Press Releases
Year
WIC Voucher Challenges Prevent Many Clients From Redeeming Coupons for Fresh Food - ChampaignUrbana Public Health District Provides Solution
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 4, 2008
Contact
Brandon Meline, Director of Maternal & Child Health
(217) 531-4297 /
Lori A. Holmes, Public Relations
(217) 531-2927
WIC Voucher Challenges Prevent Many Clients From Redeeming Coupons for Fresh Food - ChampaignUrbana Public Health District Provides Solution
Champaign-Urbana Public Health District in Collaboration with the City of Urbana’s “Market at the Square” Provides WIC Clients Convenient On-Site Access to Farm Fresh Fruit & Produce
Champaign, IL – Each year the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District (CUPHD) issues approximately $40,000 worth of Farmer’s Market Fruit and Vegetable Vouchers to women and children participating in the Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). In the past few years, close to $15,000 - $20,000 of these vouchers have not been redeemed by local WIC clients, mainly due to access and transportation issues for the clients served by this program.
On Thursday, August 7, 2008 from 9:00am – 1:00pm, CUPHD will be hosting a Farmer’s Market in the parking lot at 201 West Kenyon Road in Champaign. The goal of this Farmers Market is to supply convenient access to a population that is currently in dire need of quality food products, while providing additional support for the farmers of the community. CUPHD has specifically coordinated this event to occur when eligible clients are scheduled to pick up their vouchers. Clients would be able to use their vouchers immediately to purchase healthy fruits and vegetable for their families.
“Many WIC clients face a variety of challenges including but not limited to scheduling and transportation conflicts that make shopping at regularly scheduled Farmers Markets difficult.” said Brandon Meline, Director of Maternal & Child Health Management at CUPHD. “CUPHD in partnership with the City of Urbana’s “Market at the Square”, has chosen to pilot the CUPHD Farmer’s Market program to better meet the needs of these clients. We hope that by providing a “one-stop-shop” here at CUPHD that more clients will take advantage of the benefits of the WIC Farmer’s Market Fruit and Vegetable Vouchers.”
The CUPHD Farmer’s Market is open to all CUPHD clients and the community. CUPHD anticipates that this program will prove successful, and has tentatively entered into discussions with local market managers to expand both the number of vendors and days for next year. CUPHD hopes that in the future, that the Kenyon Road location can become a weekly mid-week Farmer’s Market site, and that many people will be able to “Get Fresh” at CUPHD by “Buying Local and Buying Fresh!”.
For more information on the WIC program or the WIC Farmer’s Market Fruit and Vegetable Vouchers, please contact CUPHD at (217) 531-4305. For information on any of the other programs available at CUPHD please call (217) 352-7961 or visit the CUPHD website at www.c-uphd.org.
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Equation for Disaster: High Temperatures + High Humidity = High Risk for Heat Related Illness
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 31, 2008
Contact
John Dwyer, Emergency Preparedness Planner
(217) 531-2932
Lori A. Holmes, Public Relations
(217) 531-2927
Equation for Disaster: High Temperatures + High Humidity = High Risk for Heat Related Illness
Champaign-Urbana Public Health District Urges the Public to Watch for Symptoms of Heat Related Illness in High Risk Populations Such as Children and the Elderly.
Champaign, IL – Summer is reportedly the time for “fun in the sun”, however when high temperatures combine with high humidity the “fun” may be short lived. The ChampaignUrbana Public Health District (CUPHD) urges the public to watch for the symptoms of heat related illness, and to take precautions to keep their families and communities safe.
Heat related illness can take many forms from a mild case of Heat Exhaustion to a more serious and life-threatening case of Heat Stroke. Heat related illnesses occur when the body becomes unable to control its temperature. The body’s temperature rises rapidly and the body losses its ability to perspire and cannot cool down. Rising to temperatures of 106° F or higher within 10 to 15 minutes, heat related illness can result in death or permanent disability if emergency treatment is not provided.
Signs & Symptoms of Heat Related Illness:
- An extremely high body temperature of 103° F or higher
- Red, hot and dry skin (no signs or perspiration)
- Rapid, strong pulse
- Throbbing Headache
- Dizziness or confusion
- Nausea
Never leave children, the elderly or pets in a parked car – even for a few minutes with the windows partially open. The metal of the vehicle conducts and concentrates the intense heat and brain damage or even death can occur from the rapid rise of temperature in the vehicle. Children, the elderly and pets are especially susceptible to heat related illness due to a variety of factors including but not limited to the inability to adjust to sudden changes in temperature, lack of access to adequate fluids, tendency to retain more body heat, and over activity or exertion leading to dehydration.
Precautions to Avoid Heat Related Illness:
- Stay hydrated. Drink at least 48-64 ounces of cool non-caffeinated and nonalcoholic beverages (caffeine & alcohol are diuretics and will increase dehydration). Don’t wait until you are thirsty to drink.
- Reduce the amount of activity in hottest parts of the day. If you must be active during those times, strive to take frequent breaks in a shady or cool area.
- Wear light colored and lightweight clothes.
- Take a cool shower or sponge bath if you being feeling over heated.
- Retreat to an air-conditioned environment if you begin feel overly warm. If you do not have air-conditioning, consider visiting a mall, grocery store or other public place to cool off.
If you or someone you know shows signs of a heat related illness, have someone call for medical assistance while you begin the cooling process:
- Take the person to an air-conditioned, cool or shady area.
- Cool the person rapidly by spraying with cold water form a shower or garden hose.
- Monitor the body temperature carefully until the temperature drops below 101° - 102° F.
- Give plenty or cool (not cold) non-caffeinated, non-alcoholic beverages to drink.
- Get medical assistance as soon as possible.
Anyone can suffer a heat related illness. CUPHD urges every one to take precautions in the summer heat, and to check on children and the elderly frequently.
For more information, please contact CUPHD at (217) 352-7961 or visit our website at www.c-uphd.org.
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Outdoor Injury Prevention Starts in Your Own Back Yard
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 9, 2008
Contact
Susan Butler, Coordinator / Health Educator – Safe Kids Champaign County / CUPHD
(217) 531-4268
Lori A. Holmes, Public Relations
(217) 531-2927
Outdoor Injury Prevention Starts in Your Own Back Yard
Safe Kids Champaign County Offers Yard Safety Tips
Each of five major child injury hazards — motor vehicles, drowning, burns, falls and poison — can be found in the back yard during the summer. Riding mowers, inflatable pools, home playground equipment and even natural vegetation and sunlight require a few simple precautions.
“All of the safety guidelines you apply to sports, playgrounds and swimming apply to those activities in your own back yard,” says Susan Butler, Safe Kids Champaign County coordinator. “An inflatable pool needs to be surrounded by a fence, just like any other pool. A home playground needs to be anchored on an appropriate surface just like equipment on a public playground.”
Kiddie pools should be emptied when not in use. “Kiddie pools are just as dangerous to a small child as full-size pools — a child can drown in just a few inches of water,” says Butler.
Safe Kids offers detailed guidelines about pool safety and playground safety at www.usa.safekids.org. In addition, Safe Kids Champaign County recommends these precautions for activities in the back yard:
- Always supervise your children in the back yard or at playgrounds. Make sure they play on a safe surface, such as mulch, rubber or fine sand.
- Treat a riding mower like any other motor vehicle: keep ignition keys out of reach and look around before backing up. Never carry children as passengers on a lawnmower; children should stay in the house whenever a mower or other power equipment is being used. Children should be at least 12 years old before they operate any lawn mower, and at least 16 years old for a rideon mower.
- Allow children to perform age-appropriate yard work only under supervision. Don’t allow a child to attempt tasks inappropriate for his or her age, size, strength, cognitive ability or prior experience.
- Make sure your children wear a properly fitting helmet and other protective gear every time they ride their bikes, scooters, skateboards, rollerblades, and other wheeled toys.
- Remove potential poisons from your yard, including poisonous plants, pesticides and pool chemicals. Teach kids not to handle or eat any part of a plant unless you know it is safe.
- Keep children away from the grill area while preheating and cooking and while the grill is cooling.
- Following the manufacturer’s instructions carefully, apply insect repellent to a child’s clothing and exposed skin. (Check with your pediatrician if you have any questions about the instructions.)
- Teach children not to disturb or feed any wild animals, no matter how harmless the animals may seem.
- Apply sunscreen rated SPF 15 or higher to your child’s exposed skin 15 to 30 minutes before going out, and reapply frequently. (It is possible to get a sunburn in cloudy conditions.)
- Make sure your child drinks plenty of water. A child who seems tired or achy should rest in the
shade or go inside for a while. Get immediate medical help any time a child’s skin is hot to the touch (with or without perspiration) or if a child has a seizure or becomes disoriented in hot weather.
For more information about summer safety, call 217-531-4268 or visit www.usa.safekids.org.
Safe Kids Champaign County works to prevent accidental childhood injury, the leading killer of children 14 and under. Safe Kids Champaign County is a member of Safe Kids Worldwide, a global network of organizations dedicated to preventing accidental injury. Safe Kids Champaign County was founded in 1996 and is led by Champaign-Urbana Public Health District.
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