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Features

Planning a healthy new year

A national New Year's message from the Departments of
Agriculture, Education, and Health and Human Services

[DEC. 31, 2002]  On behalf of all of the families of the dedicated employees at the Departments of Agriculture, Education, and Health and Human Services, we want to take this opportunity to wish you and all Americans a happy and healthy new year. We especially want to invite you, along with our nation's children, youths, families, educators, health practitioners and faith-based leaders, to make healthy New Year's resolutions along with us.

The beginning of a new year is a traditional time when we make promises anew to ourselves, our families and especially our children. Preparing to return to school and work from a busy winter break, we often pledge to do something a bit healthier -- spend more time with our children and families, read more for ourselves and to our children, finish homework on time, eat more sensibly, exercise more, get more rest, procrastinate less, be in touch with family and friends more often.

As we reflect upon 2002, many of us think about what went right over the year, especially for our children, and in what areas we want to improve. In looking forward to 2003, New Year's Day will be a time to enjoy festivities, football, food and family fun. It is also a time when we want to challenge ourselves to keep New Year's resolutions that will help make our lives and our children's futures brighter -- resolutions that will help our children to learn, to grow and to develop their full potential.

In June, President Bush unveiled his Healthier U.S. initiative (www.healthierus.gov), a common-sense approach to healthy living, designed to raise awareness about the steps individuals can take to improve their overall health and wellness, including healthy eating. The initiative has identified four keys to a healthier America:

• Be physically active each day.
• Eat a nutritious, balanced diet.
• Get preventive health screenings.

• Practice healthy behaviors and decision-making.

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A good deal of the work we perform at our three departments focuses on achieving the president's goals. We do research to learn more about the benefits of a healthy lifestyle, educate families and children on what we have identified as healthy behaviors, and help meet the nutritional needs of our citizens -- particularly our young people, who will be tomorrow's leaders.

We are a nation of abundance and opportunity; we have advantages no other nation or generation has enjoyed. A healthy lifestyle can improve our readiness to learn, increase our energy to perform day-to-day tasks, promote well-being, and prevent disease and disability. All of us can take simple, effective steps to improve our health:

• Take the steps instead of the elevator.
• Bring a piece of fruit along for a snack instead of stopping for something loaded with calories and little nutritional value.
• Get out and play with your children.
• Read to your children and enjoy a healthy snack.
• Eat only half of your dinner and save the rest for tomorrow's lunch.
• Check with your doctor for guidance on preventive screenings and health promotion.

• Remember to always buckle in, buckle on and buckle up.

As we look to the new year, we want to encourage our children and young people -- in fact all Americans -- to join us in promoting a healthier lifestyle. We encourage opportunities to engage in healthful eating, exercise and playing together with our children. Let us enjoy the fruits of our harvest, albeit in moderation.

We wish you a happy and healthy 2003.

[News release]

Health Matters

A monthly feature from  Logan County Health Department

Red Cross

West Nile Virus

West Nile virus links

LDN articles

• Local authorities watching WNV

Federal websites

• CDC WNV home page

State websites

• State WNV website

• Protect your home against mosquitoes
• State surveillance site
• Logan County surveillance site

Honors & Awards

Announcements

CICBC blood drive Monday
at new paramedics' building

Schedule and locations for 2003 announced

[JAN. 31, 2003]  Blood supplies across the nation are critical. In some areas, there is less than a one-day supply. Fortunately, thanks to the dedicated donors in central Illinois, these tremendous shortages have not yet touched our hospitals. However, the blood supply is a resource that must be renewed. Every three seconds someone needs a blood transfusion of some kind. To accommodate this constant usage, community members must continually help replenish the supply. Since a donor can donate whole blood only every eight weeks, Central Illinois Community Blood Center needs community members to come forward and help with this lifesaving effort.

Central Illinois Community Blood Center provides all of the blood and blood products for 12 area hospitals, including those in Lincoln, Hopedale and Springfield. No other organization provides blood in these hospitals. CICBC is a community-based blood center whose mission is to provide a safe and adequate blood supply for patients in local hospitals in a cost-effective manner.

When you donate blood through CICBC, you help to keep a safe and adequate blood supply for your community. You also help keep local medical costs under control. Regularly scheduled blood drives are on the first Monday of each month (except Labor Day). (See 2003 schedule below.)

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Please help by donating blood on Monday, Feb. 3, from noon until 6 p.m. at the Logan County Paramedic Association building, 1300 N. Postville Road.

CICBC will also bring its automated double red cell machine, and if donors are interested in platelet apheresis, information will be available. If there is enough interest, CICBC will bring apheresis machines to Lincoln.

CICBC also provides other services for the communities served, such as therapeutic phlebotomy at no charge for patients with hereditary hemochromatosis.

For more information, call Terry Bell at 753-1530.

[CICBC press release]

• Feb. 3, noon-6 p.m., at Logan County Paramedic Association building

• March 3, noon-6 p.m., at Logan County Paramedic Association building

• March 12, hours and location to be announced

• April 7, noon-6 p.m., at Logan County Paramedic Association building

• April 11, at Lincoln Community High School

• May 5, noon-6 p.m., at Logan County Paramedic Association building

• May 14, hours and location to be announced

• June 2, noon-6 p.m., at Logan County Paramedic Association building

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• July 7, noon-6 p.m., at Logan County Paramedic Association building

• July 15, hours and location to be announced

• Aug. 4, noon-6 p.m., at Logan County Paramedic Association building

• Sept. 8, noon-6 p.m., at Logan County Paramedic Association building

• Sept. 24, hours and location to be announced

• Oct. 6, noon-6 p.m., at Logan County Paramedic Association building

• Nov. 3, noon-6 p.m., at Logan County Paramedic Association building

• Nov. 12, hours and location to be announced

• Dec. 1, noon-6 p.m., at Logan County Paramedic Association building

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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