FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 1, 2022

Contact
Julie Pryde, Administrator
(217) 531-5369 / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Tanya Giannotti, Public Relations
(217) 531-2925 / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Changes to COVID-19 Operations at CUPHD

Contact Tracing to End August 15

CHAMPAIGN, IL – Starting August 15, Champaign-Urbana Public Health District (CUPHD) will no longer reach out to persons who test positive for COVID-19.   

“While COVID will continue to persist in our county, we are entering a period where state and federal mandates are being rescinded, funding is being reduced, and resources are being reallocated,” said Administrator Julie Pryde.  “This is not a reason to be complacent; rather, we believe that Champaign County residents have the knowledge and tools readily available to them to adopt effective precautions to prevent COVID-19 infections and to make timely care decisions if they have a positive COVID-19 test.”

Important information and changes:

1. Information on how to safely isolate at home to prevent the spread of COVID-19 can be found on our website, which will be updated regularly.
2. CUPHD will no longer be able to provide hotel rooms as alternative housing for residents who test positive.
3. CUPHD will no longer provide food assistance to residents to “shelter in place.”
4. A list of community resources can be found at the City of Champaign’s website and UIUC’s School of Social Work’s C-U Community Resource Guide
5. Antigen tests will be available to long term care and other congregate living agencies to test symptomatic patients. CUPHD will not have the resources to provide testing for surveillance purposes.

CUPHD will continue to monitor trends and outbreaks and provide support to our partners in the public health system.  Vaccinations are still the best tool in our arsenal to fight the COVID-19 

pandemic and are widely available to all residents.  We will continue to support vaccination efforts.  Please check the CUPHD website for current vaccination options.

For more information, visit our website at https://www.c-uphd.org/champaign-urbana-illinois-coronavirusinformation.html

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Download 2022-08-01-COVID19-Response-PR

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 21, 2022

Contact 
Jennifer Lotton, Breastfeeding Program Coordinator
(217) 531-4323 / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Valerie Koress, Community Nutrition Program Coordinator
(217) 531-4324 / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Tanya Giannotti, Public Relations
(217) 531-2925 / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

World Breastfeeding Week is August 1^st-7^th

Breastfeeding Supplies Drive for World Breastfeeding Week

CHAMPAIGN, IL – The Champaign-Urbana Public Health District (CUPHD) is excited to announce a new campaign launching August 1, 2022, to collect breastfeeding supplies for parents enrolled in the WIC Breastfeeding Peer Counselor program.  This program provides support to expectant and postpartum parents to learn about breastfeeding and overcome obstacles they may face in their journey to accomplish their individual breastfeeding goals.

According to the CDC's Breastfeeding Report Card 2020, 84.2% of Illinois babies start out breastfeeding. That number falls dramatically to 42.1% exclusively breastfeeding at three months, and only 23.9% exclusively breastfeeding by six months. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends exclusively breastfeeding for six months and recognizes the health benefits of breastfeeding for longer durations, recently revising their recommendation of breastfeeding to two or more years postpartum, matching the long-standing World Health Organization recommendation. Breastfeeding has short and long-term health benefits for both mom and baby. Breastfed babies get sick less often and have a reduced risk of asthma, eczema, ear infections, lower respiratory infections, diarrhea, vomiting, childhood obesity, childhood leukemia, Type 2 diabetes, necrotizing enterocolitis, and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Adolescents and adults who were breastfed as babies are also less likely to be overweight or obese and have Type 2 diabetes. Breastfeeding reduces a mother’s risk for breast cancer, ovarian cancer, high blood pressure, and Type 2 diabetes and is also associated with easier weight loss after pregnancy and reduced rates of depression.

An Amazon wish list has been curated for virtual donations that will be sent directly to CUPHD to distribute to clients.  Donations from this list can be made year-round.  Products can also be donated in-person at CUPHD, August 1^st-5^th, at the WIC intake window inside the CUPHD main lobby.

Ways to donate:

• Online: Amazon wish list
• In-person: CUPHD; 201 W. Kenyon Rd., Champaign, IL o August 1^st-5^th at WIC intake window inside CUPHD main lobby o Window open 8:30am-11:00am and 1:00pm-4:30pm, Monday through Friday

Items needed:

• Breast pads, disposable or washable
• Milk storage bags
• Nursing pillows
• Nursing covers
• Lanolin or other nipple creams
• Self-care items, such has lotions, hand sanitizer, hair ties, makeup remover wipes, etc.

All items must be new and sealed in their original packaging.

For more information on World Breastfeeding Week, please visit:

http://www.worldbreastfeedingweek.org/

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Download 2022-07-28-WBW-Supplies-Drive-PR

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 5, 2022

Contact
Julie Pryde, Administrator
(217) 531-5369 / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Robert Davies, Interim Director of Planning and Research
(217) 531-2932 / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Tanya Giannotti, Public Relations
(217) 531-2925 / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Champaign-Urbana Public Health District Officials Confirm First Probable Case of Monkeypox Virus in Champaign County

Patient is doing well and the probable case poses little risk to general public

CHAMPAIGN, IL – The Champaign-Urbana Public Health District (C-UPHD) and Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), announced today a single presumptive monkeypox case in an adult male Champaign County resident with recent travel history to Chicago.

Initial testing was completed Friday, July 8, 2022, at an IDPH laboratory, and confirmatory testing for monkeypox is pending at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Based on initial epidemiologic characteristics and the positive orthopoxvirus result at IDPH, health officials consider this a probable monkeypox infection.

C-UPHD and IDPH are working closely with the CDC to identify individuals with whom the patient may have been in contact while they were infectious. This contact tracing approach is appropriate given the nature and transmission of the virus. The person did not require hospitalization and is isolating at home in good condition. To protect patient confidentiality, no further details relating to the patient will be disclosed.

The case remains isolated and at this time there is no indication there is a great risk of extensive local spread of the virus, as monkeypox does not spread as easily as the COVID-19 virus. Personto-person transmission is possible through close physical contact with body fluids, monkeypox sores, items that have been contaminated with fluids or sores (clothing, bedding, etc.), or through respiratory droplets following prolonged face-to-face contact. Symptoms include a rash that can look like pimples or blisters that appears on the face, inside the mouth, and on other parts of the body, like the hands, feet, chest, genitals, or anus.

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Download 2022-07-12-Monkeypox-PR