Press Releases
Year
The Champaign-Urbana Public Health District Encourages Housing Property Owners to Go Smoke-Free
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 24, 2014
Contact
Amy Roberts, Public Relations
(217) 531-4264 /
The Champaign-Urbana Public Health District Encourages Housing Property Owners to Go Smoke-Free
Smoke-free multi-unit housing is healthier for tenants and saves property owners money
Champaign, IL – The Champaign-Urbana Public Health District (CUPHD) sent a mailing on Monday, February 24th to Champaign County multi-unit housing property owners detailing the benefits of smoke-free rental properties.
The mailing describes the cost savings to landlords of smoke-free rental units. The expense to clean a smoking unit after a smoker moves out can be anywhere from $4,000 to $15,000. The expense to clean a smoke-free rental unit is generally under $1,000. Cigarettes are also the leading cause of residential fires.
Beyond the risks and costs to property owners, smoking in multi-unit housing puts nonsmokers at risk for inhalation of secondhand smoke. Secondhand smoke drifts into non-smokers’ apartments through ventilation systems, light fixtures, electrical outlets, doorways, and windows. Secondhand smoke can remain in the air for hours after a cigarette is extinguished. Of the 4,000 chemicals in secondhand smoke, 250 are known toxins, and 50 are known carcinogens. Nonsmokers exposed to secondhand smoke increase their risk of developing lung cancer by 20-30 percent. Secondhand smoke can also cause or worsen illnesses such as heart disease, bronchitis, asthma, pneumonia, and ear infections.
There are many multi-unit housing property owners in Champaign County that have already adopted smoke-free policies. CUPHD has a directory of smoke-free housing on its website. Known smoke-free Champaign County properties include:
217 Midtown, 309 Green (American Campus Communities), 75 Armory (Next Chapter Properties), Atrium Apartments (Green Street Realty), Campustown Rentals (American Campus Communities), Capstone Quarters (Green Street Realty), Eastview Apartments, Kellner Rental Properties, Loft 54 (American Campus Communities), Marshall Apartments, Parkside Apartments, Parkview Senior Homes, Roland Realty, Smith Apartments, Stone Ridge Square Apartment Community, Taylor Realty (RE/MAX), The Point at UI, The Tower at 3rd (American Campus Communities), The University Group, and Windsor West (Regency Apartments) has two smoke-free buildings.
Mike Kellner, owner of Kellner Rental Properties in Champaign said, “Removing smoke residue from an apartment is expensive and the cost is nearly impossible to recover from the previous residents. This process is necessary however, since nonsmokers shy away from apartment that smells like smoke. We also have less litter to clean up outside since there are no cigarette butts.”
Tara McCauley, CUPHD Special Projects Coordinator said, “Nonsmokers should be able to breathe clean air in their apartment buildings. We hope to increase the number of Champaign County multi-unit housing options that are healthy for tenants and staff.”
CUPHD has resources to support property owners in their transition to smoke-free housing, including no-smoking signage, smoking cessation classes, sample no-smoking lease language, organization of tenant meetings, and sample communications with tenants. One CUPHD cessation resource, the Freedom from Smoking class, begins on Monday, February 24th. The class is offered regularly.
Property owners can contact Tara McCauley at CUPHD (contact info above) if they are already smoke-free and want to be added to the CUPHD smoke-free housing directory, or if they are interested in exploring a smoke-free policy.
CUPHD’s smoke-free multi-unit housing campaign is part of the Illinois Department of Public Health’s We Choose Health initiative, which is made possible by funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
For more information: http://www.c-uphd.org/wechoosehealth
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Illinois Department of Public Health Warns of Buffalo Fish Causing Illness
Pat Quinn, Governor
LaMar Hasbrouck, MD, MP}-L Director
525-535 West Jefferson Street Springfield , Illinois 62761 -0001
www.idph.state.il.us
Consumer Advisory
Illinois Department of Public Health Warns of Buffalo Fish Causing Illness
Rare disease suspected in 690 people
SPRINGFIELD — The Illinois Deparånent of Public Health (IDPH) is advising people who eat buffalo fish of the potential to contract a rare disease called Haff disease. Health officials in Chicago and Cook County have reported two people who consumed the fish having been seen at the hospital as suspect cases of Haff disease.
Haff disease is a swelling and breakdown of skeletal muscle thought to be caused by a toxin sometimes found in buffalo fish in the Mississippi River. Symptoms of Haff disease generally begin within 6 to 21 hours after eating fish and commonly include severe muscle pain, stiffress and brown (darkened) urine. Acute kidney failure may also be a complication. Symptoms typically resolve within 2 to 3 days and cases are rarely fatal.
"Haffdisease is very rare, with the last case in Illinois reported in 2004," said IDPH Director Dr. LaMar Hasbrouck. "While cooking food to the proper temperature will kill bacteria, cooking will not eliminate this toxin and the fish will still be unsafe to eat."
If you think you may have Haff disease, report your symptoms and what fish you ate to your health care provider right away. If possible, save meal remnants. If you have eaten the fish, but are not feeling ill, watch for symptoms.
Date issued: February 6, 2014
Parkland College and Champaign-Urbana Public Health District Kick Off Worksite Wellness Challenge
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 28, 2014
Contact
Amy Roberts, Public Relations
(217) 531-4264 /
Parkland College and Champaign-Urbana Public Health District Kick Off Worksite Wellness Challenge
Employees will be challenged to eat better, be more physically active and reduce stress
Champaign, IL – On Thursday, January 30th at noon, Parkland College and the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District (CUPHD) will kick-off a worksite wellness challenge for Parkland employees. The four-month wellness challenge is called the Amazing Challenge, and the challenge itself begins on February 1st. Thursday’s kick-off event will be held at Parkland’s Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, located at 2400 W. Bradley Avenue, D116, in Champaign.
The Amazing Challenge will be organized through a web portal called We Choose Health 365, created by the Illinois Department of Public Health and Live Healthy America. A number of employers in Champaign County and state-wide will participate in the challenge, which will provide health challenges for employees on nutrition, physical activity and stress reduction. It will be a simple, fun and interactive campaign that encourages focused weekly action – making it easy for participants to make changes and see results. The wellness website allows employees to create personalized dashboards to track their individual wellness goals, nutrition intake and physical activity, and provides wellness resources such as fitness videos and healthy recipes.
“We are so pleased to have this opportunity to work with Public Health to promote wellness on the Parkland campus and hope that we might be able to develop something similar for the students,” said June Burch, Parkland Wellness Coordinator.
Tara McCauley, CUPHD Special Projects Coordinator, said “CUPHD is excited to offer this intensive, yet easy and low-cost wellness program to Champaign County employers. And we are fortunate that our grant funding allows us to pay the registration costs for most Champaign County employers to participate in the challenge.”
Other area employers participating in the Amazing Challenge include: Carrie Busey Elementary School, Champaign County, Unity West Elementary School, CUPHD and Frasca International. Champaign County employers can still register for the Amazing Challenge by contacting Tara McCauley at CUPHD (contact info above).
The Amazing Challenge is part of the Illinois Department of Public Health’s We Choose Health Initiative, which is made possible by funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
For more information:
http://www.c-uphd.org/wechoosehealth/workplace-wellness.html
http://www.wechoosehealth365.com/aspx/Public/Page.aspx?pid=14708
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