Press Releases
Year
Illinois Department of Public Health and Local Partner CUPHD Sponsor Life-Changing Stage Play at University of Illinois
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 18, 2008
Contact
Julie Pryde, Acting Public Health Administrator
(217) 531-5369 /
Lori A. Holmes, Public Relations
(217) 531-2927
Illinois Department of Public Health and Local Partner CUPHD Sponsor Life-Changing Stage Play at University of Illinois
Champaign-Urbana Public Health District Partners with the Illinois Department of Public Health to provide FREE Screenings and Bring a Greater Awareness of HIV/AIDS through an Entertaining Stage Play
Champaign, IL – On Sunday, April 20, 2008 at 4:00pm guests at the Foellinger Auditorium will have the opportunity to see a live production of the hilarious stage play “What You Don’t Know Can KILL You” – the college tour. “What You Don’t Know Can KILL You” tells the stories of how the wrong choices of three different individuals affect their lives. Admission is free, and guests will have the opportunity to have a free HIV/AIDS screening on location by the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District from 12:00pm – 3:30pm in the University of Illinois Foreign Language Building. Guests participating in HIV/AIDS screenings will be entered into a raffle to win a laptop computer.
Purposed One Entertainment and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) have partnered together in an effort to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS throughout the state of Illinois. Together with local partner Champaign-Urbana Public Health District (CUPHD), Purposed One Entertainment and IDPH hope to send the message “get tested so your mind can be rested” to the students of the University of Illinois.
The “What You Don’t Know Can KILL You” Tour is an event of purpose. Knowing your status can save not only your life, but also the lives of your partners. “What You Don’t Know Can KILL You” hopes to offer knowledge, awareness and enlightenment about HIV/AIDS, the preventable disease that is plaguing our community.
“What You Don’t Know Can KILL You” has been on a 10-college / university tour in Illinois since February 2008. The playwright is Angela McGee, President and CEO of Purposed One Entertainment, a company whose goal is to produce quality entertainment with a purpose through film, stage plays and television programs. Ms. McGee is currently a producer on the “Judge Mathis Show.
“What You Don’t Know Can KILL You” is a hilarious stage play that will make you laugh and cry. Audiences should come expecting to be entertained and leave inspired.
For more information on this or any other CUPHD program, please contact CUPHD at (217) 352-7961 or visit CUPHD on the web at www.c-uphd.org.
###
Champaign-Urbana Public Health District Joins Nation in Responding to STD Crisis
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 14, 2008
Contact
Candi Crause, Interim Director of Infectious Disease
(217) 531-5372 /
Lori A. Holmes, Public Relations
(217) 531-2927
Champaign-Urbana Public Health District Joins Nation in Responding to STD Crisis
Champaign-Urbana Public Health District Promotes National STD Awareness Month by Encouraging Citizens to be Routinely Tested for STD’s
Champaign, IL – April 2008 marks the annual observance of National Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) Awareness Month. The Champaign-Urbana Public Health District (CUPHD) is responding to the impact of STD’s in local communities by offering STD clinics at its 201 West Kenyon Road location: Tuesdays, 1:00pm – 5:00pm; Thursdays, 9:00am – 11:00am and 1:00pm – 3:00pm. CUPHD also offers a Men’s Clinic on Mondays from 4:00pm – 5:30pm. CUPHD emphasizes that testing is a key component for good sexual health, and encourages all sexually active citizens to be routinely tested for STD’s.
“Many STD’s do not have any visual symptoms,” said Candi Crause, Interim Director of Infectious Disease for CUPHD. “Often people who contract an STD are unaware that they are infected, and thus risk spreading the disease to their partners. If left untreated, STD’s will get worse, and may effect fertility, pregnancy, and in extreme cases, may even lead to death. There are many effective ways to diagnose and treat STD’s, but perhaps most importantly, there are many ways to prevent STD’s as well.”
Approximately 19 million new sexually transmitted diseases occur every year in the United States – and almost half of those are among young people aged 15 to 24, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). STD’s pose a serious public health threat to our communities, particularly young women, African Americans, men who have sex with men (MSM), and individuals living in poverty or who have limited access to healthcare.
The CDC recommends routine Chlamydia testing for women under age 26, and for women who are pregnant or have new or multiple partners. CDC also recommends routine HIV testing for all those sexually active from the ages 13-64.
The Champaign-Urbana Public Health District’s Infectious Disease Division offers STD education, prevention, testing and treatment at their new location at 201 West Kenyon Road in Champaign. All tests are confidential. STD testing is available for anyone ages 12 years and older. Those between the ages of 12-18 may be tested for STD’s without parental permission. United States citizenship is not required for STD testing.
CUPHD services include screening, medical exams, and treatment for Gonorrhea, Chlamydia, Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) Infections (genital warts), Syphilis, HIV, Trichomonas, Yeast, Bacterial Vaginosis, and NGU (Non-Gonococcal Urethrititis). Hepatitis A and B immunizations are offered to all STD clients. A simple blood test is also available to screen for genital herpes for people with no symptoms for a fee of $7.00.
For more information on STD education, prevention, testing and treatment or any CUPHD programs please contact CUPHD at (217) 352-7961 or visit CUPHD on the web at www.c-uphd.org.
###
Local School Students Go to Springfield to Support School Health Centers
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 8, 2008
Contact
Heidi Britton, Program Coordinator, Urbana School Health Center
(217) 239-4220
Lori A. Holmes, Public Relations
(217) 531-2927
Local School Students Go to Springfield to Support School Health Centers
Urbana School Representatives will Participate in Advocacy Day in Support of School Health Centers
Urbana, IL – On Wednesday, April 9, 2008, several school students from the Urbana School District along with their peers from across the state of Illinois will travel to the state capitol to support local school health centers. Students and Urbana School Health Center staff will meet at the capitol building to ask local representatives to support the return of school health center funding to the state budget. Urbana School students will have the opportunity to speak with Senator Mike Frerichs and Representative Naomi Jakobsson to discuss how essential school health centers are to their schools and communities and specifically how important the Urbana School Health Center is to them personally.
Advocacy Day, an event sponsored by the Illinois Coalition for School Health Centers, is a great opportunity for students to engage in state government. Students will participate in a morning workshop which focuses on the basic skills necessary for advocating causes with governmental bodies. After lunch, the student will have the opportunity to practice their proficiency by advocating on behalf of School Health Centers with state legislators.
“The value of our student’s physical and mental health is immeasurable,” said Heidi Britton, Program Coordinator for the Urbana School Health Center, “School Health Centers need stable funding to ensure the well-being of our children.”
School health centers currently fill the gap for many vulnerable students by providing access to health care on school grounds, during the school day. School health centers are saving lives by preventing and treating chronic illnesses such as diabetes, asthma and sexually transmitted diseases; and providing critical mental health services, like grief therapy, crisis intervention (including bullying prevention), and suicide prevention. National and local studies have shown that school health centers decrease school absenteeism, reduce emergency room visits and reduce unhealthy behaviors in students that compromise academic success.
The Urbana School Health Center (USHC) is located at the Urbana High School at 1002 South Race Street in Urbana. USHC is a collaborative partnership of the ChampaignUrbana Public Health District, Urbana School District #116, Frances Nelson Community Health Center, Mental Health Center of Champaign County, and Prairie Center Health Systems. USHC is open Monday thru Friday; 8:00am – 4:00pm.
For more information about the Urbana School Based Health Center or other CUPHD partnerships, programs and services, please call 217-352-7961 or visit CUPHD on the web at www.cuphd.org.
###