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· CALENDAR
WIC Checks: 7, 11
WIC Recerts: 1, 4, 8, 13, 15, 21, 22, 25, 28
Immunizations: 14, 29
Family Planning: 5, 19, 20, 26
Willow Clinic: 6
M View Clinic: 27
Cholesterol Screenings: 11
Holiday’s: CLOSED 12th Lincoln’s Birthday, 18th President’s Day
Happy Valentine’s Day
Go Red February 1st
Go Red for Women is a National Campaign that asks everyone to wear their favorite red apparel in honor of heart disease and women’s health.
Heart disease is the #1 killer of women in America.
Go to www.goredforwomen.org to take the Go Red Heart Check Up. Get information on heart healthy recipes, learn from stories of women who survived heart attacks and strokes, get diet and exercise information and much more!
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In 2008, Live Like Your Life Depends On It
Missourians are urged to make healthy lifestyle choices
Live like your life depends on it. That’s a resolution the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services and the Live Well Message Alliance would like to see all Missourians make for 2008.
“Living like your life depends on it is the key to a long and healthy life,” said Jane Drummond, director of the state health department. “Smart lifestyle choices will definitely improve the quality of your life - for the rest of your life.”
Missourians will be hearing the phrase, “Live Like Your Life Depends On It,” throughout the coming year as the health department and dozens of other health-related organizations across the state work together to encourage residents to make choices that will help prevent and control chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke and cancer.
The ultimate goal is to reduce chronic disease, which causes nearly seven out of 10 deaths in Missouri. Some of the most serious chronic diseases are more common in Missouri than much of the rest of the country. Nationwide, Missouri ranks ninth in the prevalence of heart disease and seventh in stroke prevalence. The state ranks sixth in deaths caused by smoking-related diseases, primarily lung cancer and cardiovascular disease.
“In recent years, Missouri has made some progress in reducing chronic diseases such as heart disease and stroke, but we have a long way to go,” Drummond said. “If all Missourians would make one or more changes in their lifestyle, our state would be a healthier place.”
· Eat smart: Make healthy food choices.
v Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables every day. Add vegetables to your favorite soup or casserole. Serve fruit for dessert or a snack.
v If you’re a gardener or would like to become one, check out seed catalogs for a variety of vegetables to plant this spring and harvest all summer long.
v Think lean when choosing meat for your meals.
v Use low-fat or fat-free milk and milk products.
v Start your day with a bowl of whole-grain cereal for breakfast.
· Move more: Be active at least 30 minutes on most days of the week.
v Set a regular time every day to walk with a friend or family member.
v Don’t let winter weather keep you inside - put on your warmest clothes and play outside with your kids or grandkids.
v If it’s too cold outside, find a place indoors, such as a shopping mall or community center, to be physically active.
· Maintain a healthy weight: Keep your weight at a healthy level by eating right and getting plenty of physical activity. If your weight starts edging upward eat a little less and increase your physical activity to keep extra pounds from adding inches to your waistline.
· Be tobacco free: Don’t smoke or breathe someone else’s secondhand smoke. If you do smoke, call Missouri’s Tobacco Quit Line for free telephone counseling and information on how to stop smoking. The number is 1-800-QUIT-NOW. Try a nicotine replacement product or talk to your doctor about one of the new prescription medications that can help you kick the addiction. Quitting smoking can be difficult, so ask your family and friends for their support.
· Get recommended health screenings: Regular maintenance is the best way to keep your house and your car in tip-top shape. You should do the same for yourself. Health screenings can detect problems early so you can make changes in your lifestyle to prevent or manage chronic diseases. Talk to a doctor about the right time to get tested for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, colorectal cancer, and - if you’re a woman - breast and cervical cancer.
“As we begin a new year, people are often very motivated to make positive changes in their lives, and many of those resolutions focus on health issues,” Drummond said. “By encouraging people to live like their life depends on it throughout the coming year, we hope to help Missourians keep the promises they make to themselves and their families to live healthier lives.”
The Live Like Your Life Depends On It campaign was developed by the Live Well Message Alliance, a group of health-related organizations from throughout the state, including the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. More information about healthy lifestyle choices can be found atwww.cdc.gov/HealthyLiving <http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyLiving>.
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The Howell County Health Dept has formed a new coalition to address reducing the tobacco rates in Howell County.
This is a community health problem and we would like to have members of the community to help decide the best direction to meet the goals and objectives.
We held a meeting in January and will meet again in June. We welcome anyone to join and would like to see business, health care providers, city & county government, schools and any other interested individuals represented. Email Dawn Hicks at hicksd@lpha.dhss.mo.govto find out more if you are not already involved.
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Sippy Cups and Your Child’s Teeth
From the American Dental Association
www.ada.org
As soon as teeth appear in the mouth, decay can occur. One of the risk factors for early childhood carries (sometimes called baby bottle tooth decay or nursing mouth syndrome) is frequent and prolonged exposure of a baby’s teeth to liquids, such as fruit juice, milk or formula, which all contain sugar.
Tooth decay can occur when a baby is put to bed with a bottle. Infants should finish their naptime or bedtime bottle before going to bed. Because decay can destroy the teeth of an infant or young child, you should encourage your children to drink from a cup by their first birthdays.
Many training cups, also called sippy or tippy cups, are available in stores. Many are “no spill” cups, which are essentially baby bottle in disguise. “No spill” cups include a valve beneath the spout to stop spills. However, cups with valves do not allow your child to sip. Instead the child gets liquid by sucking on the cup, much like a baby bottle. This practice defeats the purpose of using a training cup, as it prevents the child from learning to sip.
Don’t let your child carry the training cup around. Toddlers are often unsteady on their feet. They take an unnecessary risk if they try to walk and drink at the same time. Falling while drinking from a cup has the potential to injure the mouth.
A training cup should be used temporarily. Once your child has learned how to sip, the training cup has achieved its purpose. It can and should be set aside when no longer needed.
Tips:
For sipping success, carefully choose and use a training cup. As the first birthday approaches, encourage your child to drink from a cup. As this changeover from baby bottle to training cup takes place, be very careful:
 what kind of training cup you choose
what goes into the cup
how frequently your child sips from it
that your child does not carry the cup around
Talk to your dentist for more information. If your child has not had a dental examination, schedule a “well baby checkup” for his or her teeth. The American Dental Association says that it is beneficial for the first dental visit to occur with in six months of the appearance of the first tooth, and no later than the child’s first birthday.
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