Press Releases
Year
Survey to Determine Emergency Preparedness
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 12, 2016
Contact
Jane Li, Emergency Preparedness
(217) 531-2932 /
Amy Roberts, Public Relations
(217) 531-4264 /
Survey to Determine Emergency Preparedness
Champaign-Urbana Public Health District’s Medical Reserve Corp to Survey Champaign County
CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, IL – The Champaign-Urbana Public Health District’s Medical
Reserve Corps is overseeing a first-of-its-kind survey in Champaign County that will look at how prepared local residents are for potential disasters. The Community Assessment for Public Health Emergency Response—or CASPER—survey will take place in neighborhoods across Champaign County on Saturday, October 15 and Sunday, October 16, 2016 from Noon to 6 PM. Volunteers will visit Champaign, Homer, Rantoul, Sadorus, Savoy, St. Joseph, and Urbana.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Environmental Hazards and Health Effects, Health Studies Branch developed CASPER. This simple tool enables government at all levels to rapidly assess a community’s health needs after a disaster, as well as to measure household preparedness for disasters or emergencies.
The data collected from the survey will be used by the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District (CUPHD) to address public health and emergency preparedness needs in our community. The survey will not collect any personal information – no names, addresses, or personally identifiable information. It is voluntary and participants can refuse to answer any question. Volunteers will be wearing a blue vest or a blue t-shirt that says Medical Reserve Corps.
This survey offers a unique opportunity for citizens to provide anonymous feedback about their public health needs. It offers the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District an opportunity to learn how to better meet the needs of all local citizens. Findings from the survey and public health educational materials will be posted on the website at www.c-uphd.org later this fall.
If you would like to volunteer to conduct surveys or have questions, please contact Jane Li, Emergency Preparedness Planner at CUPHD, at (217) 531-2932.
###
High Temperatures and Humidity Can Be Extremely Dangerous
 |
 |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 19, 2016
Contact
John Dwyer, Coordinator / CCEMA
(217) 384-3826 /
Amy Roberts, Public Relations
(217) 531-4264 /
High Temperatures and Humidity Can Be Extremely Dangerous
Champaign-Urbana Public Health District and Champaign County Emergency Management Agency Urge the Public to Take Extra Precautions to Stay Safe in the Heat
Champaign, IL –The Champaign-Urbana Public Health District (CUPHD) and the Champaign County Emergency Management Agency (CCEMA) urge 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 degrees 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 degrees 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 non-alcoholic beverages (caffeine and 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 degrees.
- Give plenty of cool (not cold) non-caffeinated, non-alcoholic beverages to drink. Get medical assistance as soon as possible.
The following cooling centers are available throughout the local area:
- Champaign-Urbana Public Health District – Champaign
- Marketplace Mall – Champaign
- Public Aid Office, North Country Fair Drive – Champaign
- Lincoln Square Mall – Urbana
- Public Libraries – Champaign, Urbana, Tolono
CUPHD is a kid-friendly cooling center and is open from 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM, Monday – Friday. CUPHD offers a summer food program for children ages 18 and younger, educational TV, free Wi-Fi, coloring stations, and books for kids.
Anyone can suffer a heat-related illness. CUPHD and CCEMA urge everyone to take precautions in the summer heat and to check on children, the elderly, and pets frequently.
For more information, please contact CUPHD at (217) 352-7961 or visit www.c-uphd.org.
###
National HIV Testing Day
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 23, 2016
Contact
Candi Crause,Director of Infectious Disease Prevention & Management
(217) 531-5372 /
Amy Roberts, Public Relations
(217) 531-4264 /
National HIV Testing Day
Champaign-Urbana Public Health District Encourages Citizens to “Take the Test, Take Control”
Champaign, IL – National HIV Testing Day is Monday, June 27, 2016 and the
Champaign-Urbana Public Health District (CUPHD) encourages everyone to get tested.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are more than 1.2 million people in the United States that are living with HIV. Because of effective treatments, people are living long and healthy lives with HIV. But it important to start treatment as soon as a person finds out that they have HIV. If you are living with HIV or know someone who is, you can contact CUPHD at 217-531-5368 and speak to Gary for more information.
It is estimated by the CDC that there are 50,000 new HIV infections each year in the United States. Almost one in seven people are unaware of their infection. Over half of young people between the ages of 13-24 living with HIV are unaware of their infection. On average, 1,800 people are diagnosed with HIV in Illinois each year. CUPHD provides testing services Monday through Friday from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM at 201 W. Kenyon Road in Champaign. Home HIV testing kits can be purchased at Walgreens as well.
CUPHD is offering a new prevention option, PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis). PrEP is for people who are HIV negative, but who are at risk of HIV infection. According to the CDC, PrEP has been shown to reduce the risk of HIV infection in people by over 90 percent. For more information on PrEP, please call Louise at 217-531-5365.
This year, CUPHD is partnering with Walgreens, Uniting Pride (UP Center), and the Greater Community AIDS Project (GCAP) to promote HIV Testing. Testing and information about community resources will be available from 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM in the parking lot of the Walgreens store at the intersection of Prospect and Bloomington Road in Champaign.
For more information, contact the Infectious Disease division at 217-531-5365.