Press Releases
Year
Pound for Purchase Program at Farmer’s Market Benefits Clients
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 27, 2010
Contact
Brandon Meline, Director of Maternal & Child Health
(217) 531-4297 /
Amy Roberts, Public Relations
(217) 531-4264 /
Pound for Purchase Program at Farmer’s Market Benefits Clients
Champaign-Urbana Public Health District Makes Eating Healthy A Little Easier
Champaign, IL – The Champaign-Urbana Public Health District (CUPHD) issues approximately $40,000 worth of Farmer’s Market vouchers each year. The vouchers are available to those who participate in the supplemental food program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). In August of 2008, CUPHD piloted a Farmer’s Market program to better meet the needs of clients by providing a one-stop-shop with access to fresh fruits and vegetables. This year, the market is open on Tuesday afternoons from 1:00 PM to 5:30 PM.
With these vouchers, clients can immediately purchase healthy fruits and vegetables from local growers at CUPHD’s market or various other markets around the county. Each woman and child over one year-of-age that are active in the WIC program in Champaign County receives one book of Farmer’s Market coupons per year. Each book contains $15.00 worth of coupons in five $3.00 amounts. Farmer’s Market coupons can not be used at grocery stores and should be used as close to the full amount as possible because change is not permitted. The vouchers are only good on the purchase of fruits and vegetables. Baked goods, flowers, plants, honey, or crafts do not apply.
This year, in conjunction with the USDA’s Three Sisters Garden initiative located on the University of Illinois campus, clients are able to get a free bag of additional produce for every purchase they make from a local grower (a ‘pound for purchase’). The Three Sisters Garden will provide sweet corn, green beans, vegetable soybean (edamame), and pumpkin throughout the remainder of the growing season. In its’ first week of collaboration, the pound for purchase program provided fresh produce to upwards of 100 families.
CUPHD’s scheduled pick-up day for remaining clients to receive WIC Farmer’s Market vouchers is Tuesday, August 3, 2010 beginning at 1:00 PM and continuing until 5:00 PM. All participants should look for the BROWN “WIC Farmer’s Market Coupons Accepted Here” signs at vendor’s booths. The use of LINK benefits is also available at this market and the products are available for purchase by the general public.
For additional information on CUPHD’s Farmer’s Market vouchers or WIC services, please contact CUPHD at (217) 531-4319 or visit CUPHD on the web at www.c-uphd.org.
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Bird Tests Positive for West Nile
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 26, 2010
Contact
Jim Roberts, Director of Environmental Health
(217) 531-2908
Amy Roberts, Public Relations
(217) 531-4264 /
Bird Tests Positive for West Nile
Champaign County Receives Its First Confirmed Case of West Nile Virus in 2010
Champaign, IL – A crow collected by the Champaign County Health Department tested positive for the West Nile virus. The bird was collected outside the city limits on the west side of Champaign on July 13, 2010. “Birds testing positive for West Nile virus serve as a reminder that mosquitoes are active and people should protect themselves against mosquitoes,” said Jim Roberts, Director of Environmental Health.
To date, there have been no human cases reported in Champaign County and no mosquito batches have tested positive for West Nile virus. Mosquito batches or birds testing positive for West Nile virus have been reported in 14 other counties.
Last year, 36 of the state’s 102 counties were found to have a West Nile positive bird, mosquito, horse or human case. A total of five human cases of West Nile disease were reported in Illinois last year. In hotter summers, such as 2005 and 2006, more human cases were reported:
- 2008 – 20
- 2007 – 101
- 2006 – 215
- 2005 – 252
- 2004 – 60
- 2003 – 54
Surveillance for West Nile virus in Illinois began on May 1 and includes laboratory tests on mosquitoes, dead crows, blue jays, robins, and other perching birds as well as the testing of sick horses and humans with West Nile-like disease symptoms. Citizens who observe a sick or dying crow, blue jay, robin or other perching bird should contact their local health department, which will determine if the bird will be picked up for testing.
West Nile virus is transmitted through the bite of a mosquito that has picked up the virus by feeding on an infected bird. Most people with the virus have no clinical symptoms of illness, but some may become ill three to 15 days after the bite of an infected mosquito. The first human case in Illinois is not usually reported until July or later.
Only about two people in 10 who are bitten by an infected mosquito will experience any illness. Illness from West Nile is usually mild and includes fever, headache and body aches, but serious illness, such as encephalitis and meningitis, and death are possible.
Persons older than 50 years of age have the highest risk of severe disease.
The best way to prevent West Nile disease or any other mosquito-borne illness is to reduce the number of mosquitoes around your home and to take personal precautions to avoid mosquito bites. Precautions include:
- Avoid being outdoors when mosquitoes are most active, especially between dusk and dawn.
- When outdoors, wear shoes and socks, long pants and a long-sleeved shirt, and apply insect repellent that includes DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus or IR 3535 according to label instructions. Consult a physician before using repellents on infants.
- Make sure doors and windows have tight-fitting screens. Repair or replace screens that have tears or other openings. Try to keep doors and windows shut, especially at night.
- Eliminate all sources of standing water that can support mosquito breeding, including water in bird baths, ponds, flowerpots, wading pools, old tires, and any other receptacles. In communities where there are organized mosquito control programs, contact your municipal government to report areas of stagnant water in roadside ditches, flooded yards, and similar locations that may produce mosquitoes.
Public health officials believe that a hot summer could increase mosquito activity and the risk of disease from West Nile virus.
Additional information about West Nile virus can be found on the Illinois Department of Public Health’s Web site at www.idph.state.il.us/envhealth/wnv.htm.
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High Temperatures Mean Extra Precaution
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 15, 2010
Contact
John Dwyer, Emergency Preparedness Planner
(217) 531-2932
Amy Roberts, Public Relations
(217) 531-4264 /
High Temperatures Mean Extra Precaution
Champaign-Urbana Public Health District Urges the Public to Watch for Symptoms of Heat-Related Illness
Champaign, IL –The Champaign-Urbana Public Health District (CUPHD) urges everyone to watch for the symptoms of heat-related illness, and to take precautions to keep their families and communities safe.
Heat-related illness can take many forms ranging from a mild case of heat exhaustion to a more serious and life-threatening case of heat stroke. Heat-related illnesses occur when the body becomes unable to control its temperature. The body’s temperature rises rapidly and the body looses its ability to perspire and cool down. Rising to temperatures of 106° F or higher within 10 to 15 minutes can result in death or permanent disability if emergency treatment is not provided.
Signs and symptoms of heat-related illness include:
- An extremely high body temperature of 103° F or higher
- Red, hot, and dry skin (no signs of perspiration)
- Rapid, strong pulse
- Throbbing headache
- Dizziness or confusion
- Nausea
Never leave children, elderly persons, or pets in a parked car – even for a few minutes with the windows partially open. The metal of the vehicle conducts and concentrates the intense heat and brain damage or even death can occur from the rapid rise of temperature in the vehicle. Children, the elderly, and pets are especially susceptible to heat-related illness due to a variety of factors including, but not limited to, the inability to adjust to sudden changes in temperature, the tendency to retain more body heat, dehydration due to over activity or exertion, and the lack of access to adequate fluids.
Precautions to avoid heat-related illness:
- Stay hydrated. Drink at least 48-64 ounces of cool non-caffeinated and nonalcoholic beverages (caffeine & alcohol are diuretics and will increase dehydration). Don’t wait until you are thirsty to drink.
- Reduce the amount of activity during the hottest parts of the day. If you must be active during those times, strive to take frequent breaks in a shady or cool area.
- Wear light-colored and lightweight clothes.
- Take a cool shower or sponge bath if you begin feeling over heated.
- Retreat to an air-conditioned environment if you begin to feel overly warm. If you do not have air conditioning, consider visiting a mall, grocery store, or other public place to cool off.
If you or someone you know shows signs of a heat-related illness, have someone call for medical assistance while you begin the cooling process:
- Take the person to an air-conditioned, cool, or shady area.
- Cool the person rapidly by spraying cold water from a shower or garden hose.
- Monitor the body temperature carefully until the temperature drops below 101°102° F.
- Give plenty of cool (not cold) non-caffeinated, non-alcoholic beverages to drink.
- Get medical assistance as soon as possible.
Anyone can suffer a heat-related illness. CUPHD urges everyone to take precautions in the summer heat and to check on children and the elderly frequently.
For more information, please contact CUPHD at (217) 531-2932 or visit www.c-uphd.org.
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