FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 26, 2013

Contact
Candi Crause, Director
(217) 531-5372 / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amy Roberts, Public Relations
(217) 531-4264 / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

December 1^st is World AIDS Day

The Champaign-Urbana Public Health District Encourages Everyone to Get Tested 

Champaign, IL – Annually, December 1^st is observed as World AIDS Day in an effort to raise awareness of the global impact of HIV/AIDS. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it is estimated that more than one million people are living with HIV in the United States and 33.4 million worldwide. Of the 12,000 new infections each year, one in four is in youth 13 to 24 years old.

The Champaign-Urbana Public Health District (CUPHD) encourages people to get tested and know their status. The CDC estimates that of the one million people living in the United States with HIV, one in five is unaware of their infection. According to Candi Crause, Director of Infectious Disease Prevention and Management, “HIV is 100 percent preventable. The key to overcoming this epidemic is to not only educate people on the facts of HIV/AIDS but to open the lines of communication. HIV spreads through silence and lack of communication. Access to testing and risk reduction supplies is crucial.”

CUPHD provides case management services for over 300 HIV-positive clients in 17 counties in East Central Illinois. Services include medical and dental assistance, nutritional assistance, utility and housing assistance, legal assistance, mental health assistance and support group assistance.

CUPHD’s Infectious Disease division offers HIV education, prevention and testing at the 201 West Kenyon Road facility in Champaign. Testing is available Monday thru Friday, 8:30 – 11:30 AM and 1:00 – 4:30 PM. Individuals living with HIV who would like to access services should contact Gary Dunn at (217) 531-5368.

For more information on services at CUPHD, visit www.c-uphd.org.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 19, 2013

Contact
Jim Roberts,Director of Environmental Health
(217) 531-2909

Amy Roberts, Public Relations
(217) 531-4264 / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Hazardous Weather Can Impact Food and Water Safety

Simple Steps Can Help Keep You Safe

Champaign, IL – The Champaign-Urbana Public Health District (CUPHD) and the Champaign County Emergency Management Agency are encouraging everyone impacted by the recent hazardous weather to take food and water safety precautions. Power outages that last longer than two hours may create food safety issues. If the power is out for longer than two hours, the food in your refrigerator and freezer may not be safe to consume. Citizens should use the following guidelines if the power is out longer than two hours:

• FROZEN FOOD:
  • A freezer that is half full should hold food safely for up to 24 hours o A full freezer should hold food safely for up to 48 hours o Avoid opening the freezer door during a power outage
  • Throw away any food that has a temperature of 40 degrees Fahrenheit or above
• REFRIGERATED FOOD:
  • Pack milk, other dairy products, meat, fish, eggs, gravy, and spoilable leftovers into a cooler surrounded by ice
  • Throw away any food that has a temperature of 40 degrees Fahrenheit or above

When the power goes out, water purification systems may not be functioning fully. Safe water for drinking, cooking, and personal hygiene includes bottled, boiled or treated water.  Questionable water can be treated with chlorine tablets, iodine tablets or unscented household chlorine bleach (1/8 teaspoon per gallon of water).

For more information about emergency preparedness visit: http://www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/foodwater/facts.asp or CUPHD at www.c-uphd.org.

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Download 2013-11-19-Power-Outage-Food-Safety-PR

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 16, 2013

Contact
Nikki Hillier, Program Coordinator
(217) 531-2914

Megan McGinty, Leal Elementary  
(217) 384-3618

Amy Roberts, Public Relations
(217) 531-4264 / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Champaign-Urbana Public Health District Helps the Students of Leal Elementary School “CATCH” the Spirit of Good Health

Sustainable Events Promote Active Living

Champaign, IL – Leal Elementary School has partnered with the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District (CUPHD) to implement a Coordinated Approach To Child Health (CATCH). CATCH is a multi-component initiative that promotes healthy behaviors in students and gives them the opportunity to practice them. CATCH emphasizes the need for a healthy lifestyle to improve both living and learning. CATCH has four core components – nutrition, physical activity, health education and family/community involvement. All of the teachers at Leal completed a full-day training to implement CATCH over the summer, and they are holding a kick-off this Friday to introduce CATCH to their families.

This is Leal’s first year of CATCH and they want to offer a family event to reinforce the CATCH philosophy. On Friday, October 18^th from 5:30-7:30 PM, Leal Elementary School will be kicking off this year with a CATCH celebration including several fitness demonstrations and games as well as giveaways from Cardinal Fitness, local grocers and restaurants. Demonstrations will include soccer dribbling, yoga, cardio, Capoeira and more. The CATCH celebration will encourage the students and families at Leal to engage in physical activity by making physical activity FUN as well as encourage families to prepare and eat healthy meals together. Families will be able to participate in a variety of activities. 

Students will attend a CATCH pep rally before the event during the school day. There are two pep rallies, one on Thursday, October 17^th at 2:00 PM, and one on Friday, October 18^th at 2:00 PM, both led by Terry Napper, Leal Site Supervisor for afterschool programs.

“We are pumped to be working with Leal this year. The staff and students are full of energy which is great for implementing CATCH. CATCH is a fun, well-rounded effort that affords students the ability to excel through a series of consistent messages from a variety of sources,” said Nikki Hillier, Program Coordinator of Health Promotion for CUPHD. “CATCH builds an alliance of children, parents, faculty, staff and community members to teach and model skills and behaviors associated with maintaining healthy lifestyles.”

For more information about CUPHD's programs and services, visit www.c-uphd.org.

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Download 2013-10-13-CATCH-Celebration-Leal-PR