Text4baby!

Text4baby is the first mobile information service designed to promote maternal and child health through text messaging. This is a free service to anyone who has a mobile phone*. To sign up, simply text BABY to 511411 (or BEBE to 511411 to receive messages in Spanish). The service will then ask you for your due date; this is asked because the text messages you receive will be relevent to how far along you are in your pregnancy. Once you give birth, the service will begin sending information about infancy until your child is 1 year! You will receive information on topics such as prenatal care, safe sleep, oral health, injury prevention, labor and delivery, car seats, and so much more!

If you’re interested in receiving text messages, text BABY (or BEBE for Spanish) to 511411. To see a list of Frequently Asked Questions, please visit https://www.text4baby.org/index.php/about/faq.

*See website for details on approved carriers.

Sources:  https://www.text4baby.org/

It’s Mental Illness Awareness Week!

Mental Illness Awareness Week – October 5, 2014 – October 11, 2014

 

DID YOU KNOW….14 years ago Congress designated the first full week of October as Mental Illness Awareness Week (MIAW)? This was done to recognize the National Alliance on Mental Illness’s effort in raising awareness of mental health.

Mental illness does not discriminate; it can affect ANYONE, ANYWHERE, at ANY TIME. Knowing the signs and symptoms of mental illnesses will help keep you and your loved ones safe, happy, and healthy.

“Mental illness is a medical condition that disrupts a person’s thinking, feeling, mood, ability to relate to others and daily functioning.” (NAMI) Mental health disorders can be any of the following (for more information, click on the disorder of interest):

• Anxiety Disorders

• Autism Spectrum Disorders
• Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADD/ADHD)
• Bipolar Disorder
• Borderline Personality Disorder
• Depression
• Dissociative Disorders
• Dual Diagnosis: Substance Abuse and Mental Illness
• Eating Disorders
• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
• Panic Disorder
• Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
• Schizoaffective Disorder
• Schizophrenia
• Seasonal Affective Disorder
• Tourette’s Syndrome

Mental health is a growing problem in the United States. NAMI reports that 1 in 4 American adults and 1 in 5 children will experience mental illness THIS YEAR alone. According to the most recent Lucas County Community Health Assessment, 14% of LUCAS COUNTY 7^th-12^th grade youth had seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year and 7% admitted actually attempting in the past year. Additionally, this health assessment states that 28% (more than 1 in 4) 7^th-12^th grade youth reported they felt so sad or hopeless almost EVERY DAY for two weeks or more in a row that they stopped doing some usual activities.

Because MIAW is all about raising awareness, here are some ways YOU can help:

• -GO GREEN! Green is the recognized color for mental illness. You can change your Facebook cover photo, change your profile picture, or even just post information about mental health.
• -Hand out green ribbons to wear
• -Host an event
• -Wear green
• -Participate in a NAMIWalk (and wear green!)
• -Use #MIAW on twitter to submit pictures to YANA (You Are Not Alone)

If you have any comments or questions, please feel free to ask below!

 

Sources:

http://www.nami.org/template.cfm?section=mental_illness_awareness_week

America’s PreparAthon Day!

The day is finally here – America’s PreparAthon!!!!!! Today is the official preparedness event. I hope that everyone was able to get registered in time. This is the time for you, your family, your friends, and even different organizations to learn about preparedness in your area. Discussions, activities, and/or tabletop exercises should be happening in order to increase your awareness of the disasters that can happen in your area. At Toledo-Lucas County Health Department we will be reviewing the preparedness plans and kits that we have been putting together during September.

If you did not have time to register for America’s PreparAthon! do not worry. You can still participate by going back through the blog we have posted and review the different materials. This will help you start preparing for different types of disasters throughout our area. If you have any questions about anything in the blog posts please let us know by either leaving a comment or following us on Twitter and/or Facebook.

After completing your PreparAthon day use surveys to get feedback to plan improvements and enhance your organizations preparedness. There is no time like the present to make changes and improve on plans for potential future disasters.

Sources: fema.gov     ready.gov

 

Recap of Weeks 1 and 2 of National Preparedness Month

National Preparedness Month is coming to an end; here is a list of what we covered the first two weeks!

 

Week 1: “Get Ready”

• Common natural hazards in Ohio: floods, tornadoes, winter storms, and extreme heat.
• Get information on when and where a threat has the potential to develop!
• Know the difference between a watch and a warning
  • Watch means that conditions are favorable for dangerous weather and to be alter for changing weather conditions
  • Warning means that immediate action is to be made, and is only used when severe weather is about to strike.
• Keep all family members involved in all steps of the planning, including children
• Family communication plan: contact list with names and phone numbers, as well as where to go in the event of an emergency
• Tailor your plans and supplies to fit your specific needs and responsibilities
• Have a plan for any type of location, it is likely that you and/or your family members will not be at home during an emergency.
• Ready.gov provides information on how to prepare for different locations. Questions you should ask your child’s school or even your workplace in the event of an emergency:
  • Ask schools how they will communicate with families during a crisis.
  • Ask if they store adequate food, water and other basic supplies.
  • Find out if they are prepared to “shelter-in-place” if need be, and how they plan to go if they must get away.
• If you are an employer – make sure you have appropriate supplies on hand and include a plan for if your employees can’t get home.
• ID your pet. In an emergency situation having your pet wear and ID tag can help rescue workers contact you when the pet is found.
• Make sure you have a safe place to take your pets in case of an emergency because not all shelters all pets.
• Create an emergency kit for your pets. These kits can include food and water, medications and medical records, cate litter and litter box, leashes, collars, pet toys, a photo and description of pet, as well as veterinarian contact info.
• Look back at September 6^th for how to stay connected through media sites. Some of the sites include Facebook and Twitter

Week 2: “Get Involved”

• Ready.gov recommends that the community, as a whole, “participates in activities to make their families, homes and communities safer from risks and threats.”
• Volunteer through organizations such as: Community Response Team (Lucas County does have one), the Medical Reserve Corps, Citizen Corps, American Red Cross and/or faith-based organizations who are active in supporting disasters.
• Participate in CERT Basic Training courses or through Teen CERT programs
• Training opportunities are also available through FEMA and have a lot of different courses that are at no cost to the individual
• Attend Safety Town events within the community. Children can learn about what their local fire departments and police departments do in the event of emergencies
• Business preparedness means taking charge and having a plan prepared for emergencies
• Five steps in developing a preparedness program: program management, planning, implementation, testing and exercise, and program improvement.
• First responders include law enforcement, fire fighters, and emergency medical personnel. These individuals can serve as a role model in the community by properly preparing themselves and their families for an emergency
• Be sure to speak with your employer about emergency response drills.
• For those with disabilities – PLAN AHEAD! Make sure that you are able to execute your preparedness plan in the event that there is no assistance available