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Features

‘Healthy You in 2002’

[MARCH 25, 2002]  After the Lincoln Park District Indoor Sports Complex closed Friday afternoon, the gym went through a tremendous booth explosion. The Children’s Health Fair on Friday had only about 30 booths, all directed at children’s education. Saturday, however, at the Community Health Fair, "Healthy You in 2002," the 30 grew to over 70 displays aimed at a full range of people.

View pictures of Community Health Fair

Many of the special attractions from Friday’s children’s fair remained, such as the wheelchair obstacle course and the 32-foot-high McGruff. But, of course, there were many attractions added. Smokey Bear greeted guests at the fair, encouraging them to be safe with fire. ALMH sponsored a large display of many booths supplying various information pamphlets from the hospital and providing screenings for bone density, cholesterol and pulmonary function. And, because there cannot be a large community get-together without food, Lincoln Land Catering prepared a café serving healthy foods.

As with the children’s fair, there were many aspects of health and safety represented and endorsed across the fair. The Lincoln Police Department gave parents the opportunity to have their child’s picture and fingerprints taken as a part of the Child Identification Program.

Various booths provided information on nutrition, alcoholism, domestic violence, children’s health, women’s health, diabetes, glaucoma and soybeans.

[Photos by Bob Frank]

Representatives from many health service providers were also available to give information and answer questions. Among them were Dr. Frank Adubato, chiropractor; Curves for Women, a fitness center; and Jim Percival, reflexologist.

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Numerous health screenings were performed either for free or for a small fee. Logan County Health Department provided height and weight, blood pressure, and vision screenings. Graue Pharmacy had blood sugar screenings available. United Cerebral Palsy offered child developmental screenings for children ages 0-3. Pulmonary function and cholesterol screenings were provided by ALMH. Others were dry eye and tear testing by Drake Eyecare Center and hemoglobin testing by Family Medical Center. The bone density screening was provided by ALMH, Family Medical Center and Logan County Health Department.

[Photo by Gina Sennett]

In a section of the gym near the back, six sets of entertainers performed for guests: Richard Landry, magic; Emily Navarro and Lincoln Park District students, tumbling; Dan Dugan and students, chito ryu karate; Lincoln High School choir, patriotic songs; Lincoln Junior High, HYPE puppet show; Scott Brown and students, tae kwon do.

The wide variety of health and safety issues and the large number of guests from the community made this year’s health fair a huge success. LDN looks forward to seeing how it will be topped in next year’s fair.

[Gina Sennett]

Kids have fun and learn
about safe, healthy living

[MARCH 23, 2002]  Many people will descend today on the same gym for the annual Community Health Fair, but the fifth-grade students of Logan County received a private showing yesterday at the annual Children’s Health Fair. Organizations from all over the county and the state sent representatives to inform the children about aspects of their health.

View pictures of Children's Health Fair

Some of the booths reinforced lessons that parents, teachers and now public service ads on television teach them, such as the dangers of smoking and drinking. Each booth had a different theme. The American Cancer Society, for instance, showed the students three human lungs: one healthy, one with emphysema and one with cancer. The Logan-Mason Mental Health booth featured a video telling about the downfall of the cartoon spokesperson Joe Camel.

Many other booths taught lessons the students may never have learned otherwise — lessons involving subjects rarely covered in school. The Coalition for Citizens with Disabilities had many representatives there so the students could meet people with disabilities. The group also had an obstacle course for the students to complete in wheelchairs, which was designed to give them a greater appreciation and respect for people in wheelchairs. The course included two doors, both of which opened toward the student. Outside the first door, there was plenty of room to maneuver; the other door had to be opened in a hallway, leaving very little room for moving the chair. The second door had a high doorjamb and led to a corner with a thick carpet. Then students had to wheel up a ramp, turn a sharp corner, go down another ramp and over two bumps to the end.

There were also booths dealing specifically with certain disabilities and diseases, including blindness, epilepsy, cerebral palsy and diabetes.

Some booths provided information on how to stay healthy. CIEDC Head Start program told students about the necessity of calcium in the body. Health and Fitness Balance taught the students a few yoga exercises for maintaining good muscles and joints. And Lincoln Public Library sponsored a booth entitled "Stressbusters."

Some booths, instead of dealing with inner health, dealt with different forms of safety. The Hartsburg-Emden FFA and Farm Safety 4 Just Kids both taught about farm safety, demonstrating the importance of proper equipment handling. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources taught students about groundwater, which is the water that goes into wells and aquifers and into our homes. They tried to stress the importance of testing water from wells for chemicals such as arsenic, which is one of the most dangerous substances found in this area.

Then there was the big obstacle course. The Heart Adventure Challenge Course showed the students how blood flows from the body, through the heart, to the lungs, back to the heart and back into the body. Obstacles included small scooters, jump ropes, tunnels and hula hoops. Then students had their blood pressure and pulse checked.

[Photos by Bob Frank]

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After students rotated through all the booths for about an hour, the entire assembly was called over to the area held by the Lincoln Police Department for a demonstration of a roll-over accident. The Police Department, in conjunction with DARE and violence prevention, held almost a quarter of the gym. One of the new additions to the fair, a 32-foot-high, inflated McGruff dog, watched over the whole site.

The cab of a pickup truck stood on a frame attached to a trailer. Inside, a "daddy dummy" and a "baby dummy" were strapped tightly in their seatbelts. The cab began to roll around and around, but the dummies stayed where they were. The cab stopped, and the seatbelts were removed. Again, the cab began to spin. The baby fell out on the first rotation. After a few more rotations, the daddy began to flop out of the window. He was dragged along the ground a couple of times and then flew out.

The gruesome demonstration was intended to teach students the importance of wearing a seatbelt at all times.

Afterward, Sgt. Greenslate, with the DARE program, flew the remote-controlled DARE blimp around the gym, to the delight of all the students.

The two-hour session ended with students from Hartsburg-Emden High School talking to the fifth-graders about the dangers of smoking. The leaders listed a few of the chemicals found in cigarettes and told where those chemicals could be found other places, including ethanol (just like that in gasoline), carbon monoxide (like the exhaust from a car) and aluminum (like that in foil or cans). Then the high schoolers gave some of the reasons why they are nonsmokers. These reasons ranged from athletics to family members who had died of cancer.

Over the course of two hours, Logan County students learned so much about their health and what affects it. Hopefully, they will take some of that home with them to their parents, siblings and friends. And hopefully, they will remember it for their own lives for years to come.

[Gina Sennett]

Child safety seat check

[MARCH 12, 2002]  An important part of the Community Health Fair on March 23 will be a child safety seat check, a way to tell parents whether their children are as safe as possible when riding in the family car.

The safety check will be on the grounds of Lincoln Community High School on Saturday, March 23, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The health fair itself will be next door, at the Indoor Sports Complex of the Lincoln Park District, also from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Dana Brown, director of support services for the Logan County Health Department, along with Sandra Wilmert and Tina Huff, support staff clerks, are in charge of the child safety seat check. All three have attended safety seat training courses in Springfield, sponsored by the Illinois Department of Transportation and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and are certified child passenger safety technicians.

Illinois law requires that every child under the age of 4 must be in an approved car seat, and police can now stop a driver who does not have the child properly restrained even if there is no other traffic violation, Brown said.

During the safety check, Brown and her fellow technicians will ask for the height, weight and age of each child, then check to see if the car seat the child is using is appropriate. They will take the seat out of the car, install it properly, then have the parent or guardian reinstall it to be sure it is being used correctly, Brown said.

They will also show parents how to adjust the harness straps and how to care for the covers of the car seat. While the seat is out of the car, the Health Department staff will also check to be sure it has not been recalled or is not out of date. Normally, Brown said, seats have a five-year life span.

"We don’t encourage anyone to keep a car seat that’s out of date. Parts could wear out and fail," she explained.

They will also recommend what kinds of child safety restraints the family will need in the future and be sure parents understand the instruction manual that comes with each car seat.

To keep a child safe, the car seat must fit properly in the car, must fit the child who is using it properly, and the child must be correctly harnessed in. Not all car seats fit all makes of cars, Brown explained, and she recommends purchasing a car seat at a store that will allow the parent to take the seat out to the car and see if it fits.

The style and the color of the car seat, even the cost, are not the criteria parents should use, she said, but how well it fits the child and the car. Some inexpensive car seats are very safe, she added.

Brown emphasized that children of different ages and sizes need different kinds of safety seats. Tags on the seats will tell the minimum and maximum weight the particular seat is designed for.

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Children from birth to at least 20 pounds and at least 1 year of age need rear-facing child seats.

Forward-facing child seats are for children over 20 pounds and at least 1 year old up to children who weigh about 40 pounds and are about age 4.

Booster seats are appropriate for children from 40 pounds to 80 pounds and at least 4 feet 9 inches tall. Both rear-facing and booster seats are safest if used in the back seat. If they must be used in the front seat, the seat should be as far back as it will go, she said.

Ordinary seat belts are appropriate for older children large enough for the belt to fit correctly; children should be at least 4 feet 9 inches tall and weigh at least 80 pounds. Children and young people from 4 to 16 years of age must be secured in either a safety seat of some type or in seat belts.

Brown emphasized that an ordinary seat belt can harm a smaller child. For example, a lap belt must fit below the pelvic area or it may cause injury to the abdominal area. A shoulder belt may cut across the child’s neck area. Child safety seats are designed to protect the chest area of the child, and children who sit in booster seats will also have the chest area protected if they are using harnesses and shoulder/lap belts correctly, she said.

Brown said that three years ago, the Department of Human Services started a program to help people with limited means get car seats for their children. She said in some cases, the Logan County Health Department can help parents get appropriate car seats.

The Health Department also has a number of backless booster seats, donated by the Ford Motor Company, to give away. These booster seats are appropriate for children from 40 to 80 pounds, she said, and the Health Department will donate them to parents whose children fit into them.

Brown encourages parents who want the safety seat checkup to call her ahead of time at the Health Department, 735-2317, to make an appointment, but checks will also be given to those who come without an appointment.

This will be the third year for the car seat safety check to be part of the Community Health Fair, which is sponsored by the Logan County Health Department and the Lincoln Park District. A 4-H club from Mount Pulaski, the Hilltop Horse Club, will be helping the Health Department with the safety check.

Brown urges parents to get the car seat check not just so they won’t get a ticket, but for their own peace of mind. "In case you are in a crash, then you’ll know you’ve done everything you possibly can so that your child won’t be hurt."

[Joan Crabb]

Health Matters

A monthly feature from  Logan County Health Department

April 1-5 is Public Health Week

[APRIL 2, 2002]  Traditionally, we take this opportunity to recognize the "nurses in blue" — public health nurses — who are employed by local health departments. Though the traditional blue cape and starched white uniform of the public health nurses of yesteryear are no longer visible, public health nurses continue to be on the forefront of preventive health services in Logan County. Through tax support and money received from grant funding, client services are provided for a reduced fee.

Public health nurses carry a caseload of clients in a range of ages and conditions across the health-illness continuum. These nurses are challenged to deliver health services in many settings — the school, the home, the workplace and clinics. Public health nurses draw from a broad base of nursing knowledge, as well as community resources. The goals of public health nursing are health maintenance and client independence.

Logan County Health Department nurses work in a variety of program areas. Women, Infant, Children, or WIC, is one such area. WIC is a federally funded supplemental food program for pregnant women, breast-feeding women, infants and children up to age 5. WIC nurses provide participants with specific nutritious supplemental foods and education on nutrition.

The communicable disease investigator is the nurse who conducts the investigation and control of communicable diseases. There are presently over 70 diseases and conditions that the Illinois Department of Public Health requires to be followed.

Tuberculosis, or TB, is not a disease of yesteryear. Clients who have positive TB tests receive education, counseling, treatment and follow-up by the nurse working in that program.

There is a Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program at Logan County Health Department. Lead screening and prevention activities, as well as follow-up of children with elevated blood lead levels, are the responsibilities of the nurse involved.

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The maternal-child health nurse works in several programs designed for parents and infants. A pregnant woman may have no physician. The maternal-child nurse helps those clients access services that are available in our county. Two types of visits may be made for infants. Special Delivery visits provide an in-home nursing assessment and teaching for any new parent and infant living in Logan County. Adverse Pregnancy Outcome Reporting System, or APORS, visits allow the maternal-child health nurse to follow high-risk infants for a prolonged period of time. If mothers have questions with breast-feeding, a certified lactation counselor is on staff to answer those questions. In cases of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, or SIDS, the maternal-child health nurse can provide support and education to the family.

Carrying out general educational activities in the area of preventive health is the role of the health educator. She assists in planning, organizing, presenting and evaluating programs designed to promote public awareness of good health practices. Individual and community needs for health education are assessed.

As you can see, the "nurses in blue" continue to provide a wide variety of services throughout the Logan County community.

For more information on services provided at the Logan County Health Department, phone (217) 735-2317 or stop by at 109 Third St. in Lincoln.

[Logan County Health Department]

Lincoln Park District

Red Cross

Red Cross blood drives in April

[MARCH 28, 2002]  Two Red Cross blood drives in April will be at the Lincoln Sports Complex. The hours on Wednesday, April 3, will be from noon until 6 p.m. Hours on Wednesday, April 17, will be from noon until 5 p.m.

Elkhart Grade School will be the site for a drive on Saturday, April 6, and hours will be from 9 a.m. until noon.

Atlanta Methodist Church will have a drive on Thursday, April 11, with hours from noon until 6 p.m.

During March, William Tebrugge reached a goal of 29 gallons of blood donated and Leonard Krusemark reached the 16-gallon mark.

[Logan County Red Cross announcement]

Events

April 2002

Saturday, April 6
WHO: Public
WHAT: Red Cross blood drive
WHERE: Elkhart Grade School
WHEN: 9 am-noon

Thursday, April 11
SPONSOR: U of I Extension
WHO: Public; preregistration required
WHAT: “Make New Friends But Keep the Old,” presented by Patti Faughn, youth and family educator, Springfield
WHERE: Extension office, 980 N. Postville Drive
WHEN: 10 am

WHO: Public
WHAT: Red Cross blood drive
WHERE: Atlanta Methodist Church
WHEN: noon-6 pm

Saturday, April 13
SPONSOR: Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital and Lincoln Junior Woman's Club
WHO: Sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders
WHAT: Baby-sitting clinic; free
WHERE: ALMH Conference Room A, lower level
WHEN: 9-11:30 am

Monday, April 15
SPONSOR: U of I Extension
WHO: Public; preregistration required
WHAT: “Dining with Diabetes,” presented by Jananne Finck, nutrition educator; first of three sessions
WHERE: Extension office, 980 N. Postville Drive
WHEN: 7-8:30 pm

Wednesday, April 17
WHO: Public
WHAT: Red Cross blood drive
WHERE: Lincoln Sports Complex
WHEN: noon-5 pm

Monday, April 22
SPONSOR: U of I Extension
WHO: Preregistered participants
WHAT: “Dining with Diabetes,” presented by Jananne Finck, nutrition educator; second of three sessions
WHERE: Extension office, 980 N. Postville Drive
WHEN: 7-8:30 pm

Sunday, April 28
SPONSOR: Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital and Lincoln Junior Woman's Club
WHO: Public
WHAT: Special Deliveries sibling class; free
WHERE: ALMH Education Room in the Family Maternity Suites, third floor
WHEN: 1-3 pm

Monday, April 29
SPONSOR: U of I Extension
WHO: Preregistered participants
WHAT: “Dining with Diabetes,” presented by Jananne Finck, nutrition educator; last of three sessions
WHERE: Extension office, 980 N. Postville Drive
WHEN: 7-8:30 pm

Honors & Awards

Announcements

Baby-sitting clinic offered April 13

[MARCH 28, 2002]  A free baby-sitting clinic will be offered Saturday, April 13, from 9 to 11:30 a.m. at Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital. Young people in sixth, seventh and eighth grades who are interested in learning how to be a safe and successful baby sitter are invited to attend.

The clinic, sponsored by the Lincoln Junior Woman’s Club and Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital, will cover numerous topics such as basic and emergency first aid, safety while baby-sitting, and basic child care for young children. Participants will also learn about the business of baby-sitting and how to do a professional job.

The clinic will be in Conference Room A in the basement at Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital, 315 Eighth St.

Registration is required, and the clinic is limited to the first 40 people. To register, call (217) 732-3182 or write to the Lincoln Junior Woman’s Club, Box 152, Lincoln, IL 62656.

[ALMH news release]

The Rural Health Partnership has announced the schedule for its mobile health unit for 2002.

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

Community resource list

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

(updated 2-15-02)

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