~ Health News ~
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Food Safety Awareness in
the Childcare Setting
Training for Childcare
Providers & the Public
The Central District Health Department is
offering a two-hour class entitled “Food Safety Awareness in the Childcare
Setting” for residents of Ada, Elmore, Boise and
Valley counties on Tuesday February 7th
from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. at the CDHD office, 707 N Armstrong Place,
Boise.
The largest cause of foodborne
illness is the mishandling of food. In
order to keep children and families safe from food-associated illness, class
participants will learn the most effective methods of reducing contamination. Topics
will include proper hand washing and best practices in cooking, cooling,
reheating and storing food. While the class is designed with child care
providers in mind, it is open to the public.
Pre-registration for Food Safety Awareness
in the Childcare Setting is required and the cost is $15. Call 327-7499 for more information and to
register for the class. Information is also available on the CDHD website:
www.cdhd.idaho.gov.
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Cardiac Risk/Cholesterol
Screening at CDHD
WHEN: 6:30 –
9:00 AM – First Tuesday, February 7, 2012
WHAT:
Cardiac Risk Profile Screening - No appointment necessary
The profile provides:
· Cholesterol screening
· Blood pressure check
· Health and nutrition information
Cost: $20
NOTE:
· Participants must not eat
solid food or drink anything other than water for a full 12 hours before the
screening.
· Do not drink alcohol 48
hours prior to the test.
· The screening will take
approximately 15 to 20 minutes for a blood pressure check and blood draw.
WHERE:
Central District Health Department
WHO: Central District Health Department
Worksite clinics can also be
arranged.
For more
information visit cdhd.idaho.gov or call (208) 375-5211.
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Ten Resolutions the Health
Department Can Help You With
1) Kick a bad habit – Who says quitters never
win? CDHD offers free Tobacco Cessation
classes. The first ones begin soon after
the start of the New Year. Call 375-5211
for information and to enroll.
2) Prevent falls – As we grow older our
strength and sense of balance fades.
CDHD offers free Fit and Fall Proof® classes throughout its four county area. Each class
offers simple exercises that reduce the risk of falling for older adults. Call 375-5211 for more information.
3) Know your status –
How would you know if you’ve been exposed to a sexually transmitted
disease? Some diseases have no
symptoms. The safest bet is to get
tested. Call CDHD’s
Reproductive Health area at 327-7400 or visit reveal4real.org for more
information.
4) Get your children vaccinated against the
flu – The flu is unpredictable, but we know it peaks in January and
February. So it’s not too late to
protect your kids against this common illness, thereby protecting everyone in
the family. Call 327-7450 to make an
appointment.
5) Get moving – The
holiday feasting may have made it harder to button your pants. So get out there and get moving! Walk, run, swim, ski, bike, whatever it is
you like to do, do more of it. Adults
should be getting 30 minutes of exercise a day.
Double that for kids.
6) Check your cholesterol – Establish a
baseline and work from there. CDHD
offers Cholesterol Screening on the first Tuesday of every month. The test is only $20 and covers 23 different
items in the screening profile.
7) Learn about food safety – Foodborne illness can happen anywhere, but it doesn’t have
to. Learn the basics by viewing the free
Basic Food Safety video, available on the CDHD website. If you’re more ambitious you can enroll in
one of our classroom food safety courses.
8) Breastfeed your infant – Breastfeeding is
the gold standard of nutrition for newborns.
The WIC program at CDHD offers a wide variety of support services for
new mothers as well as nutritional supplements.
Call 327-7488 to learn more, or visit the WIC pages of our website.
9) Be Informed. Make a Plan. Build a Kit. –
Would your family be ready if disaster strikes?
The health district is ready to respond to public health
emergencies. Learn how you can prepare
your family by visiting Ready.gov.
10)
Report Food Poisoning – What do you do if you get sick after eating out
somewhere? Follow the link to “Report
Food Poisoning” on our website and complete the survey. This will start an investigation and
hopefully prevent future illnesses.
For more information on the programs and
services of the Central District Health Department, visit our website at
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New Year, New Time for Fit
& Fall Proof Class At
The popular Fit and Fall Proof™ classes at
the
Fit and Fall Proof™ classes teach seniors
simple exercises that increase strength, balance and endurance, and can help
prevent debilitating injuries caused by accidental falls and tripping sometimes
associated with age.
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CDHD Offers Four Tobacco
Cessation Classes in February
If you’ve been looking for help in kicking your tobacco habit, the Central District Health Department (CDHD) has four new free classes starting in February.
Tobacco Cessation classes are scheduled for the Ada County Courthouse, the Ada County-City Housing Authority, the main Boise Public Library downtown and the Library at Collister. The complete schedule is listed below. All classes are free, but registration is required. Call CDHD at 375-5211 to enroll or for more information.
Research shows that enrolling in cessation classes improves the success rate of people trying to kick tobacco. Each CDHD Tobacco Cessation class involves five intense sessions. In that time you’ll gain the tools and support you need to beat tobacco once and for all.
CDHD also offers referrals to other free tobacco cessation providers in the area. The complete list of classes and providers is available online at www.cdhd.idaho.gov/CHEC/Tobacco/cessation.htm.
Tobacco users can also get Free Nicotine Replacement Therapy by enrolling with the Idaho Quitnet program. Call 1-800-QUIT-NOW (784-8669) or logon to Idaho.quitnet.com. Tobacco users can request a 4 week supply of their choice of nicotine patches, gum or lozenges.
FEBRUARY
TOBACCO CESSATION CLASS SCHEDULE
Call to
Reserve Your Space Now – 375-5211
|
11:30 a.m. – 1:00
p.m. |
Thursday, February
2 Thursday, February
9 Thursday, February
16 Thursday, February
23 Thursday, March 1 |
|
Ada County-City Housing Authority 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. |
Thursday, February
2 Thursday, February
9 Thursday, February
16 Thursday, February
23 Thursday, March 1 |
|
Library at Collister 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. |
Wednesday, February
1 Wednesday, February
8 Wednesday, February
15 Thursday, February
16 Wednesday, February
22 |
|
5:30 – 7:30 p.m. |
Tuesday, February 7 Tuesday, February
14 Tuesday, February
21 Thursday, February
23 Tuesday, February
28 |
Tobacco Cessation classes are funded by the
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CDHD OFFERS
The Central District Health Department
(CDHD) will offer the four-hour Idaho Food Safety & Sanitation Course on
Tuesday February 14, 2012. Completing
this course provides an
What: 4-hour Idaho Food
Safety & Sanitation Course
Where: Central District Health
Department,
When: 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.,
Tuesday February 14, 2012
Cost: $33.00 – includes all
classroom materials
Registration: 327-7499
Note: Classes can be offered onsite with 10 or
more students. Call 327-7499.
The Basic Food Safety video can be downloaded
free from this website: http://cdhd.idaho.gov/EH/food/train.htm
For more information on this and other
programs of the Central District Health Department visit us online: www.cdhd.idaho.gov
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CDHD OFFERS SERVSAFE® FOOD
SAFETY COURSE
The Central District Health Department
(CDHD) will offer the 8-hour ServSafe® Manager
Certification course on Wednesday February 22, 2012. ServSafe® is a food
safety course sanctioned by the National Restaurant Association Educational
Foundation and designed to provide food service managers with the knowledge
necessary to meet state and national standards.
Certification is valid for five years and can be used anywhere in the
What: 8-hour ServSafe® Manager Certification Course
Where: Central District Health
Department,
When: 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Wednesday February 22, 2012
Cost: $100.00 – includes
lunch and all classroom materials
Registration: Call 208-327-7499
Information: 208-327-7499 or go to www.servsafe.com
Note: Classes can be offered onsite with 10 or
more students. Call for more information
208-327-7499.
The Basic Food Safety video can be downloaded
free from this website: http://cdhd.idaho.gov/EH/food/train.htm
For more information on this and other
programs of the Central District Health Department visit us online: www.cdhd.idaho.gov.
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The Flu Vaccine - Protection
from the Flu
Peace of Mind for You
As a parent, you do everything you can to
protect your children. Buckle them up in the car. Watch them closely when they’re
in the water. Teach them to look both ways when they cross the street. Warn
them not to talk to strangers.
How about also making sure they get a flu
vaccine? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that
everyone 6 months and older get a flu vaccine every year. That includes
children from tiny to teen.
Getting a flu vaccine is the best way to
prevent the flu. For children younger than 5 years of age and those with
certain chronic health conditions, like asthma and diabetes, getting a flu
vaccine is especially important to avoid serious flu complications like
pneumonia, which can lead to hospitalization and even death. About 20,000 children younger than 5 years
old are hospitalized each year from flu complications. The flu can also make
some health conditions worse.
Influenza-related deaths in children are
tragic, with nearly half of pediatric deaths occurring in children younger than
five years of age. Among the children who died during the 2010-2011 flu season,
roughly half had a high-risk medical condition that placed them at higher risk
of serious flu complications. However,
the other half did not. This tells us that even previously healthy children can
get very sick from the flu and die. The annual flu vaccine recommendation is
the same during years, like this one, when the vaccine is made to protect
against the same flu strains as the previous season’s vaccine.
There are two kinds of flu vaccine available
for children: the regular flu shot and a nasal spray flu vaccine, which is for
healthy children 2 years of age and older. Talk to your child’s doctor or nurse
if you have questions about which type of vaccine your child should receive.
Flu vaccines cannot give you the flu because
they are made from killed or weakened influenza viruses. Flu vaccines have an
excellent safety record. Hundreds of millions of Americans have safely received
flu vaccines and most people generally do not experience any side effects after
being vaccinated. When side effects do occur, they are generally mild and
include redness and soreness at the injection site for the flu shot, and
occasionally sore throat, runny nose and rarely fever after the nasal spray
vaccine. While these symptoms can be uncomfortable and inconvenient, they are mild
and resolve quickly when compared to a bad case of the flu.
“Parents who take their children to get a
flu vaccine can rest a little easier knowing they are helping to protect their
family against a potentially serious illness,” says Dr. Schuchat.
“And of course, parents should be vaccinated, too.”
Children 6 months through 8 years of age who
did not receive at least one dose of the 2010-2011 vaccine, or for whom it is
not certain whether the 2010-2011 vaccine was received, should receive 2 doses
of the 2011-2012 flu vaccine. The second dose (booster dose) should be given 4
weeks after the first.
Once vaccinated, the body needs two weeks to
produce antibodies for protection against the flu. Children, and everyone else,
should get a flu vaccine as soon as they are available in their community. This
will help provide early protection for the season. The vaccine does not provide
protection against non-flu viruses that can cause colds and other respiratory
illnesses similar to the flu, however.
Babies younger than 6 months are too young
to get a flu vaccine, but they are at higher risk for complications,
hospitalization and death from the flu. Therefore, it is important that family
members and other people who care for young infants get vaccinated to help
ensure that they don’t spread the infection to them. “It’s important that all
family members and caregivers get a flu vaccine to ‘cocoon’ infants,” says Dr.
Anne Schuchat, Assistant Surgeon General of the U.S.
Public Health Service and CDC’s Director of the National Center for
Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.
The Central District Health Department
offers flu vaccine by appointment for children but not adults at its three
offices in
For more information about the flu and the
benefits of the flu vaccine, talk to your doctor or nurse, visit
www.cdc.gov/flu
or call
CDC at 1-800-CDC-INFO (800-232-4636).
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Laurie Valdes Achieves IBCLC
Certification
Laurie Valdes, a Clinical Assistant with the
WIC (Women, Infants and Children) program at the Central District Health
Department, is now an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant
(IBCLC). This is the highest level of
certification a breastfeeding consultant can achieve. Valdes is a supervisor in the Breastfeeding
Peer Counselor program at WIC and is now certified to train additional
staff. She joins a growing number of
certified lactation consultants on the WIC staff, but is the only bilingual
consultant.
IBCLC certification means that Valdes has
passed a rigorous examination demonstrating the ability to provide competent,
comprehensive lactation and breastfeeding care.
She, like all other IBCLC certified practitioners, protects, promotes
and supports breastfeeding within the community, workplace and health care
system.
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CDHD Has Flu Vaccine for
Children
The Central District Health Department
(CDHD) has seasonal flu vaccine for children and is ready to take
appointments. Vaccine is available for
children ages 6 months to 18 years. Vaccine is available in shot form and nasal
mist.
Parents should call 327-7450 to make an
appointment for their children. While
the vaccine is free, administration fees apply and depend on the family’s
insurance. Please bring insurance
information to your appointment.
CDHD does not offer adult vaccination
services, and that includes the flu vaccine.
Adults should consult their health care providers or go to one of the
many commercial flu vaccine outlets.
Because the flu is unpredictable, the
Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommends that all people
6 months of age and older receive the annual influenza vaccination. It is especially important for those in the
following groups to get vaccinated because they are at high risk of serious flu
complications or because they live with or care for people at high risk of
developing flu-related complications:
· Pregnant women
· Children younger than 5, but especially
those younger than 2
· People 65 years of age and older
· People of any age with certain chronic
medical conditions including asthma, heart disease, diabetes, weakened immune
systems and the morbidly obese
· People who live in nursing homes or other
long-term care facilities
· Health care workers
Children aged 6 months to 8 years who did
not receive the flu vaccine last year may need two doses of vaccine this year
to be fully immunized.
This year’s vaccine contains the same three
strains of virus as last year’s seasonal flu vaccine:
· An A/California/7/2009 (H1N1)–like virus,
· An A/Perth/16/2009 (H3N2)–like virus,
· And a B/Brisbane/60/2008–like virus.
The A/California strain is the same H1N1
virus that caused the 2009 flu pandemic. Even if you got the flu vaccine last
year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is
still recommending vaccination this year as immunity tends to wane over time.
For more information about the flu and
vaccinations visit the CDHD website at www.cdhd.idaho.gov.
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New Website Reveals What’s Real
The Reproductive Health program at the Central
District Health Department (CDHD) recently launched a new website, www.reveal4real.org, designed to provide
the real facts about sex, birth control, sexually transmitted diseases and
pregnancy. The website primarily targets teens and young adults, but provides
solid information for everyone, including parents.
“We felt that it was important that all the
information we put on Reveal4Real were from reputable sites,” Explained
The site itself has also been tested on the
target audience in area schools and in the Reproductive Health lobby at CDHD
during teen walk-in clinic. “It’s been very positive,” said Fortunati.
“They told us what was helpful and what wasn’t.”
In order to bring even greater awareness to
the website and the availability of Reproductive Health services, CDHD is
launching a year-long advertising campaign starting December 27th. The campaign
will involve traditional media, like radio, but also social media, including
Twitter, Facebook and Foursquare. For
example, people will be able to ‘check-in’ on Foursquare and get a special deal
at the three offices of CDHD in
To learn more visit
www.reveal4real.org, follow us on
Twitter @cdhdr4r, on Facebook or check-in on Foursquare at any of our three
offices.
Masters of Health Administration