Health Out Loud

Its back and time again to kick some butt! If you want to quit smoking, sign up for the QuitCash Challenge and you could win $5,000. Plus, take advantage of free help from QUITPLAN Services to help you quit. Don’t delay sign up before April 1! The QuitCash Challenge^™ is open to residents of Minnesota who are 18 years or older at the time of entry and are current tobacco users (cigarettes, cigars, pipes, chewing tobacco). Visit quitplan.com for full details.

Last summer a friend of mine, a city dweller mind you, asked me my opinion on how to properly dispose of a small family rabbit that passed away.  In the owners view, a garbage bag to the trash can seemed inappropriate.  This friend rents an apartment, owns no property, yet wanted their beloved pet buried with minimal cost.  Where to turn?  A Douglas County park?  Yikes!  I had no idea how to answer that one.  My first thought….many of our parks in Douglas County contain acres of land, who would even notice some disturbed dirt?  My second thought…..this sounds like that movie I watched as a too young kid “Pet Cemetery”, CREEPY!

While I had no answers to the park burial question it did get me thinking about what a true asset our county parks are in Douglas County.  Like my friend did, many people think of them as places of peaceful refuge, acres of natural beauty that can be enjoyed at minimal to no cost by almost everyone.  Activities I enjoy today at Douglas County parks include cross country skiing, snowshoeing (just got some for Christmas!), swimming at Lake Le Homme Dieu Beach and hiking.  As a kid I remember celebrating my birthdays with cook outs at Brophy Park during many summers, that first sledding trip down Kensington Runestone Park’s giant hill (pretty sure I had cattails in my teeth at the bottom of the hill) and, awww, my husband and I even took our engagement picture at Kensington Runestone Park.  Lots of great memories for me and my family (not the cattail part).

To those of you who have used Douglas County parks for years, or those that have yet to be introduced, do consider attending what will prove to be one of the most important public input gatherings for our park system in recent memory.  On Tuesday, January 22nd from 6-8 p.m. at the Douglas County Public Works Building the Douglas County Park Department will host an Open House event for the public.  The purpose is to gather ideas from the Douglas County community to shape the future of Douglas County Parks.   The results of the community meeting will be rolled into a comprehensive Douglas County Park and Trail Plan – a blueprint for the county’s parks, open spaces, trails and bikeways over the next 25 years.

This is an opportunity not to be missed, however, if you can’t make it to the Open House, at the very least complete this survey to voice your opinion.

I expect to attend the Open House to voice my opinions and would like to see you there.  Who knows, I just may take a moment to ask the Douglas County Parks Director if a person can indeed legally bury a deceased pet in a Douglas County park.

It’s hard to believe but today, October 1, marks FIVE YEARS since Minnesota’s monumental Freedom to Breathe Act went into effect. Because of Freedom to Breathe, we are all able to enjoy smoke-free bars and restaurants. To show Minnesota’s appreciation for five years of fresh air, Clearway MN went around the state and asked customers, hospitality workers and business owners to wish Freedom to Breathe a happy birthday. Today is a great day to go patronize your favorite establishment and enjoy it smoke-free!

Check out this link

Let’s all wish the Freedom to Breathe Act a happy birthday!

The American Public Health Association sets aside this week each year to remind Americans about the importance of public health in their lives.

In conjunction with this observance, Gov. Mark Dayton has proclaimed April 2-8 Public Health Recognition Week in Minnesota.

“The successes of public health often go unrecognized,” said Dr. Ed Ehlinger, Minnesota Commissioner of Health. “In fact, most people may not know that public health accomplishments, not medical care, were responsible for 25 of the 30 years of life gained by Americans during the 20th Century.” Those accomplishments include vaccines, control of infectious diseases, safer and healthier foods, motor vehicle safety and recognition of tobacco use as a health hazard.

“Minnesota’s public health system is one of the best in the nation,” said Gov. Dayton. “I want to applaud the public health professionals at the Minnesota Department of Health and at local public health and tribal health agencies across the state for doing such a stellar job of protecting our health and improving our overall quality of life.”

Ehlinger encourages Minnesotans to observe this week by considering the often unrecognized successes of public health.

“Public health is so often invisible because our job is to prevent problems before they occur,” Ehlinger said. “Only when the occasional problem pops up, like a foodborne disease outbreak, does the public get a good sense of the work we do around the clock to protect and improve their health. But public health is so much more.”

Ehlinger noted the many ways in which life is improved with public health.

• Public health officials safeguard our drinking water systems, preventing cholera, dysentery and other illnesses.
• The Newborn Screening Program screens babies in Minnesota for serious congenital disorders that can lead to deafness, illness, physical or intellectual disability or death.
• Public health restaurant inspectors search out and prevent serious foodborne diseases caused by E. coli, Salmonella and other pathogens.
• Universally provided immunizations protect children from diseases such as polio, small pox and diphtheria.
• Environmental health specialists help homeowners eliminate lead paint, asbestos and radon in their homes, thus reducing their risk for serious disease.
• The WIC program provides infants with the nutrition they need to get a healthy start to life by offering healthy nutrition choices for mothers and children.
• Inspectors and investigators provide peace of mind to families that their loved ones in health care facilities are given the best care.
• Public health emergency planners and responders are ready to help Minnesota respond to serious public health emergencies, including acts of bioterrorism.
• Public health researchers and statisticians provide policy makers with the information they need to make informed health policy decisions, including the extent to which we have significant health disparities in Minnesota.
• Public health professionals provide accurate information about risks for serious chronic diseases and injuries so that people are able to make healthy choices for themselves and their families.

Ehlinger noted that public health success cannot be achieved by public health professionals alone.

“Achieving true public health success would not be possible without the contributions of many organizations in Minnesota, including local health departments, other state agencies, non-profit and community organizations, health care providers, schools, faith communities and citizens, Ehlinger said.  “We hope Minnesotans will observe Public Health Week by thinking about the improvements made through public health and by appreciating the leadership we have in Minnesota that makes us one of the healthiest states in the nation.”