Press Releases
Year
Medical Volunteers Needed in Champaign County!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 31, 2008
Contact
John Dwyer, Emergency Preparedness Planner
(217) 531-2932
Lori A. Holmes, Public Relations
(217) 531-2927
Medical Volunteers Needed in Champaign County!
Champaign-Urbana Public Health District Launches Medical Reserve Corps to Help Prepare Champaign County for Times of Community Need.
Champaign, IL – The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) recently approved a Medical Reserve Corps Grant for the ChampaignUrbana Public Health District (CUPHD) to produce a local Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) this upcoming April 2008. CUPHD is currently actively searching for volunteers as the MRC begins its growing stages. These volunteers include both medical and public health professionals (active or retired) such as physicians, nurses, dentists, epidemiologists, pharmacists, emergency medical technicians, and paramedics. Volunteers interested in joining the Champaign County Medical Reserve Corps, are encouraged to contact Salva Najib at
The mission of the Champaign County Medical Reserve Corps is to create a cadre of health, medical and general volunteers that can serve and support local municipalities including first responders, area hospitals and extended care facilities in times of major emergencies or disasters. In addition, the Champaign County MRC will organize and utilize the volunteers encouraging them to share their expertise in the field as well as prepare for and respond to community emergencies as well as promoting healthy living throughout the year.
“Major emergencies can be overwhelming for first responders and caregivers, particularly within first 12-48 hour period”, said Salva Najib, MRC and Volunteer Coordinator at the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District. “Volunteers are crucial to successfully navigating emergencies and disasters, and will provide a valuable resource for strengthening and improving emergency preparedness in Champaign County communities”.
Other local community members are encouraged to participate in the Champaign County MRC as well. Office workers, chaplains, legal advisors, grocery workers, interpreters and others can greatly assist with vital support positions.
After President Bush’s 2002 State of the Union Address, the Medical Reserve Corps was established to promote and provide support and volunteerism throughout America. There are currently 40 MRC units in Illinois, partnered with a program called Citizen Corp, a national network of volunteers devoted to solidify hometown security. In addition to Citizen Corp, the MRC closely works with Freedom Corp, AmeriCorp, and the Peace Corp all of which are advocates of volunteerism and service nationwide.
To learn more about the Medical Reserve Corps Program, or any other CUPHD program, please call 217-352-7961 or visit the web at www.c-uphd.org.
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Rantoul High School Students “Kick Butts” on April 2, 2008 by “Taking it To the Streets”!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 31, 2008
Contact
Kari Schweighart, Health Educator
Lori A. Holmes, Public Relations
(217) 531-2927
Rantoul High School Students “Kick Butts” on April 2, 2008 by “Taking it To the Streets”!
Rantoul High School Students Partner with the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District to Raise Tobacco-free Awareness Among Teens
Champaign, IL – Rantoul High School’s REALITY, IL Chapter will hold an official “Kick Butts Day” on Wednesday, April 2, 2008. REALITY, IL is a group of high school students engaged in anti-tobacco advocacy. From 9:30 – 10:00am, Rantoul High School students will be lining up in front of the high school facing Route 136 displaying a series of homemade posters reflecting various anti-tobacco messages for passer-bys. The students hope that their messages might make other students and the local community think more seriously about the negative effects of tobacco use.
Students from Rantoul High School are joining thousands of kids across the country who are taking part in Kick Butts Day, a nationwide initiative that encourages kids to take a personal leadership role in the effort to stop youth tobacco use. Students will be encouraged to sign a Kick Butts Day pledge committing them to assist a friend or loved one to quit smoking or to take the steps necessary to stop themselves.
Rantoul High School has invited Champaign-Urbana Public Health District Staff to support the event with “give-aways” from REALITY, IL. Participants will receive a variety of premiums with the anti-tobacco message. CUPHD staff will also promote their smoking cessation program to students. Kick Butts Day activities will be available for all students during their homeroom time.
“Kids are a powerful part of the solution to reducing youth tobacco use,” said Kari Schweighart, Health Educator for CUPHD, “Rantoul High School students are sending the message that smoking is not acceptable and the consequences are both dire and preventable.”
Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States, killing more than 400,000 people each year. Everyday, more than 4,000 kids try their first cigarettes; another 1,000 kids become addicted smokers, one-third of whom will die prematurely as a result.
For more information about the various smoking cessation programs at CUPHD or other CUPHD programs and services, please call 217-352-7961 or visit CUPHD on the web at www.c-uphd.org.
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FREE Mammograms, Pap Tests, Breast & Pelvic Exams are Available for Uninsured Women in Illinois!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 25, 2008
Contact
Cathy Propst, IBCCP Program Coordinator
(217) 531-2916
Lori A. Holmes, Public Relations
(217) 531-2927
FREE Mammograms, Pap Tests, Breast & Pelvic Exams are Available for Uninsured Women in Illinois!
Champaign-Urbana Public Health District’s IBCCP Program to Hold Enrollment Days in Champaign & Danville this Week
Champaign, IL – The local office of the Illinois Breast & Cervical Cancer Program (IBCCP), located at the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District (CUPHD), will be holding program enrollment days for uninsured women ages 35-64. Once enrolled in the IBCCP program, qualified women will have access to FREE mammograms, pap tests, breast and pelvic exams.
Enrollment days will include:
Champaign County:
Thursday, March 27, 2008
8:00am – 12:00pm & 1:00pm – 4:00pm
Frances Nelson Health Center
819 West Bloomington Road
Champaign, IL 61822
Vermilion County:
Friday, March 28, 2008
8:30am – 12:00pm & 1:00pm – 4:00pm
Aunt Martha’s Vermilion Area Community Health Center
614 North Gilbert
Danville, IL 61832
Enrollment is quick and easy. Women are requested to bring proof of age and income to complete the enrollment process. A representative of the IBCCP program will be available to answer questions.
Interested women unable to attend one of the scheduled enrollment days are encouraged to contact the IBCCP program at the new CUPHD location at 201 West Kenyon Road in Champaign or call 217-373-9281 or toll free at 1-877-811-0193 for additional information on the IBCCP program or the enrollment process.
“Breast and cervical cancer are serious concerns for women”, said Cathy Propst, Program Coordinator of the IBCCP for CUPHD. “Statistics show that as a woman ages, her chance of developing breast cancer increases. Mammograms, pap tests, breast, and pelvic exams promote early detection and increase the chance for successful treatment and overall survival rates for women diagnosed with breast or cervical cancer.”
Not counting some kinds of skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common kind of cancer in women in the United States. Last year over 40,000 women died from breast cancer, and 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer sometime in their lives.
Cervical cancer used to be the leading cause of cancer death for women in the United States. However the deaths from cervical cancer have decreased due largely to women having access to regular pap tests and pelvic exams. Regular pap tests are a crucial tool in identifying pre-cancer before it turns into cancer. Last year over 11,000 women in the United States were diagnosed with cervical cancer, and over 3,500 died from the disease.
For more information on the Illinois Breast & Cervical Cancer Program (IBCCP) or any other CUPHD program, please contact CUPHD at (217) 352-7961 or visit CUPHD on the web at www.c-uphd.org.
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