Thursday, March 24, is World Tuberculosis Day

Public Health is Part of a Worldwide Effort to Eradicate TB

Champaign, IL – March 24 is World TB Day, an annual observance meant to draw attention to a disease that contributes to the deaths of more than 2 million people every year.

• One-third of the world’s population is infected with TB

• Each year, 9 million people become sick with TB

• TB is the leading killer of people infected with HIV

  Tuberculosis is a significant health concern in Champaign County. The disease has not been eradicated here, and students and others move to Champaign- Urbana from every part of the world. Without widespread TB testing and treatment, the disease could quickly spread.

  The Champaign-Urbana Public Health District and the Champaign County Public Health Department are working to reduce the incidence of Tuberculosis in Champaign County. The Health District offers TB tests every week at its Urbana satellite office (217 N. Broadway), with follow-up tests and medical care for those with active TB. Nurses offer weekly TB tests in three local homeless shelters, and

provide TB tests to health care professionals. (Health providers should be screened every year for TB.) The County Public Health Department provides funds for TB services to residents of the county who live outside Champaign- Urbana.

Nurses in the Health District’s Division of HIV/STD/TB Prevention & Management see a few active TB cases here every year. Without treatment, these individuals would spread the disease to dozens of others.

In 2004 Health District nurses performed 2,204 Tuberculosis tests. Of those, 80 tested positive. Follow-up tests found five people with active (contagious) TB, all of whom received direct observed therapy to curtail the infection and prevent transmission of the disease to others. (Two of those with active TB were from other counties.)

Left untreated, one person with active TB will infect 10 to 15 people PER YEAR!

Symptoms of pulmonary TB include excess phlegm and a persistent cough that lasts more than 3 weeks, chest pain and coughing blood. Other symptoms include fever, chills, night sweats, appetite loss, weight loss and fatigue.

According to the federal Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, TB is the 2nd leading killer of adults worldwide. In the U.S., Tuberculosis disproportionately affects minorities. More than 80 percent of TB cases in the U.S. occur in racial and ethnic minorities.

Only through the vigilance of health authorities everywhere can the disease be checked and – it is hoped – eliminated throughout the world.

Health District TB Clinics at 217 N. Broadway, Urbana:

Skin Tests: Mondays, 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Test results are read the following Wednesday, 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.

For more information, contact the Health District’s Division of HIV/STD/TB Prevention & Management: 217-239-7827.

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Download 2005-03-18-World-TB-Day-PR

A Trip to the Barbershop Could Save Your Life!

Health Providers Team up With Rose & Taylor Barbershop To Offer Free Prostate Cancer Screenings and Haircuts

Champaign, IL – The Champaign-Urbana Public Health District, the Champaign County Christian Health Center and Rose & Taylor Barbershop in Champaign will again offer free prostate cancer screenings and haircuts this Saturday, March 19. This is the second such event this year. At the February event, 27 men showed up at the barbershop to get free blood tests for prostate cancer and free haircuts.

Dr. Eric E. Whitaker, Director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, pioneered the idea of offering health screenings at barbershops five years ago when he was trying find a way to bring health services to African American men in a venue they would trust. African American men often put off getting screened for prostate cancer longer than their white counterparts, and African American men have higher prostate cancer mortality rates than any other group. According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, prostate cancer death rates were about 2.5 times higher among black men in 2000 compared with white men.

Any man over age 40 who comes to Rose & Taylor from 9 – 11:30 a.m. for a free prostate blood screening will also get a free haircut, compliments of the barbershop. Rose & Taylor is located at 124 North 1st Street, in Champaign.

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“Wellness on Wheels 2” to Serve Two Local High Schools

Champaign-Urbana Public Health District and Christie Clinic Team Up to Bring Health Services to Teen Students

“Wellness on Wheels is a great way to offer free preventive health services to kids who need them,” said Julie Pryde, Director of the Health District’s Division of HIV/STD/TB Prevention & Management.

"Christie Clinic will always do what it can to offer health education
and treatment to all of Champaign County," said Alan Gleghorn, CEO Christie Clinic. "We are glad we can aid the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District with the use of our Mobile Unit."

Champaign, IL –Wellness on Wheels 2 (WOW 2), a free mobile health program for teens at two local high schools, opens its doors on Wednesday, February 2. This collaborative effort between the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District and Christie Clinic will bring preventive health services to high school students who have no access to a school nurse or school-based health center.

The Christie Clinic Mobile Unit is a comprehensive health clinic on wheels. It includes two fully-equipped exam rooms, a hearing screening room, a waiting area, restroom and storage.

Representatives from Christie Clinic will ceremonially hand over the mobile unit keys to Health District staff on Wednesday, February 2 at noon, the first day of services outside Central High School.

Beginning on that day, the mobile unit will offer preventive health services every other Wednesday outside Central High School, 610 West University Avenue, in

Champaign. On alternate Wednesdays the van will park near Centennial High School, 913 S. Crescent Drive, in Champaign. The van will be available to students from 2-4 p.m. on those days.

The unit will offer students aged 13 and up free health screenings, disease prevention supplies and educational materials. Students may visit the van for free blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol screenings; HIV counseling and testing; pregnancy tests; sexually-transmitted disease tests; and information about disease prevention, diet and exercise. Students who need more intensive medical attention will receive referrals to other services.

The Health District’s Division of HIV/STD/TB Prevention & Management provides health information, referrals, advocacy and educational groups. It also serves as lead agency for two regional HIV programs. The division’s mission is to improve public health by challenging social injustice, creating responsive services, promoting community involvement and linking those in need to local resources.

“We are very excited about our mobile health program, and expect to have continued success in 2005,” said Division Director Julie Pryde. She noted that her division has also teamed up with Carle Foundation Hospital to offer preventive health services to adults and children on Carle’s mobile unit (WOW 1). That outreach occurs each Friday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Randolph Street just north of Springfield Avenue. “By expanding and diversifying our services, we will enhance our community outreach,” she said.

For more information about the WOW programs or to find a schedule of locations for Wellness on Wheels call 217-239-7827.

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Download 2005-01-25-WOW-2-startup-PR