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Features

[MARCH 14, 2001]  The 15th annual Children's Health Fair will be at the Indoor Sports Complex at the Lincoln Park District, 1400 Primm Road, on Friday, March 16, from 8:45 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Fifth grade students from Lincoln and Logan County schools will be brought to the Indoor Sports Complex for two-hour segments during the day. Home-schooled fifth grade students are also invited to attend. The goal of the Children's Health Fair is to encourage children to learn about health in a way that allows them to play an active part in the learning process. More than 30 agencies will be represented at the fair.

The children will receive information about such topics as cancer prevention, exercise, nutrition, hospitals, dental health, disabilities, drugs and alcohol, emergency services, farm safety, personal hygiene, personal safety, posture, senior citizens and vision.

Following last year's successful premiere, students will once again be going through a Heart Adventure Challenge Course. Research studies have supported the notion that children learn best through play experiences. The Elementary Heart Adventure Challenge Course from Western Illinois University does just that. What better way to learn about the most important muscle in the body than to experience going through it! Students are physically involved while navigating the blood's pathway through the body.

The kids will once again have a chance to "scream out" against the tobacco industry, in the American Cancer Society's Great American SmokeScream Contest. Classes will compete against each other, using screams they have written containing messages to the tobacco industry about the dangers of smoking. The best screamers will be treated to a class pizza party.

For the first time, the Seat Belt Convincer will be a part of the fair. The Illinois Department of Transportation's Seat Belt Convincer, through Eastern Illinois University's Office of Traffic Safety, is visiting the health fair to promote the use of occupant restraints. The Convincer will allow someone to experience the force of a 5-7 mph crash safely. Only riders who are 18 years old or older, or young adults who are currently enrolled in driver's education and have parental consent, may ride the Convincer.

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Four out of five car seats are used wrong. Could yours be one of them? In the U.S. during 1996, 1,813 fatalities were reported for children 14 and under in motor vehicle crashes. Of these deaths, 37 percent were children 4 and under. You are invited to get your child's car seat checked on March 17 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Logan County Health Department will have car safety seat inspections at the Lincoln Community High School in conjunction with the health fair. Call 735-2317 today to schedule your appointment. Jimmy John's Sub Shop is sponsoring this attraction.

Making a return visit is the child identification program. The Lincoln Police Department is bringing this popular program to the fair. Parents will have the opportunity to have their children fingerprinted at no charge. Fingerprinting has been very beneficial to the police in locating missing children. Parents are urged to take advantage of this program offered from 9 a.m. to noon.

Smokey Bear, of the Forestry Department of the Illinois Conservation Service, and Sgt. McGruff of the Lincoln Police Department will also be on hand throughout the day promoting safety.

The Illinois Department of Nuclear Energy will for the first time be displaying the Radon House. The house will be a hands-on exhibit with information about radon, its health effects and testing, as well as fixing the problem.

In addition to the SmokeScream Contest, children have been encouraged to make posters before the fair about some aspect of health. Prizes will be awarded and the posters will be displayed at the fair. The top four winning posters will be on display at Burger King, McDonald's, Taco Bell and Wendy's restaurants before the health fairs.

More information

The Children's Health Fair is co-sponsored by Lincoln Park District and Logan County Health Department.

Questions about the health fair in general or about involving home-schooled children should be directed to Marcia Dowling at the Logan County Health Department, 735-2317, or to Marcia Greenslate at the Lincoln Park District, 732-8770, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

[MARCH 14, 2001]  The 16th annual Community Health Fair will be Saturday, March 17, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Lincoln Park District's Indoor Sports Complex. Admission is free. Everyone is invited to attend.

This year's edition of the fair will focus on innovations in safety, health and fitness.

More than 60 organizations will have displays or offer health screenings. Guests at the fair will learn new and innovative approaches to wellness. Many new safety exhibits will be a part of this year's fair. Guests will also have an opportunity to win valuable door prizes donated by area merchants.

Health screenings are always popular at the fair. More than a dozen will be offered this year. The screenings include balance assessment, blood pressure, blood sugar/diabetes, body fat measurement, bone density, child developmental, cholesterol, grip strength, height and weight, hemoglobin testing, pulmonary function, and vision screening. All except the hemoglobin test ($1) will be free of charge.

The American Red Cross will again be conducting a blood drive in conjunction with the Health Fair. Hours will be from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Your gift of blood can help save someone's life, so please plan to give at the American Red Cross Blood Bank. First-time donors are welcome; no experience needed!

All ages will be treated to plenty of scheduled entertainment during the day as well. At 10 a.m. Scott Brown and his students from Lincoln Tae Kwon Do will give a spirited demonstration.

At 10:45 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., Vince and Larry, nationally recognized crash dummies from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, will perform. Vince and Larry will do a brief skit promoting seat belt safety

At 11 Ronald McDonald will make a return visit to the fair. Representing McDonald's restaurants, Ronald will make sure that visitors have a good time. Kids and adults alike are sure to enjoy his presentation.

At 11:30 the Lincoln Bible Church will present a puppet show. The teen group of the church is making their third visit to the fair with this safety-oriented program.

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Sure to add plenty of excitement to the lineup will be a noon performance by the Aerobics Department of the Lincoln Park District. Aero-Kick, a hot new style of exercising, as well as the latest trends in fitness will be featured.

At 1 p.m. Dan Dugan and his students from Yoshukai Karate will be on hand to entertain you with an enthusiastic demonstration on this self-defense discipline.

Concluding the day's entertainment at 1:30 p.m., the HYPE puppets will take center stage. Lincoln Junior High School's HYPE (Helping Youth in a Positive Environment) group is making a second appearance at the fair.

In addition to the above entertainment, a Tot’s Park will be a part of the fair. Youngsters can play on the equipment while moms and dads visit the exhibits and displays. The play area will be under adult supervision.

Bingo will also be available to guests of the fair. Maple Ridge Care Centre is sponsoring this activity for all ages from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Nutritious foods prepared by Lincoln Land Catering will be available for purchase at the fair.

The Community Health Fair is co-sponsored by the Lincoln Park District and the Logan County Health Department.

Participants and their topics are listed below.

Questions about the health fair should be directed to Marcia Greenslate at the Lincoln Park District, 732-8770, or to Marcia Dowling at the Logan County Health Department, 735-2317.

[MARCH 14, 2001]  Several health screenings will be offered to the public at the Community Health Fair. The fair will be at the Lincoln Park District’s Indoor Sports Complex, 1400 Primm Road, on Saturday, March 17, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Admission is free.

People interested in the screenings should plan to arrive early enough to allow time for all of the screenings to be done before the fair ends. People who arrive after 1 p.m. may not be able to complete all the screenings. Fasting is not necessary before the tests.

Screening is an accurate and safe procedure when done by trained health care professionals.

Screenings offered at no charge

• Balance assessment (by Lincoln Land Community College)

• Blood pressure (by Logan County Health Department)

• Body fat analysis (by Lincoln Land Community College)

• Bone density (by Memorial Medical Center)

• Blood sugar/diabetes (by Graue Pharmacy)

• Child developmental, age 0-3 (by United Cerebral Palsy)

• Cholesterol (by Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital, Cardiac Rehab)

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• Grip strength (by Lincoln Land Community College)

• Height and weight (by Lincoln Park District)

• Pulmonary function (by Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital Respiratory Therapy Department)

• Vision (by Logan County Health Department)

Screening available for a small fee

• Hemoglobin (by Family Medical Center).

Used primarily to evaluate anemia, this screening is done by finger-stick blood sample. The results are completed in less than one minute, and the cost is only $1. The fee helps defray the expenses involved with offering the test.

Questions about the screenings can be directed to Marcia Dowling at the Logan County Health Department, 735-2317.

[MARCH 9, 2001]  Today Logan County seventh graders gathered in Lincoln Christian College’s chapel for a PARTY! Positive Actions Relating To Youth is an annual, full-day prevention program.

No less than 15 years ago, Logan County Health Department began PARTY for the seventh graders of Logan County. At that time, only sixth graders were involved in DARE. The Health Department believed that older students were still vulnerable to being pressured into dangerous habits, so they began a prevention program.

The goal of the program is "to help students gain information, self-confidence, and skills needed for better decision-making towards their lifetime goals." According to director Marcia Dowling, the program is helping. She hesitated to answer, because it is difficult to evaluate the success of prevention; but as a small part of all the prevention programs in Logan County, Dowling believes PARTY is making a difference.

Each year, for PARTY, the Health Department and others coordinate a day full of activities: a keynote speaker, 10 different workshops and lunch. Many groups and individuals helped to plan and execute the program: teachers, high school students, seventh- and eighth-grade students, the Police Department, the U of I Extension, Logan/Mason Mental Health, Chestnut Health Systems, and more. TOUCH (Teaching Others Using Chemicals Hurts) and the Regional Superintendent’s Office funded the program and speaker.

Seventh and eighth graders suggested topics for workshops. Fifty high school students from Lincoln, Mount Pulaski and Hartsburg-Emden helped with or ran the workshops. They also registered the seventh graders, prepared skits and served lunch. All of the sack lunches were prepared by Mount Pulaski’s Future Homemakers Association. Teachers and police officers donated time to help with the day’s activities as well.

This year’s keynote speaker was David Goerlitz, the former "Winston Man"—not to be confused, he says, with the Marlboro man who died five years ago of lung cancer. For seven years, Goerlitz modeled for Winston cigarettes, making a total of 42 advertisements. The fact that he has made more ads than any other model is not something for which he is proud, rather he uses his "inside knowledge" to better discuss tobacco use and addiction. His desire is to be part of the solution in tobacco prevention, since he used to be part of the problem. Goerlitz also hopes to see more tobacco settlement money being used for tobacco use prevention. He believes that Illinois is doing a better job than most states—a lot better than his home state of New Jersey—but there is always room for improvement.

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[This year’s keynote speaker was David Goerlitz, the former “Winston Man.”]

[For seven years, Goerlitz modeled for Winston cigarettes, making a total of 42 advertisements.]

[In his humorous presentation, the former Winston Man reminded Logan County’s seventh graders that they have known smoking was bad since the age of 5.]

David Goerlitz explained that he began smoking a little bit and eventually smoked his way up to three packs of cigarettes a day. During his presentation, Goerlitz emphasized that young people know smoking will kill them when they are older, but they dismiss the fact that they might have health problems earlier in life. He realized this at the young age of 34. While acting as a photo double for Harrison Ford during the making of the movie "Witness," Goerlitz had a slight stroke, which took away the feeling in his left leg.

In his humorous presentation, the former Winston Man reminded Logan County’s seventh graders that they have known smoking was bad since the age of 5. He relayed an Illinois state statistic that quoted 21 percent of Illinois teenagers as smokers. He asked his audience if they believed the number was too low, and most students raised their hands. Throughout the rest of the presentation, Goerlitz labored to explain to students why some choose to ignore what they have learned from kindergarten and slowly kill themselves with "cancer sticks."

After the main session, students picked four of 10 workshops to attend:

• "Days of Our High School Lives" showed seventh graders what to expect in high school.

• "My Friends, Girlfriends, and Boyfriends" discussed the privileges and responsibilities of friendships and dating.

• "WOW! Do I Really Look Like That?" compared how individuals viewed themselves with how others viewed them.

• A Mobile Ropes Challenge Course was provided by the Illinois National Guard.

• "Turning Around from Drugs and Alcohol" portrayed the difficulties of detoxification.

• "Anger—Constructive or Destructive" helped students better understand their emotions.

• "Personal Safety—Don’t Be a Target" gave students tools for safety at school, on the street, at home and on the Internet.

• "Violence in our School" compared violence in school, student’s lives and in entertainment.

• "Obsessing or Stressing??? Is My Body Healthy?" was designed to teach teenagers more about eating habits and exercise.

• "It Takes Two" encouraged students to practice good communication.

Marcia Dowling was excited about PARTY day, and "the kids certainly enjoy the day." Hopefully PARTY, along with Logan County’s other prevention programs, will be successful in guiding students away from dangerous habits toward productive habits.

[Jean Ann Carnley]

Honors & Awards

[FEB. 27, 2001]  Mary Anderson, RN, BSN recently received an Outstanding Nurse Recognition Award from March of Dimes. Mary has been employed as a public health nurse and communicable disease investigator at Logan County Health Department for the past 11 years. She was nominated by Logan County Health Department. Mary was recognized by March of Dimes for her work in improving the health of infants, children, youth and adults through education about vaccine-preventable disease and immunizations.

Announcements

[FEB. 5, 2001]  The Rural Health Partnership has announced the schedule for its mobile health unit. Effective Feb. 1, 2001, the unit will run as follows:

For more information on the mobile health unit schedule and services, contact Dayle Eldredge at (217) 732-2161, Ext. 409.

This family resource list to save and use is provided by the Healthy Communities Partnership (732-2161, Ext. 409) and the Healthy Families Task Force.         

Resources for Logan County families

Agency	Phone number	Address
911	911 (Emergencies) 732-3911 (Office -- non-emergency)	911 Pekin St. Lincoln, IL 62656
Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital	732-2161	315 Eighth St. Lincoln, IL 62656
Aging (Department of)	785-3356	421 E. Capitol, #100 Springfield, IL 62701-1789
American Cancer Society	546-7586 (24 hour)	1305 Wabash, Ste. J Springfield, IL 62704
American Red Cross	732-2134 1-800-412-0100	125 S. Kickapoo Lincoln, IL 62656
Catholic Social Services	732-3771	310 S. Logan Lincoln, IL 62656
Chamber of Commerce	735-2385	303 S. Kickapoo St. Lincoln, IL 62656
Community Action (CIEDC)	732-2159	1800 Fifth St. Lincoln, IL 62656
Community Child Care Connection	525-2805 1-800-676-2805	1004 N. Milton Ave. Springfield, IL 62702-443
Crisis Pregnancy Center	735-4838	513 Pulaski St. Lincoln, IL 62656
DCFS (Department of Children & Family Services)	735-4402 1-800-252-2873 (crisis hotline)	1100 Keokuk St. Lincoln, IL 62656
Heartland Community College GED Program	735-1731	620 Broadway St. Lincoln, IL 62656
Hospice Care of Illinois	1-800-342-4862 (24 hour) 732-2161, Ext. 444	720 N. Bond Springfield, IL 62702
Housing Authority	732-7776 732-6312 (24 hour)	1028 N. College St. Lincoln, IL 62656
Illinois Breast & Cervical Cancer Program	735-2317 1-800-269-4019	LCHD - 109 Third St. Lincoln, IL 62656
Illinois Department of Public Health	782-4977	535 W. Jefferson Springfield, IL 62761
Illinois Employment & Training Center (JTPA)	735-5441	812 Lincoln Ave. Lincoln, IL 62656
Legal Assistance Foundation	(217) 753-3300 1-800-252-8629	730 E. Vine St., Ste. 214 Springfield, IL 62703
Library - Atlanta	(217) 648-2112	100 Race St. Atlanta, IL 61723
Library - Elkhart	(217) 947-2313	121 E. Bohan Elkhart, IL 62634
Library - Lincoln	732-8878	725 Pekin St. Lincoln, IL 62656
Library - Mount Pulaski	792-5919	320 N. Washington Mount Pulaski, IL 62548
Lincoln Area YMCA	735-3915	319 W. Kickapoo St. Lincoln, IL 62656
Lincoln/Logan Food Pantry	732-2204	P.O. Box 773 Lincoln, IL 62656
Lincoln Parents’ Center	735-4192	100 S. Maple Lincoln, IL 62656
Lincoln Park District	732-8770	1400 Primm Rd. Lincoln, IL 62656
Logan County Department of Human Services (Public Aid)	735-2306	1550 Fourth St., P.O. Box 310 Lincoln, IL 62656
Logan County Health Department	735-2317	109 Third St., P.O. Box 508 Lincoln, IL 62656
Logan Mason Mental Health	735-2272 1-888-832-3600 (crisis line)	304 Eighth St. Lincoln, IL 62656
Logan-Mason Rehabilitation Center	735-1413	760 S. Postville Dr. Lincoln, IL 62656
Oasis (Senior Citizens of Logan County)	732-6132	501 Pulaski St. Lincoln, IL 62656
Project READ	735-1731	620 Broadway St. Lincoln, IL 62656
Salvation Army	732-7890	1501 N. Kickapoo Lincoln, IL 62656
Senior Services of Central Illinois	732-6213 1-800-252-8966 (crisis line)	109 Third St. Lincoln, IL 62656
Sojourn Shelter & Service Inc.	732-8988 (217) 726-5200 (24-hour hotline)	1800 Westchester Blvd. Springfield, IL 62704
U. of I. Division of Specialized Care for Children	524-2000 1-800-946-8468	421 S. Grand Ave. West, 2nd Floor Springfield, IL 62704
U. of I. Extension Service	732-8289	122 S. McLean St. Lincoln, IL 62656

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