Press Releases
Year
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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Private Wells Should Be Tested Regularly To Check for Contamination
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 13, 2008
Contact
Jeff Blackford, Program Coordinator Environmental Health
(217) 531-2919
Lori A. Holmes, Public Relations
(217) 531-2927
Private Wells Should Be Tested Regularly To Check for Contamination
Champaign-Urbana Public Health District Encourages Residents of Champaign County with Private Wells to Test Water Annually
Champaign, IL – In recognition of Ground Water Awareness Week, March 9 – 15, 2008, the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District (CUPHD) encourages residents of Champaign County with private wells to test their water annually for certain contaminants. Private water wells should be tested every year for evidence of coliform bacteria and nitrates, and should be tested more frequently if there are recurrent incidents of gastrointestinal illness or there are changes in taste, odor or appearance. Private well water test kits are available at the Environmental Health Division of CUPHD located at 201 West Kenyon Road in Champaign from 8:00am – 4:00pm; Monday through Friday. Each test kit is $20.00.
“Private well water safety is often overlooked by the general public”, said Jeff Blackford, Program Coordinator of Environmental Health at CUPHD. “The water from a homeowner’s private well is not checked by any agency. It is the homeowners responsibility to ensure that their drinking water is free of contaminants.”
In Illinois, there is an estimated 400,000 private water wells that serve 1.3 million people. It is extremely important that water wells be located and constructed in such a manner that they yield safe water at all times and under all conditions. If a resident has questions or concerns regarding the location or construction of a private well, they should contact a Licensed Illinois Water Well Contractor. Local Licensed Water Well Contractors are listed in the telephone book under Well Drilling.
To ensure a safe water supply, residents are also encouraged to follow the following simple guidelines:
- Keep hazardous chemicals, such as paint, fertilizer, pesticides, and motor oil far away from the well.
- Maintain a proper separation (at least 50 feet) between the well and private septic systems, kennels, livestock operations, and chemical storage areas.
- Seal abandoned water wells.
- Periodically check the well cover or well cap on top of the casing to ensure it is in good repair and securely attached. This seal should keep out insects and rodents.
There should be no openings into the cap, except for a factory installed vent.
- Keep your well records in a safe place. These include construction reports, annual water well system maintenance and water testing results.
For questions or concerns involving arsenic in your private water supply or water quality, contact the Illinois State Water Survey at 217-333-9234.
For more information on testing private well water 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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Urbana School Health Center Offers Students School Physicals for Spring Break Exams Offered to District 116 Eighth-Graders
Urbana School District 116 News Release
Jean F. Burkholder
Administrative Service Center
www.usd116.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 7, 2008
Contact
Mark Schultz 217-384-3650
Urbana School Health Center Offers Students School Physicals for Spring Break Exams Offered to District 116 Eighth-Graders
Eighth-grade students and parents can take care of the mandatory physical for ninth-grade this coming spring break. The Urbana School Health Center (USHC) is offering physicals for eighthgraders March 18, 2008, from 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., by appointment only. Doctors at the Health Center will also review the student’s immunization record. The Health Center’s dentist will also be on hand to provide dental exams. This service on March 18 is for all Urbana School District #116 eighth-graders and costs $20 for all patients who do not have a medical card.
“We thought it would be a good idea (to hold) a one-day clinic to help eliminate some of the last minute rush right before school starts next fall. If parents wait until the last minute, it will be more difficult to get an appointment in a timely fashion. By offering (exams March 18), we can begin getting students in early for their physicals so that students can be ready for their first day of High School,” says Heidi Britton, Director of the Urbana School Health Center. She adds, “All physicals given on that day will be good for both (the student’s) ninth-grade school and sports physical as long as all paperwork is completed by the parent before their child’s appointment time.” Britton stresses that NOW is the time to complete the fall-sports physical—before practice begins in the fall.
Britton says the Student Health Center, located on the Urbana High School Campus, is a onestop health source. “USHC consists of a seamless professional medical, dental and mental health team from local agencies. Medical professionals from Frances Nelson Health Center will be administrating the school physicals, dental professionals from the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District will be administering the dental exams, and mental health professionals from the Mental Health Center of Champaign County will be available by referral,” Britton explains.
Parents can make an appointment for their child by calling the Student Health Center at 2394220.
Members of the media wishing to interview Britton may contact her at 239-4220.
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Outstanding schools in an outstanding community!
Urbana School District • 205 North Race St. • P.O. Box 3039 • Urbana, IL 61803-3039