Press Releases
Year
Radon Gas Increases Lung Cancer Risk
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 19, 2006
Contact
Michael Flanagan, Environmental Health Specialist I
(217) 531-2908
Diana Yates, Communications Coordinator
(217) 531-4275
Radon Gas Increases Lung Cancer Risk
Free Radon Test Kits Available From Public Health
January is National Radon Action Month, and Public Health is drawing attention to this invisible health threat by making radon test kits available to Champaign County residents free of charge.
Radon is an odorless and tasteless radioactive gas found at very low levels in outdoor air and in the soil. When radon gas enters homes it can build to higher levels and threaten health. According to the federal Environmental Protection Agency, exposure to indoor radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States and the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers.
The only way to determine whether radon gas is seeping into your home from the soil is to conduct a test. Short-term radon test kits are available at no cost at the Health District satellite office at 815 N. Randolph Street in Champaign. The kits must be used in the home for a minimum of 48 hours, with windows and doors closed.
The Champaign County Public Health Department supports the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District’s efforts to provide this service to all residents of the county.
Contact Health District Sanitarian Michael Flanagan, (217) 373-7900, for more details.
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Champaign-Urbana Board of Health Selects New Public Health Administrator
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 10, 2006
Contact
Diana Yates, Communications Coordinator
(217) 531-4275
Champaign-Urbana Board of Health Selects New Public Health Administrator
Vito Palazzolo Brings 26 Years of Public Health Experience to Champaign County
A new Public Health Administrator takes the helm today at the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District. Vito Palazzolo, former Health Officer for Ottawa County, Michigan and a public health professional with more than 26 years in the field, was confirmed as Executive Director at the board meeting on January 9. He begins work at the Health District today.
“Mr. Palazzolo has much to offer CUPHD,” said Champaign-Urbana Board of Health member and County Board Chair Barbara Wysocki. “He's experienced in public health administration, he's willing to work with the staff and resources available in Champaign-Urbana and to look for new opportunities and creative solutions to enable us to deliver better public health services to this community. I believe he's a good choice for CUPHD at this time.”
Mr. Palazzolo holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Health and a Master’s in Public Health Administration. He oversaw a $9 million budget and a staff of 110 at the Ottawa County Health Department, where he served as Administrative Health Officer from 2002 to 2005. He spent more than 10 years at the Macomb County Health Department in Warren, Michigan, where he worked as an Environmentalist, Environmental Health Supervisor and Environmental Health Associate Director. From 2000 to 2002 he worked as an Evaluation Officer at the Michigan Department of Agriculture in Lansing.
Mr. Palazzolo has seven years of fiscal management experience in the public health arena. At the Ottawa County Health Department he was able to reduce program costs and find alternate sources of revenue to offset state and federal cuts. He led his staff to develop new programs only after careful community health needs assessments, and placed a special emphasis on serving all populations in the county.
"After a lengthy search and interview process, I am very pleased that Mr. Palazzolo has accepted our offer to become the next CUPHD Administrator,” said Champaign-Urbana Board of Health Chair Carol Elliott. “Mr. Palazzolo's vast experience in public health and his proven leadership abilities are a good fit for the Health District. Under his leadership we will work towards bringing public health issues and community needs into the forefront in our community.”
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