September - October 2007

Public Health News Briefs ~ September/October 2007

Children, Youth and Family Master Planning – Sept.  22 at the Fairgrounds

La Plata County, in partnership with the towns of Bayfield, Ignacio and Durango and the Southern Ute Indian Tribe have embarked on a year long community planning process to answer the question: Are we doing all we can to ensure that all children, youth and families thrive in La Plata County? The outcome of this effort will be a strategic, functional document that will guide community leaders, agencies, and businesses in all decisions that effect children, youth and families.

La Plata County's planning process will use the seven action areas identified in the National League of Cities platform for Strengthening Families and Supporting Children and Youth Outcomes as a template for generating the Plan's priorities. These include Early Childhood Development, Educational Excellence and After School Services, Youth in Transition, Neighborhoods and Community, Youth Development, Health and Safety and Family Economic Success. Training will be provided to all participants in the planning process.

All community members who are interested in joining an action area committee are invited to begin this remarkable journey by attending the kick off training. The training will take place on September 22 at the La Plata County Fairgrounds. For more information, contact coordinator Jenny Bruell at 759-9353 or at Bruelljl@co.laplata.co.us.

Household Chemical Waste Collection Day – September 29

La Plata County’s annual Household Chemical Waste Collection day will be on Saturday, September 29th, 2007 at the La Plata County Fairgrounds from 8:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. There’s a $10 donation. For more information, call 375-4831.

Cleaning Supplies         Painting Supplies           Indoor Home Supplies

Garden Supplies           Automotive Fluids         Home & Car Batteries

Hobby Supplies            Pharmaceuticals            Fluorescent Bulbs

If possible, bring products in their original containers. DO NOT MIX! Make sure containers are properly sealed. Do not bring: explosives, electronics, smoke detectors business waste.

Visit http://www.durangogov.org/resident/services/recycling.html for other recycling opportunities.

San Juan Basin Health’s Environmental Division in conjunction with CSU Extension Service has received a $20,000 grant from the federal government. This funding will enable it to continue providing radon education and testing kits to La Plata and Archuleta Counties. The testing tool is distributed to citizens on request and typically involves attending a mini-workshops presented, in joint effort, by the Health Department and Extension Service.  The workshop covers use of the screening tool, and potential implications of the results of screening. This area contains high "risk-levels" for radon, so testing is often recommended.  The grant runs from October of this year through September of 2008.

Radon Community Workshops Begin in October

Several Radon Workshops will be offered throughout the community during October and November. Free test kits will be available. These workshops, sponsored by La Plata County CSU Cooperative Extension and San Juan Basin Health Department, will take place:

October 19, 2007                    Durango Home Builders Meeting @ Fairgrounds

October 25, 2007                    Radon Workshop @ Fairgrounds 10:00 AM

Radon is a cancer-causing natural radioactive gas that you can’t see, smell or taste. Its presence in your home can pose a danger to your family's health. Radon is the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in America, claiming about 20,000 lives annually.  EPA has launched a new series of television, radio and print public service announcements encouraging people to test and fix their homes for radon. This is a good time to focus on testing and on fixing homes with a radon level of 4 pCi/L or more. These community workshops are a great opportunity to take action toward reducing individuals’ and families’ risk of lung cancer from radon. For more information about radon, see www.cdphe.state.co.us/hm/rad/radon/index.htm.

Radon Poster Contest for Ages 9-14 ~ Deadline is October 15

The National Safety Council, in partnership with the U.S Environmental Protection Agency, is sponsoring a Radon Poster Contest for children ages 9-14 enrolled in a public, private, territorial, tribal, or home school. Members of a sponsoring club, such as a scouting organization or art, computer, science or 4-H club, also are eligible. There is no entry fee, and only one entry per student is allowed. The entry deadline is Oct. 15, 2007. 

"Radon awareness is particularly important in Colorado," said Joe Vranka, radiation program manager for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. "Fifty-two out of the state's 64 counties are at high risk for radon, a colorless, odorless, tasteless radioactive gas that is the second leading cause of lung cancer." Poster topics must include one of the following subjects: what is radon, where does radon come from, how does radon get into our homes, radon can cause lung cancer or test your home for radon. The winning national poster will be unveiled in Washington, D.C. 

SAVE THE DATE! Worksite Wellness Workshop – November 1st

Healthy Lifestyle La Plata (formerly the Healthy Lifestyle Coalition) will sponsor a worksite wellness workshop on Thursday, November 1st from 8:00am to 4:30pm at the FLC, Student Memorial Lounge.  The workshop will include local successes, a toolkit of how to get started and continue and a healthy, local lunch. 

Employers Workshop: New Roles in Tobacco Cessation – November 5th

Motivational Interviewing: Supporting your Employees’ Stage of Change to Quit Tobacco

An Employers Workshop will be offered on Monday, November 5^th from 12:30 pm to 5:00 pmat San Juan Basin Health Department. Learn more about motivational interviewing - a practical system for employers to facilitate change immediately with employees, including assisting them in tobacco cessation. The workshop is for employers who want to bring their communications with employees to a new level. Snacks and refreshments included. For more info, call Caleb Gates at 247-5702, ext. 236 or email at caleb@sjbhd.org. There will be a follow-up workshop in the spring for interested participants.

The State of Colorado has a new website for those individuals wanting to quit tobacco. This website,  www.coquitline.org,  is offered as an independent web-based tobacco cessation service or a combination of the web-based and telephonic QuitLine program. The web site will offer a secure registration process for Colorado users and include the following services: 

Ø      Customized services: quitting tools based on participant’s demographic information, smoking behavior, stage of quitting process and quit goal date.

Ø      Social support: on-line forums and chat rooms including “Chat With An Expert” and “Quit Community.”

Ø      Personalized email support system: quit tips, personalized feedback, resource information and updates on new features of the site. Emails will be sent to remind the participants of appointments with their Quitting Coach if they are also enrolled in the Colorado Quitline.

Ø      Pharmaceutical cessation options: nicotine replacement and non-nicotine medications. 

Ø      Links to other tobacco resources: These links include both information on local cessation programs, and other smoking cessation resources.

Content on tobacco cessation will be customized based on the age, demographics, gender, ethnicity, stage of readiness to quit, and addiction level. Recommended strategies will be developed from the participant’s responses on their tobacco assessment and a personalized Quit Plan will be sent to the participant. The content for the coquitline.org program follows the QuitLine Tobacco Cessation Guide that is used for all participants in the Colorado QuitLine telephonic program.

Grant Applications just Released for Middle School Tobacco Program

Bust Big Tobacco- a middle school tobacco media and advocacy education program just released grant applications for Colorado schools. This nine-session program will 1) explore general tobacco information such as the health and financial costs, 2) increase media literacy skills, and 3) introduce the concept of advocacy through a hands-on approach.  Not-for-profit community-based organizations and schools who serve youth in grades 6th-8th, and who are not currently receiving any tobacco industry dollars, are eligible to apply. Interested organizations must identify an adult who can serve as the program facilitator. Settings may include but are not limited to: Community youth-serving programs such as Boys & Girls Clubsand after school programs or school clubs.

There are a series of conference calls which are open to anyone who would like more information about the program or the application packet. To receive call access information please contact Heather Mckittrick at (303) 724-1258 or at heather.mckittrick@uchsc.edu.

Friday, September 28, 2007 @ 3:00pm
Monday, October 15, 2007 @ 9:00am
Thursday, November 1, 2007 @ 12:00pm

Travel Nurse Receives Certificate in International Travel Medicine

Melinda Malone, RN recently received a Certificate in Travel Health from the International Society of Travel Medicine (ISTM), an organization committed to the promotion of healthy and safe travel. The exam was taken by 487 people from 35 countries. Malone is the International Travel Health Nurse at San Juan Basin Health Department. She provides both travel consults for individuals and groups traveling abroad as well as any recommended vaccinations.

This Certificate recognizes individual excellence in knowledge in the field of travel medicine, associated with pre-travel care and consultation. The exam focuses specifically on the level of knowledge that is necessary to practice travel medicine. Developed by an international panel of travel medicine experts representing a variety of professional disciplines, the ISTM Certificate of Knowledge Program was created to establish an international standard for travel medicine practitioners and serve the public by promoting quality travel medicine services. It covers six key areas: common and important diseases acquired during travel and their prevention; pre-travel consultation and management; products used in travel medicine such as vaccines and drugs; preventive strategies; appropriate post-travel triage; and general travel health issues.

International Travel consults are available by appointment only. Please schedule an appointment 6 to 8 weeks prior to travel by calling Melinda at 247-5702, ext. 271. Appointments consist of reviewing traveler's immunization history, destination health risk report and vaccination recommendations, as well as vaccinations.

Promoviendo La Salud, a health promotion program of San Juan Basin Health Department, is pleased to announce receipt of two new grants for the fiscal year 2007-2008. The goal of the program is to reduce cardiovascular disease and cancer among Latino adults in La Plata and Archuleta counties. Services will be available especially but not exclusively to Latino adults. Funding from the Cancer, Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Disease Program of CDPHE will support continuation of current activities which include health education, screenings, and referrals as well as advocacy for culturally competent services among area providers. Additional funds from the Colorado Health Foundation will be used to expand these services including offering a chronic disease management clinic held biweekly one evening a week in the SJBHD clinic. Clinical services will be for clients screened and referred by Promoviendo staff, and will be by appointment only; limited services will be available. Services are scheduled to start in late October or early November. Education and basic screening clinics will continue as currently being offered. For more information, please call Karen at 247-5702, ext. 207.

Immunizations given at San Juan Basin Health in August nearly doubled numbers for August of last year. Over 1000 shots were given! Additionally, the Pagosa Springs office did actually double their immunizations. The increase is most likely due to the new school entry requirements as well as to the continuing impact of Valleywide closing. These impacts were felt in the earlier part of the year as well. San Juan Basin Health in Pagosa has already surpassed its total number of vaccinations (1394 as of August 30th compared with 1390 all last year) with a third of the year remaining.

The Nurse-Family Partnership of Southwest Colorado (formerly fondly known as "Healthy Kids") started in February of 2000. Since then, this voluntary home visitation program has served over 600 families in the local five southwest counties.  138 first time moms have graduated from the program. Among those served have been seven sets of twins!  Registered nurses visit the homes of families with newborns; and continue visiting and supporting the family until the child is 2 years old. Nurse-Family Partnership’s dedicated team of six nurses, three part-time interpreters and an office administrator are located at San Juan Basin Health in Durango and in Pagosa Springs as well as at Montezuma County Health Department. All are dedicated to serving first-time moms who would want to benefit from this special program.
Contact them at 247-5702, ext. 275 or kcarrieri@sjbhd.org. Learn more about this program at www.sjbhd.org/en/healthy-kids-a-nurse-family-partnership; or check out recent CBS news coverage at: www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/07/11/eveningnews/main3045638.shtml

Resource for Providing Quality Care to Limited English Proficiency Populations

The Office of Minority Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is pleased to announce the release of the "Health Care Language Services Implementation Guide," an interactive Web-based learning tool designed to help health care professionals plan, implement, and evaluate language access services (LAS) within their organizations. The Guide is available at no cost to health care providers at www.thinkculturalhealth.org, or directly at http://hclsig.thinkculturalhealth.org/user/home.rails. The Guide features an interactive content presentation, multimedia-based case studies that underscore the importance of LAS, and interactive worksheets to help with planning, implementation, and evaluation of LAS in your organization. The Guide is supported by a rich collection of resources, implementation tips, and examples of forms and documents.

Contact Information for Public Health News Briefs:

Jane Looney, Communications; jlooney@sjbhd.org

San Juan Basin Health Department; 247-5702 x1605