Press Releases
Year
CUPHD Celebrates American Diabetes Alert Day with Diabetes Campaign for Seniors
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 20, 2009
Contact
Nikki Hillier, Program Coordinator
(217) 531-2916
Lori A. Holmes, Public Relations
(217) 531-2927
CUPHD Celebrates American Diabetes Alert Day with Diabetes Campaign for Seniors
Champaign-Urbana Public Health District Encourages Local Seniors to Take Advantage of Medicare Diabetes Screening Benefits
Champaign, IL – Tuesday, March 24, 2009 marks the 21st Annual American Diabetes Alert Day. The American Diabetes Alert Day is a one-day, “wake-up” call to inform the American public about the seriousness of diabetes, particularly when diabetes is left undiagnosed and untreated. The Champaign-Urbana Public Health District (CUPHD) would like to take this day to encourage local seniors to take advantage of Medicare Diabetes Screening Benefits.
In October 2008, CUPHD surveyed local seniors to determine the best way to communicate the seriousness of diabetes and the screening benefits available through Medicare. These surveys allowed CUPHD to launch a very successful diabetes benefits campaign in November 2008. In honor of American Diabetes Day, CUPHD will reintroduce the campaign in the Round Barn in Champaign. Round Barn was the first site to volunteer to take part in the CUPHD surveys, and the opinions of the residents were instrumental in developing the CUPHD diabetes campaign.
“CUPHD is very excited to bring this campaign to Round Barn”, said Theresa Truelove, Certified Diabetes Educator and Public Health Nurse for the Division of Wellness & Health Promotion at CUPHD. “Diabetes is a serious disease that affects many seniors, yet very few take advantage of the screening benefits provided by Medicare. CUPHD hopes that residents of Round Barn will see the new diabetes awareness campaign, and be proud that their original input has been used to help other seniors in their community.”
The CUPHD diabetes awareness campaign includes a colorful 6 foot tall banner stand, numerous counter cards, posters, flyers and customer tear-offs. Campaign materials have been placed in community locations most frequented by seniors including senior living facilities, doctor’s offices, pharmacies, restaurants, churches, libraries, grocery stores and the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District.
Diabetes is a serious disease that strikes nearly 24 million people in the United States. It is called the “silent killer” because nearly one-fourth of those with the disease (5.7 million) do not know they have it. For many, diagnosis may come seven to ten years after the onset of the disease. Early diagnosis is critical to successful treatment and delaying or preventing the complications of diabetes which can include heart disease, blindness, kidney disease, stroke, amputation and death.
Beginning in 2005, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) began offering coverage under Medicare for screening for diabetes and pre-diabetes. The government’s goal was twofold: to encourage diabetes prevention among those found to have pre-diabetes, and to identify people who were unaware they already had diabetes so that they could begin treatment and potentially stave off the serious complications of the disease.
For more information on diabetes 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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Parents Should Not Be “SCARED”!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 10, 2009
Contact
Nikki Hillier, Program Coordinator
(217) 531-2916
Lori A. Holmes, Public Relations
(217) 531-2927
Parents Should Not Be “SCARED”!
Champaign-Urbana Public Health District to Provide FREE Training Workshop for Local Parents
Champaign, IL – On Monday, March 16, 2009 and again on Tuesday, March 31, 2009, the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District (CUPHD) will be providing local parents with a FREE one night training workshop on how to effectively address sexual education with their children. The workshop will be held from 6:00 – 8:30pm at CUPHD at 201 West Kenyon Road, Champaign. Interested parents are encouraged to call Nikki Hillier at 217-531-2914 to register for the workshop. The workshop materials are adaptable to any age child, and parents with children of all ages are encouraged to attend. A supervised playroom will be available and refreshments will be served. There will also be a FREE door prize for the first 10 people each night.
The workshop will introduce parents to techniques for starting conversations as well as tools to give accurate answers. The workshop will provide parents with accurate, age appropriate information for children of all ages as well as tips for discussing the subject matter in a frank and open way.
Through the workshop parents will discover how to comfortably teach their children about:
- Medically Accurate Human Development
- Relationships
- Personal Skills & Self Worth
- Sexual Health & Behavior
- Responsibility & Values
- MUCH MORE!
“Many parents are apprehensive about discussing sex with their children. Sexual health is much more complex than accurately portraying the physical aspects,” said Nikki Hillier, Program Coordinator for CUPHD, “The unfortunate truth of the matter is that children are curious about sex, and will obtain information about sex from friends, internet, media and elsewhere and often times this information is incorrect. The goal of this sexual education workshop is to provide the resources necessary for parents to give their children the most up-to-date medically accurate information about sexual health available. Discussing sexual health can be uncomfortable for both the parents and the child, and often times fraught with misinformation. CUPHD hopes that this workshop will provide additional avenues for parents to approach and successfully teach comprehensive sexual education in a way that their child will respond to in a positive and confident manner. CUPHD also hopes that this workshop will lead children to regularly seek out parental dialogue on other topics as well.”
This workshop, while predominantly concentrating on talking to children about sex education, will also address how to discuss tobacco and other “do as I say, not as I do” health behaviors. Techniques learned in this workshop will be applicable to all those challenging topics that parents routinely encounter with their children.
For more information about sexual education workshops at CUPHD, or any other CUPHD programs and services, please call 217-352-7961 or visit CUPHD on the web at www.cuphd.org or www.stock2forflu.com.
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Private Wells Should Be Tested Regularly To Check for Contamination
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 17, 2009
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 8 – 14, 2009, 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.
CUPHD also encourages residents of Champaign County to test for arsenic. General information, labs for testing, and companies that provide treatment for arsenic can be found at http://c-uphd/wells.html.
“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 found at http://c-uphd/wells.html.
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 more information on private water wells 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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