see what you're due for. If you don't have access to your electronic medical record, call your primary care physician and say, "What am I missing? What should I get done? What immunizations am I missing?" Then, go get them done as soon as possible."

You can watch the entire interview above.