Breastfeeding: it’s a TEAM thing!

Breastfeeding: it's a TEAM thing! August 2, 2017FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                                      CONTACT: Rachel Sray, 440-487-8075August 1, 2017                                                                                                                                  LAKE COUNTY GENERAL HEALTH DISTRICTBreastfeeding: it’s a TEAM thing!Communities Need to Work Together to Provide Support for Breastfeeding Mothers(Lake County), Ohio – August is Breastfeeding Awareness Month in Ohio and August 1-7 is World Breastfeeding Week (WBW). Research suggests that breastfeeding is a key modifiable factor for disease for both mothers and infants. The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that Ohio’s 2016 breastfeeding initiation rate of 77.7 percent ranks 38th in the nation. This year’s 2017 Breastfeeding Awareness Month theme in Ohio is Breastfeeding: it’s a TEAM thing! The theme is aimed to promote the support persons’ role in successful breastfeeding. Research shows that if a mother’s breastfeeding efforts are supported, she is more likely to give it a try, and more likely to keep going even if things get tough.The American Academy of Pediatrics and the World Health Organization recommend exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life and continued breastfeeding with the addition of appropriate solid food for the first year and beyond.“In light of the monetary and life-saving benefits of breastfeeding, all elements of the community must cooperate and support breastfeeding.” said Lake-Geauga WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) Director Rachel Sray “Ultimately, our whole society benefits from having healthier mothers, babies and children when breastfeeding is promoted, protected and supported.”One of the most important things businesses and the community can do is to allow mothers to feel comfortable nursing in public. Hungry babies need to eat and Ohio law (Section 3781.55 of the Ohio Revised Code) allows breastfeeding in public. Businesses can show their support by placing the “Breastfeeding Welcome Here” universal sign for breastfeeding in their windows and educate their staff on the acceptance of breastfeeding in their establishments. Businesses interested in displaying the breastfeeding sign are welcome to contact Lake County General Health District. They can also encourage their employees and provide a private space (other than a bathroom) to pump. This will increase employee retention and reduce medical costs.Educational institutions can support breastfeeding by presenting age-appropriate education on the anatomy and physiology of the human body. Local county fairs can teach young children about how other mammals feed their young with milk that is made just for them. Child care providers and libraries can also stock children’s books that show breastfeeding as a normal part of family life.Social media can also provide support to breastfeeding mothers. Breastfeeding mothers can reach out through groups and chatrooms and get the support they need to feel normal in a formula-feeding culture.Breastfeeding is a personal choice, but communities play a vital role in informing and supporting a mother’s decision to breastfeed her baby. Returning our communities back into a breastfeeding supportive culture will take efforts by family, friends, employers, educational institutions, hospitals and businesses.For more information about breastfeeding in Lake or Geauga County, please call the Help Me Grow Helpline at 1-800-755-GROW or your Lake-Geauga WIC office at 440-350-2817. ###

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Lake County General Health District To Begin Mosquito Spray Program June 26th

June 21, 2017NEWS RELEASE                                                                                                                                       CONTACT: Bert Mechenbier, (440) 350-2453June 21, 2017                                                                                                                                                LAKE COUNTY GENERAL HEALTH DISTRICTLAKE COUNTY GENERAL HEALTH DISTRICT TO BEGIN MOSQUITO SPRAY PROGRAM JUNE 26th Lake County General Health District (LCGHD) officials are expecting an increase in the number of mosquitoes in Lake County due to rain and high temperatures last week. Heavy rain can leave large areas of standing water where mosquitoes lay their eggs. If the weather cooperates, the LCGHD is planning to start spraying for mosquitoes the week of June 26th. It should take two weeks to complete the first round of spraying. The spray schedule is posted on the Health Districts website at: https://www.lcghd.org/?page_id=3926. The spray schedule is also available by calling (440) 350-2088 or (440) 918-2088.While there are currently no known cases of Zika virus (spread by mosquitoes) in Lake County, mosquitoes are also the source of West Nile Virus which is native to Lake County, as well as a nuisance.  “The best advice is to get rid of standing water around your house if you can and use personal protection against mosquitoes,” noted Bert Mechenbier, Supervisor of Mosquito Control at LCGHD.Mechenbier provided the following tips for homeowners to keep mosquitoes from breeding in your backyard:Dispose of tin cans, old tires, buckets, unused plastic swimming pools, plastic covers or other containers that collect and hold water.Keep roof gutters unclogged. Clean gutters in the spring and fall.Clean and chlorinate swimming pools, outdoor saunas, and hot tubs. Keep them covered when empty.Empty and change the water in bird baths, fountains, wading pools, rain barrels, and potted trays at least once a week, if not more often.Fill or drain puddles, ditches, and swampy areas and either remove, drain, or fill tree holes and stumps with mortar.Eliminate seepage from cisterns, cesspools, and septic tanks.Eliminate standing water around animal watering troughs.Irrigate lawns and gardens carefully to prevent water from standing for several days.LCGHD would also like to advise the following for protection against biting mosquitoes:Use an insect repellent containing  active ingredients which have been registered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for use as repellents applied to skin and clothing. Of the products registered with the EPA, those containing DEET, picaridin, IR3535, and some oil of lemon eucalyptus and para-menthane-diol products provide longer-lasting protection than other products.Use repellents according to label instructions.Insect repellents can be used on pregnant women. EPA does not recommend any additional precautions for repellent use by pregnant or nursing women..Most insect repellents can be used on children. Products containing oil of lemon eucalyptus should not to be used on children under the age of three years.. Do not allow children to handle or spray insect repellents. When using on children, apply to your own hands first and then put it on the child. Avoid applying repellent to children’s hands because children frequently put their hands in their eyes and mouths. EPA does not recommend any additional precautions for using registered repellents on childrenRepellents containing a higher percentage of the active ingredient typically provide longer-lasting protection. Regardless of what product you use, if you start to get mosquito bites, reapply the repellent according to the label instructions.Wash treated skin and clothing after returning indoors.Wear light-colored clothing.Wear long sleeved shirts, long pants, and socks if you go outside when mosquitoes are most active (from dusk until dawn).Avoid wearing perfume, cologne and aromatic scents.Make sure window and door screens are “bug tight”. Repair or replace torn screens.Replace outdoor lights with yellow “bug lights”.If you have a concern about standing water, please call the LCGHD at (440) 350-2543. If the standing water is on private property, permission will be needed to enter the property. ###

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