Press Releases
Year
FREE Mammograms, Pap Tests, Breast & Pelvic Exams are Available for Uninsured Women in Illinois!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 3, 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 Bloomington, Champaign & Danville in Upcoming Month
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:
McLean County:
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
8:30am – 12:30pm & 1:30pm – 3:30pm
Community Healthcare Clinic
902 Franklin Avenue
Normal, IL 61761
- AND -
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
9:00am – 3:00pm
Bloomington Public Library
Community Room
205 East Olive
Bloomington, IL 61704
Vermilion County:
Friday, October 10, 2008
8:30am – 12:00pm & 1:00pm – 4:00pm
Aunt Martha’s Vermilion Area Community Health Center
614 North Gilbert
Danville, IL 61832
Champaign County:
Thursday, October 23, 2008
8:00am – 12:00pm & 1:00pm – 4:00pm
Frances Nelson Health Center
819 West Bloomington Road
Champaign, IL 61820
- AND -
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
1:00pm – 8:00pm
Hope Community Health Center
507 South Second Street, Unit 1-A
Champaign, IL 61820
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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Avoid the Flu Fast – Just Drive Thru!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 1, 2008
Contact
Julie Pryde, Acting Public Health Administrator
(217) 531-5369 /
Lori A. Holmes, Public Relations
(217) 531-2927
Avoid the Flu Fast – Just Drive Thru!
Champaign-Urbana Public Health District Provides a Fast Alternative Way to Receive a 2008 Flu Shot – A Mass Immunization Drive Thru.
Champaign, IL – Champaign-Urbana Public Health District (CUPHD) will be providing annual flu shots from the parking lot of their new building at 201 West Kenyon Road on Wednesday and Thursday, October 8th and 9th from 8:00am – 8:00pm. Vaccines will be available for everyone ages 4 and up. Flu vaccines are available for $30.00 and Pneumonia vaccines are available for $35.00. CUPHD will accept Medicaid, Medicare, Visa, Master Card, cash, and personal checks. This year’s flu clinic will be a “drivethru”. Customers wanting flu shots will not have to leave the comfort of their car, but rather be able to “get the shot and go”.
CUPHD hopes that by offering such a convenient and speedy delivery of service, that more people will take advantage of this year’s flu shot, thus reducing the number of people susceptible to illness this flu season. The flu is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses. It can cause mild to severe illness, and at times can lead to death. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 5-20% of the population gets the flu annually, more than 200,000 are hospitalized from flu complications, and about 36,000 people die from the flu each year. Some people, such as the elderly, young children, and people with certain health conditions, are at high risk for serious flu complications.
“The single best way to prevent seasonal flu is to get a flu vaccination each year.” said Julie A. Pryde, Acting Public Health Administrator at CUPHD. “It takes about two weeks for your body to develop antibodies that provide protection against influenza virus. The flu season can begin as early as October and can last as late as May.”
The flu vaccine contains “killed virus” so people cannot get sick with the flu from taking a flu shot. However, different side effects can be associated with the flu shot. Some minor side effects could include soreness, redness or swelling at the inoculation site, low grade fever, or body aches. If these problems occur, they will begin soon after the shot, and usually last 1 to 2 days. However, on rare occasions, flu vaccine can cause severe allergic reactions, and is not recommended for people who have a severe allergy to chicken eggs, or who have had a severe reaction to a flu vaccination in the past. People who have a moderate or severe illness with a fever should not be vaccinated until their symptoms lessen.
For those interested parties that may be unable to attend the annual drive-thru flu clinic, flu vaccinations will be available during regular CUPHD business hours, Monday thru Friday; 8:00am – 4:00pm, at the 201 West Kenyon Road location. No appointment is necessary.
For more information about flu vaccines and other CUPHD programs and services, call 217-352-7961 or visit the CUPHD website at www.c-uphd.org.
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Safe Kids Champaign County Partners with National Seat Check Saturday to Urge Parents and Caregivers to Get Their Child Safety Seats Inspected Over 90 child safety seat checkpoints will be held in Illinois
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 15, 2008
CONTACT: Susan Butler, 531-4268,
Safe Kids Champaign County Partners with National Seat Check Saturday to Urge Parents and Caregivers to Get Their Child Safety Seats Inspected Over 90 child safety seat checkpoints will be held in Illinois
Champaign, IL – The Illinois Department of Transportation/Division of Traffic Safety (IDOT/DTS), AAA and Safe Kids Champaign County urges parents and caregivers to make sure their child safety seats are properly installed in their vehicles at the second annual “National Seat Check Saturday,” on Saturday, September 20, 2008. As part of National Child Passenger Safety Week (September 21-27) certified technicians will be available to provide free on-site child safety seat inspections from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. at Rogers in Rantoul. Checkpoints across the state are sponsored by IDOT/DTS, AAA, Evenflo and Illinois Safe Kids.
“It’s the responsibility of every single parent and caregiver out there to make sure their children are safely restrained – every trip, every time,” said Susan Butler, Safe Kids Champaign County Coordinator. “We are urging everyone to get their child safety seats inspected. When it comes to the safety of a child, there is no room for mistakes.”
According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration research, 8,325 lives of children under age 5 have been saved by the proper use of child restraints during the past 30 years. In 2006, among children under 5, an estimated 425 lives were saved by child restraint use. Research shows that child restraints provide the best protection for all children up to age 8; after age 8, and when a child has reached 4’9” tall, safety belts provide the best protection. Illinois law requires child safety seat or booster seat use up to age 8.
For maximum child passenger safety, Butler said parents and caregivers should refer to the following 4 Steps for Kids guidelines for determining which restraint system is best suited to protect children based on age and size:
- For the best possible protection keep infants in the back seat, in rear-facing child safety seats, as long as possible up to the height or weight limit of the particular seat. At a minimum, keep infants rear-facing until at least age 1 and at least 20 pounds.
- When children outgrow their rear-facing seats (at least age 1 and at least 20 pounds) they should ride in forward-facing child safety seats, in the back seat, until they reach the upper weight or height limit of the particular seat (usually around age 4 and 40 pounds).
- Once children outgrow their forward-facing seats (usually around age 4 and 40 pounds), they should ride in booster seats, in the back seat, until the vehicle safety belts fit properly. Safety belts fit properly when the lap belt lays across the upper thighs and the shoulder belt fits across the chest (usually at age 8 or when they are 4’9” tall).
- When children outgrow their booster seats, (usually at age 8 or when they are 4’9” tall) they can use the adult safety belts in the back seat, if they fit properly (lap belt lays across the upper thighs and the shoulder belt fits across the chest).
For more information on Child Passenger Safety Week, a national effort to remind parents and caregivers of the lifesaving effect child safety seats have in protecting young children, please visit www.nhtsa.gov.
To find a complete listing of Seat Check Saturday checkpoints in Illinois, please visit www.buckleupillinois.org.
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