Press Releases
Year
CUPHD Invites Community to “Take a Breath of Fresh Air…”
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 7, 2009
Contact
Nikki Hillier, Program Coordinator
(217) 531-2916
Lori A. Holmes, Public Relations
(217) 531-2927
CUPHD Invites Community to “Take a Breath of Fresh Air…”
Champaign-Urbana Public Health District and partners to provide FREE Asthma Educational Event
Champaign, IL – The Champaign-Urbana Public Health District (CUPHD) has partnered with the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Urbana-Champaign, the Illinois Asthma Partnership, and the Illinois Department of Public Health to provide a FREE Asthma Educational Event on Tuesday, May 12, 2009 from 6:00pm – 8:00pm at the Champaign Public Library. This event is open to all families, teachers, nurses and providers that are interested in learning more about asthma and will include guest speakers, on-site supervised childcare, fabulous door prizes and refreshments.
Guest speakers include:
- Donald Davison, Carle Clinic
Asthma 101: Asthma Basics and the Proper Use of Equipment
- Barbara Fiese, University of Illinois Families and Asthma
“Asthma is a serious disease, but it is manageable,” said Trisha Gillespie, Health Educator for CUPHD, “There have been many advancements in the field of asthma care in the past few years. CUPHD and our partners hope to share some of these advancements and dispel the many myths about asthma in a fun interactive way at this event.”
Asthma is a serious, sometimes life-threatening respiratory disease that affects the quality of life for millions of Americans. It is one of the most common long-term diseases of children. Asthma causes repeated episodes of wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness, and nighttime or early morning coughing. Although there is no cure for asthma yet, asthma can be controlled through medical treatment and management of environmental triggers. Environmental triggers can include, but are not limited to, mold, dust mites and tobacco smoke.
Asthma can be controlled by knowing the warning signs of an attack, staying away from things that trigger an attack, and following the advice of a doctor or other medical professional.
Asthma affects a large number of people in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that there are currently 16.2 Million adults and 6.7 million children diagnosed with asthma in 2008. Many more remain undiagnosed.
For more information about the CUPHD World Asthma Day Event, asthma programs at CUPHD, or any 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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CUPHD to Provide Access to FREE Mammograms, Pap Tests, Breast & Pelvic Exams for Uninsured Women in Illinois!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 4, 2009
Contact
Cathy Propst, IBCCP Program Coordinator
(217) 531-2916
Lori A. Holmes, Public Relations
(217) 531-2927
CUPHD to Provide Access to FREE Mammograms, Pap Tests, Breast & Pelvic Exams for Uninsured Women in Illinois!
Champaign-Urbana Public Health District’s IBCCP honors National Cervical Cancer Awareness Month by Holding Program Enrollment Days
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 a 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:
Saturday, May 9, 2009
9:00am – 6:00pm
Gordyville USA
Gifford, IL
(7 ½ miles East of I-57 on Rt. 136 – ½ mile West of Gifford on Rt. 136)
- AND -
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
8:00am – 12:00pm & 1:00pm – 4:00pm
Frances Nelson Health Center
819 West Bloomington Road
Champaign, IL 61820
Vermilion County:
Monday, May 11, 2009
8:30am – 12:30pm & 1:30pm – 4:00pm
Aunt Martha’s Vermilion Area Community Health Center
614 North Gilbert
Danville, IL 61832
McLean County:
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
8:30am – 12:30pm & 1:30pm – 3:30pm
Community Health Care Clinic
902 Franklin Avenue
Normal, IL 61761
- AND -
Friday, May 15, 2009
9:00am – 2:00pm
Community Cancer Center Library
407 East Vernon
Normal, IL 61761
Enrollment is quick and easy. Women must 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 the scheduled enrollment day 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.”
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 cervical cancer or pre-cancerous conditions. Early detection of precancerous conditions significantly increases the chance of a successful treatment. Early detection is the BEST protection. Last year over 11,000 women in the United States were diagnosed with cervical cancer, and over 3,500 died from the disease.
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.
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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CUPHD Alerts Public to County-Wide Outbreak of Shigellosis
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 16, 2009
Contact
Awais Vaid, Epidemiologist
(217) 531-5360
Rachella Thompson, Communicable Disease Investigator,
(217) 531-5361
Lori A. Holmes, Public Relations
(217) 531-2927
CUPHD Alerts Public to County-Wide Outbreak of Shigellosis
Champaign-Urbana Public Health District Urges the Public to Wash Their Hands Often to Prevent the Spread of the Disease
Champaign, IL – The Champaign-Urbana Public Health District (CUPHD) has determined that there is an outbreak of shigellosis in Champaign County. Since January of 2009, CUPHD has been alerted to 40 lab confirmed cases of shigellosis. CUPHD has requested that the medical community and emergency departments increase testing and treatment of shigellosis. CUPHD has also notified and sent informational letters to Champaign County daycares, educational facilities, pools, day camps, and restaurants.
Shigellosis is an infectious disease caused by a group of bacteria called Shigella. Most who are infected with Shigella develop diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps starting a day or two after they are exposed to the bacteria. The diarrhea is often bloody. Shigellosis usually resolves in 5-7 days. Persons with shigellosis rarely require hospitalization. A severe infection with high fever may be associated with seizures in children less than two years old. Some persons who are infected may have no symptoms at all, but may still pass the Shigella bacteria to others.
Most Shigella infections are the result of bacterium spreading from the stools or soiled fingers of one person to the mouth of another. This happens when basic hygiene and hand washing habits are inadequate. It is particularly likely to occur among toddlers who are not fully toilet-trained. Family members and playmates of toddlers are at high risk of becoming infected.
The spread of Shigella can be stopped by frequent and careful hand washing with soap and warm water. Hand washing among children should be frequent and supervised by an adult. In a household where a child is in diapers, everyone who changes the diapers should be sure that the soiled diapers are disposed of properly in a closed-lid garbage can. Those who change the diapers should wash his or her hands and the child’s hands carefully with soap and warm water immediately after handling soiled diapers.
CUPHD encourages the pubic to utilize the following steps to prevent the spread of shigellosis:
- Wash hands with soap carefully and frequently, especially after going to the bathroom, after changing diapers, and before preparing foods and beverages.
- Dispose of soiled diapers properly.
- Disinfect diaper changing areas after using them.
- Keep children with diarrhea out of child care settings until they have been symptom free for at least 48 hours.
- Supervise hand washing of toddlers and small children after they have used the bathroom.
- Do not prepare foods and beverages for other when ill with diarrhea.
- Avoid swallowing water from ponds, lakes or untreated pools.
Proper hand washing should include the following steps:
- Wet your hands and apply soap.
- Rub hands together vigorously to lather and scrub all surfaces.
- Continue washing for 20 seconds (the time it takes to sing “Happy Birthday”- twice!).
- Rinse hands well under running water.
- Dry hands using a single use paper towel or air dryer.
- If possible, use the paper towel to turn off the faucet and open the bathroom door to avoid contaminating your clean hands.
For more information, please contact CUPHD, Division of Infectious Disease Prevention & Management, (217) 352-7961 or visit our website at www.c-uphd.org.
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