Community Health Programs

2017

• Aug 31, 2017

  Don’t Let The Flu Get You!

  Don't Let The Flu Get You! August 31, 2017Bridge Column                                                                                                  CONTACT: Dawn Cole, (440) 251-9798September 8, 2017                                                                                           LAKE COUNTY GENERAL HEALTH DISTRICT     DON’T LET THE FLU GET YOU! If you are 65 years or older, getting a flu shot is the best way to protect yourself and those around you from the flu. The Lake County General Health District will be holding flu clinics at the Mentor Senior Center on October 5, 2017 from 1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. and at the Fairport Senior Center on October 24, 2017 from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Please call the Mentor Senior Center at 440-974-5725 or the Fairport Senior Center at 440-354-3674 for appointment availability.Everyone six months of age or older should get a flu vaccine every season. Adults aged 65 years and older are more susceptible to the flu because the immune system weakens as we age.  People 65 years and older have two flu shots available to choose from – a regular dose flu vaccine and the “high dose” vaccine designed specifically for people 65 and older resulting in a stronger immune response and possibly greater protection following vaccination. Both of these vaccines will be available at the Senior Center clinics in Mentor and Fairport. Talk to your health care provider to decide which one is right for you.The flu is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses that infect the nose, throat, and lungs. It can cause mild to severe illness. The flu is spread by droplets made when people infected with the flu virus cough, sneeze or talk. These droplets can land in the mouth or nose of those nearby. A person might also get the flu by touching a surface or object that has flu virus on it and then touching their own mouth, eyes or nose. To avoid the flu, wash your hands often with soap and water and avoid touching your face. When soap and water are not available to wash your hands, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.If you have flu-like symptoms, contact your health care provider immediately. Flu symptoms include:100oF or higher fever or feeling feverish (not everyone with the flu has a fever)Cough and/or sore throatRunny or stuffy noseHeadaches, muscle and/or body achesChillsFatigue (very tired)Nausea, vomiting, and/or diarrhea (most common in children The flu and the common cold have similar symptoms. It can be difficult to tell the difference between them. Your health care provider can give you a test within the first few days of your illness to determine if you have the flu. In general, the flu is worse than the common cold. Symptoms such as fever, body aches, tiredness, and cough are more common and intense with the flu. People with colds are more likely to have a runny or stuffy nose. Your doctor may prescribe antiviral medications if you get the flu.Get your flu vaccine, not the flu. Flu shots are a covered service for Medicare and children enrolled in Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program. For more information and to find a flu clinic near you, visit www.flu.gov. ###

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• Aug 16, 2017

  Lake County Kicks Off Annual Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over Campaign on Saturday, August 12, 2017

  LAKE COUNTY KICKS OFF ANNUAL DRIVE SOBER OR GET PULLED OVER CAMPAIGN ON SATURDAY, AUGUST 12, 2017 August 16, 2017FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT:                                                                                                                 Michelle Hart (440) 350-2464August 11, 2017                                                                                                                                                               LAKE COUNTY GENERAL HEALTH DISTRICTLAKE COUNTY KICKS OFF ANNUAL DRIVE SOBER OR GET PULLED OVER CAMPAIGN ON SATURDAY, AUGUST 12, 2017This weekend, Lake County Safe Communities Coalition (LCSCC) is reminding residents the importance of sober driving at its Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over (DSGPO) Kickoff. The kickoff will be held during Concord Community Days, Saturday August 12th at 3:30 p.m., on the main stage at Town Hall Campus, 7229 Ravenna Road in Concord. During the Concord Community Days event, LCSCC will host a table asking all adults of drinking age to pledge their reason for driving sober and distribute DSGPO giveaways throughout the day to all that participate. The kickoff will be held on the main stage immediately following the Concord Citizen of the Year and scholarship winners. During the kickoff, brief presentations will be given by Concord Township Trustee Chris Galloway, and representatives from Lake County Sheriff’s Office and Ohio State Highway Patrol. This event serves as a means to educate the community on the importance of sober driving and raises awareness of the DSGPO national mobilization. The DSGPO high-visibility enforcement campaign runs from August 16th through September 4th, and is a partnership between National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and local law enforcement. According to the NHTSA, approximately one-third of all traffic crash fatalities in the United States involve drunk drivers (with a blood alcohol concentration [BAC] of .08 or higher). In 2015, there were 10,265 people killed in drunk-driving crashes, an increase from the 9,967 people killed in 2014. Despite the fact that it’s illegal to drive with a BAC of .08 or higher, one person is killed every 51 minutes by a drunk driver on our Nation’s roadways.The LCSCC and NHTSA recommend the following safe alternatives to drinking and driving: Remember that it is never okay to drink and drive. Even if you’ve had one alcoholic beverage, designate a sober driver or plan to use public transportation to get home safely. Download NHTSA’s SaferRide mobile app available on Google Play for Android devices: (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nhtsa.SaferRide&hl=en), and Apple’s iTunes Store for IOS devices: (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/saferride/id950774008?mt=8). SaferRide allows users to call a taxi or a predetermined friend, and identifies the user’s location so he or she can be picked up.  If you see a drunk driver on the road, contact your local police department Have a friend who is about to drink and drive? Take the keys away and make arrangements to get your friend home safely. For more information about the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign, visit www.TrafficSafetyMarketing.gov. ###

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• Aug 2, 2017

  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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• Jun 22, 2017

  New Medical Director Name By Lake County General Health District

  June 22, 2017For Immediate Release                                                                                                 CONTACT: Ron H Graham, (440) 350-2543June 22, 2017                                                                                                                   LAKE COUNTY GENERAL HEALTH DISRICT NEW MEDICAL DIRECTOR NAMEDBY LAKE COUNTY GENERAL HEALTH DISTRICTThe Lake County General Health District (LCGHD) is pleased to announce that Nora Colburn, MD, MPH has been named the new Lake County Medical Director. Dr. Colburn assumed her new role as Medical Director in early June 2017.This part-time position carries many responsibilities, including serving as the county Tuberculosis Clinic Physician, reviewing and updating medical standing orders as necessary, and direction concerning public health emergency planning.Dr. Colburn is currently a physician partner with ID Consultants in Beachwood, Ohio. She received her Medical Degree and Master of Public Health from Case Western Reserve University.Dr. Colburn provides inpatient consultation services in Infectious Diseases at Hillcrest Hospital and University Hospitals Ahuja Medical Center.   She provides outpatient consultation services for general Infectious Diseases and HIV medicine at her office in Beachwood, Ohio. She also serves as adjunct faculty for the Podiatric Medical Surgical Residency of University Hospitals. Dr. Colburn currently resides in Willoughby Hills in Lake County.Dr. Colburn noted, “I am honored to serve as the Medical Director of the Lake County General Health District. Lake County has strong public health programs and initiatives that are critical in controlling and preventing diseases in the community. I look forward to working with the excellent team at the Health District to continue to improve the health, safety, and well-being of the residents of Lake County.”The position of Medical Director is required by Ohio Revised Code Section 3709.11 A Medical Director must be a doctor of medicine or doctor of osteopathic medicine who is licensed to practice medicine in Ohio and can furnish medical direction of all LCGHD personal health and nursing services.More information on LCGHD and their programs and services can be found atwww.lcghd.org. ###

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• Jun 21, 2017

  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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