Marion Scripts April 11, 2013 Keeping Marion County residents informed on today’s health issues Senior community supports Marion’s Healthy Start program Some Marion County seniors are part of the community effort to improve health in Marion County. Residents of Salt Springs Village, a retirement community in northeastern Marion County, donated 102 handmade baby quilts to the Healthy Start program. Ethel Payton and Kathy Chiasson brought the quilts to the department’s Healthy Start program April 8. “Many of our residents are involved,” said Chiasson, who has been part of the baby quilt project for eight years. “People who can’t quilt may donate money or materials.” The quilting project started small according to Payton, who has been part of the baby quilt project for 21 years. “We made just a few quilts for AIDS babies in the county the first year,” said Payton. “It’s grown much larger over the years, sometimes as many as 125 quilts.” Florida Department of Health photos Above: Kathy Chiasson, left, and Ethel Payton display two of 102 quilts donated to Healthy Start. Below: Volunteers sign the handmade quilts to give them a personal touch. The Salt Springs Village residents work on the quilts throughout the year, getting them ready for the Baby Quilt Day activity each March. Many of the residents come out to help finish off the quilts. “They come to sew, tie — whatever,” said Payton. “Even some of the men help by tying the knots to finish the quilts.” Each quilt is inspected to be sure it is safe and signed by one of the residents to give it a personal touch. Salt Springs residents support other Marion County causes as well, such as Kimberly's Center for Child Protection and Hospice of Marion County. Calendar April 11 Medical Reserve Corps ICS Training April 13 Week of the Young Child Festival at the College of Central Florida April 15 Medical Reserve Corps New Member Orientation April 17 Mom & Baby Club meeting April 22 Medical Reserve Corps ICS Training April 23 Smoking Cessation Class April 24 Breastfeeding class April 24 Medical Reserve Corps triage training April 27 Health and Heart Show Health Fair at Paddock Mall “These quilts are a huge bonus for our clients in need,” said Lynne Hough, Healthy Start program supervisor. “They are greatly appreciated, are often kept for generations as the baby’s first keepsake, and they represent our caring commitment.” Wanda Oglesby, senior community health nurse, said the quilts have quite an impact on families. “One of our mothers called us after her baby turned eight,” said Oglesby. “The little girl got on the phone and said, ‘Miss Wanda, I still have my quilt.” Healthy Start helps pregnant women, women who are between pregnancies, infants, and children up to age 3. Healthy Start provides education, resource information, case management and care coordination services in order to improve birth outcomes and decrease infant mortality. Healthy Start staff members visit families in their homes, providing customized care. Services are voluntary and free to qualified families. (Continued on page 3) Marion Scripts 2 April 11, 2012 Alcohol Abuse It’s not just a big city problem. April is Alcohol Awareness Month, and it’s a good time to talk about drinking responsibly and driving sober. Drinking too much alcohol increases the risk of health-related problems like injuries, violence, liver disease, and some types of cancer. This April during Alcohol Awareness Month, the Florida Department of Health in Marion County encourages you to take this time to educate yourself and your loved ones about the dangers of drinking too much. In Marion County alone, there were 265 alcohol-related motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2011. In Florida, there were more than 24,000. To spread the word and prevent alcohol abuse, the department is joining other organizations across the country to honor Alcohol Awareness Month and prevent alcohol abuse in our community. There are approximately 80,000 deaths attributable to excessive alcohol use each year in the U.S. Excessive alcohol use is responsible for 2.3 million years of potential life lost annually, or an average of about 30 years of potential life lost for each death. In a 2006 study of the economic costs of excessive alcohol consumption in the U.S., there were more than 1.2 million emergency room visits and 2.7 million physician office visits due to excessive drinking. The economic costs of excessive alcohol consumption in 2006 were estimated at $223.5 billion. If you are drinking too much, you can improve your health by cutting back or quitting. Here are some strategies to help you cut back or stop drinking: ― Limit your drinking to no more than 1 drink a day for women and no more than 2 drinks a day for men. ― Keep track of how much you drink. ― Don’t drink when you are upset. ― Avoid places where people drink too much. ― Make a list of reasons not to drink. If you are concerned about someone else’s drinking, offer to help. For more information about alcohol and public health, visit http://cdc.gov/alcohol. Marion County alcohol use 265 15% 18.8% 9.2% Alcohol-related motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2011 Adults who engage in heavy or binge drinking. High school students who engage in heavy or binge drinking. Middle school students who engage in heavy or binge drinking. ― Source: FloridaCHARTS Need Info? Call 352-629-0137 Birth & Death Certificates ext. 2064 Communicable Diseases ext. 2088 Dental Clinic 352-622-2664 Environmental Health ext. 2086 Family Planning ext. 2091 Health Education ext. 2195 Healthy Start ext. 2275 HIV/AIDS ext. 2073 Immunizations ext. 2017 Maternity ext. 2089 School Health ext. 2043 Sexually Transmitted Diseases ext. 2073 WIC & Nutrition ext. 2124 Marion Scripts 3 April 11, 2012 Department of Health celebrates children The Florida Department of Health in Marion County is joining forces with the community to celebrate children during the month of April. Marion County Public Health professionals will join the College of Central Florida and the Early Learning Coalition of Marion County April 13 for the Week of the Young Child Festival at the college’s Learning Lab School. The event focuses on the needs of young children and their families and recognizes early childhood programs and services that meet those needs. The event is sponsored by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. In Tallahassee, the Florida Department of Health is celebrating Florida’s 2013 Children’s Week this week by reminding Florida’s families to start healthy habits for children early in life. The Department has several programs and initiatives that target children. The Healthiest Weight initiative is a statewide public-private partnership that provides children, parents, schools, and other stakeholders the tools to address Florida’s obesity challenge. The Department’s Newborn Screening Panel tests for multiple diseases and conditions and early testing and detection is crucial to ensuring infants have a healthy start. The Division of Children’s Medical Services has partnered with United Way of Florida and Children’s Week for the past seven years. Through various programs serving children with serious and chronic special health care needs, Children’s Medical Services shares the Children’s Week vision of giving children a voice and providing them the tools they need to live successful and fulfilled lives. For information about Children’s Week observances throughout the state, visit http://childrensweek.org. Healthy Start (Continued from page 1) “We provide a wide range of services to help women live healthy lives so their babies can start off on the right foot,” said Hough. “We help women and infants get the health care they need. We have classes that cover labor and delivery, breastfeeding, parenting and other skills. We have counseling services available and we connect families to the resources they need to succeed. We also provide one-on-one help for people who want to stop smoking.” To get started with the program, women just need to make a screening appointment at the health department or talk to their doctor at their prenatal appointment. Self-referrals and community referrals are also welcome. Since Healthy Start was signed into law in 1991, many national health indicators have improved. More 2-year-olds are completing their immunizations. More women are starting their prenatal care earlier, and fewer are smoking during their pregnancies. The infant mortality rate has dropped, and so has the teen birth rate. “The program tries to address the many needs women and babies have,” said Hough. “Access to health care and community resources help care for their physical needs. Education classes, support groups and counseling services provide more tools to help families succeed. We partner with a variety of agencies on issues that impact families in our community, such as the library’s Ready to Read Zero to Three program to help parents foster language development, literacy and reading skills.” Healthy Start is open from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday. To make an appointment, call 352-629-0137, ext. 2275. Scan the QR code with your smartphone to visit the Marion County Health Department online at http://marioncohealth.com. http://Facebook.com/FLDepartmentofHealth http://Twitter.com/HealthyFla http://YouTube.com/fldoh