Press Releases
Year
Champaign-Urbana Public Health District Helps the Students of Carrie Busey Elementary School “CATCH” the Spirit of Good Health
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 12, 2013
Contact
Nikki Hillier, Program Coordinator
(217) 531-2914
Wendy Starwalt, PE Teacher Carrie Busey
(217) 351-3811; (217) 898-6449
Amy Roberts, Public Relations
(217) 531-4264 /
Champaign-Urbana Public Health District Helps the Students of Carrie Busey Elementary School “CATCH” the Spirit of Good Health
Sustainable Events Promote Active Living
Champaign, IL – Carrie Busey 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. This is Carrie Busey’s fifth year implementing CATCH.
Each year, CATCH schools offer a family event to reinforce the CATCH philosophy. On Friday, September 13, 2013, at 6:00 PM, Carrie Busey Elementary School will be kicking off this year with a CATCH celebration including a family 3K walk/run, family picnic competition and movie in the gym. The CATCH celebration will encourage the students and families at Carrie Busey 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 including yoga and Zumba®.
“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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Access to care provided through It’s All in the Jeans campaign
Media Contacts
Gina Marsh, Presence Covenant Medical Center
217-337-2917
Amy Roberts, Public Relations
(217) 531-4264 /
Access to care provided through It’s All in the Jeans campaign
Foundation at Presence Covenant Medical Center partners with Champaign-Urbana Public Health District (CUPHD) to award $10,000 for mammography screenings
Urbana, Illinois (September 4, 2013) - With $10,000 from Presence Covenant Medical Center’s Foundation, Robin Newhouse is one of more than 675 names on a waiting list for mammography screenings who now has an opportunity to schedule this vital breast cancer detection procedure. “It’s a huge relief to be able to get my mammogram,” says Newhouse who doesn’t have access to health insurance through either of her part-time jobs.
Unfortunately, Robin Newhouse’s story is all too common in the Champaign–Urbana Public Health District’s service area. “These funds are essential,” says Cathy Propst, Illinois Breast & Cervical Cancer Program Coordinator at CUPHD. Propst says her program is dependent on grant funding to reach as many women as possible, and the proceeds from Presence Covenant’s Foundation will make a significant impact in reaching more women in need. “We are seeing declining support from state and federal sources. These scholarship funds are extremely important to assure local women have access to mammograms. Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in women. However, if it is detected while still in its earlier stages, breast cancer can be successfully treated. Routine mammograms and breast exams can detect cancer early and provide women with better treatment options and results.”
All of the screenings for patients utilizing the scholarship funds will take place at Presence Covenant Medical Center, and all of the dollars raised for mammography come through the Foundation’s annual It’s All In the Jeans Day campaign. This workplace campaign, now in its tenth year in Champaign-Urbana, asks companies to allow their employees to pay $5 to wear blue jeans on the first Friday in October. Many companies agree to match or sponsor the program, which has raised more than $130,000 since its inception.
This is the first year, however, for the mammography scholarships, which has been a longstanding goal of the campaign. “We are thrilled to partner with the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District to offer these screening scholarships,” says Angela Reinhart, Development Specialist with Presence Covenant’s Foundation. Reinhart says she expects more than 5,000 participants and 100 companies to participate in this year’s campaign, which is scheduled for Friday, October 4th.
In addition, Reinhart is working closely with local organizations like the breast cancer support group at Christie Clinic, Young Survivors of Champaign-Urbana and the American Cancer Society to hold the third annual Go Pink event on Wednesday, October 2nd at the I Hotel and Conference Center. This event is free to the public and serves as the kick off to It’s All In the Jeans Day. The event will include a spa room, photo booth, purse raffle, speakers, and our expert panel to answer any questions you have as a patient, caregiver, or just in general.
Those interested in registering for It’s All In the Jeans Day or learning more about the program are encouraged to visit the program website: http://presencehealth.org/jeans-urbana or call 217.337.4714.
About Presence Covenant Medical Center’s Foundation
The Foundation at Presence Covenant supports the hospital through a comprehensive program of philanthropic support, stewardship and community impact. Donor funds support capital needs, restricted and designated healing and hope funds and income endowment funds that award community impact FAITH2 grants and offsets incidental health care expenses for the poor. Total Foundation assets locally managed through our investment partners total nearly $8 million.
About C-UPHD
The mission of the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District is to improve the health, safety and wellbeing of the community through prevention, education, collaboration, and regulation. For more information on CUPHD and available services, visit www.c-uphd.org.
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Increased West Nile Virus Activity in Champaign County
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 19, 2013
Contact
Jim Roberts, Director of Environmental Health (217) 531-2909
Amy Roberts, Public Relations
(217) 531-4264 /
Increased West Nile Virus Activity in Champaign County
Champaign-Urbana Public Health District/Champaign County Public Health Department Urges Residents to Take Precautions
Champaign, IL – Several mosquito samples have recently tested positive for West Nile virus (WNV). “This is the time of the year that we expect to see an increase of WNV between the bird and Culex mosquito populations. It is important for people to now take precautions to help prevent WNV,” said Jim Roberts, Environmental Health Director at the ChampaignUrbana Public Health District (CUPHD).
Actions you can take to limit exposure to WNV are:
- Drain standing water
- Mosquito-proof your home
- Apply insect repellent*
- Wear long sleeves and pants, when weather permits*
- Consider limiting outdoor activity*
*Take extra care during the peak mosquito hours from dusk to dawn.
West Nile virus is transmitted to birds through the bite of infected mosquitoes. Only about two people in 10 who are infected with WNV will experience any illness. Illness from WNV is usually mild and includes fever, headache and body aches, but serious illness such as encephalitis, meningitis and death are possible. Serious illness can occur in people of any age; however, people over 60 years of age are at the greatest risk for severe disease.
Information about WNV activity can be found on the CUPHD website at http://www.c-uphd.org/west-nile-virus.html.
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