MEET OUR OFFICE DOGS!

The Health Initiative is a dog-friendly workplace, and several of our canine friends join us at the office on a regular basis.  We thought you'd like to meet them!   

The presence of dogs in the workplace has been shown to improve staff morale, reduce stress, and increase productivity. Who doesn't appreciate a little unconditional acceptance and tail wag in the midst of a busy day??!    

Luna is a Golden-doodle who belongs to Kim DesChamp and regularly comes to work.  Dean is a long haired German Shepherd who just returned to Guiding Eyes for the Blind as a future guide dog prospect.

Campbell is our newest addition to the office.  He is an 8 week old German Shepherd being raised as a future guide dog for the blind by Linda Caamaño

After-school programs occurring anytime after the regular school day, during holiday breaks and in the summer are an ideal setting to introduce improved nutrition, increased physical activity, and sensible screen time limits. The Health Initiative's Creating Healthy Places to Live, Work and Play in St. Lawrence County project will hold a Healthy Kids, Healthy New York Afterschool Initiative (HKHNY) workshop for recreation departments and afterschool programs on July 20, 2011, 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. at the Canton Pavilion Riley Community Room, Lincoln Street, Canton, NY. To further encourage afterschool programs to implement HKHNY guidelines, the Health Initiative will provide funding support for sustainable projects that support HKHNY policies and practices.

The workshop will present local health data that reinforces the need for physical activity, the Healthy Kids, Healthy New York model guidelines, and how to create age and developmentally appropriate policies for afterschool programs. The HKHNY guidelines allow children the chance to acquire healthy habits needed to lead long and healthy lives. Encouraging programs to implement these model guidelines will help tackle the problems that are fueling our children's health crisis. Some tips for implementing these practices are:

Making healthy eating fun for children. Adventurous approaches encourage children to try new food and new ways of eating them.

Offering a variety of learning experiences through games, fitness and sports that all children can participate in.

 Be a role model and don't talk about or watch television or play video games around the children.  Replace screen time with fun activities

For more information or to register contact Karen Bage, 315.261.4760 ext. 224, Karen@gethealthyslc.org or Tracy Moody 315.261.4760 ext. 228, tracy@gethealthyslc.org at the Health Initiative.

HEALTHY SCHOOLS NY

Sarah Bentley-Garfinkel

Three Exciting Food Events for Schools & Youth!

Farm to You Fest:  Celebrate healthy and delicious local foods in school!  Farm to You Fest is a weeklong celebration of local food and agriculture organized by the NYS Farm to School Committee and scheduled for the week of Oct. 3-9.  Celebrations may include featuring locally sourced foods in school meals; hosting taste tests; or highlighting school garden projects.  Ask your district's food service director if s/he plans to participate or contact Sarah for more info and resources:  sarah@gethealthyslc.org or (315) 261.4760 ext. 226.  

North Country Food Day Youth Summit:  Engage youth in important food issues, from diet-related disease to sustainable farming to marketing to kids.  Save the date of October 24, 2011 for the Summit, open to high school age youth throughout the North Country.  The Health Initiative is proud to partner with GardenShare to host this event.  See GardenShare.org, or contact Sarah using the above info, for further details.  

Dig In! Food & Garden Conference:  Based on the 2010 conference's success, we hope you will join us for the second Dig In! This conference will expand on school and community garden topics to incorporate workplace and other "institutional" interests, from gardening to composting to nutrition education.  We anticipate holding this event in March 2012, in collaboration with local organizations including Cornell Cooperative Extension, GardenShare, the Sustainable Living Project and UShare.  Keep your eyes on our website and local media, or contact Sarah using the above info, for more!

The Healthy Small Business Project will be implementing the Everybody, Everyday physical activity campaign starting July 11^th.  A 6-week campaign, Everybody, Everyday challenges participants to establish a routine of intentionally scheduling daily activity into each week. Developing a lifelong habit of daily exercise is the goal.  And the really cool thing about this challenge is that employees pick the activity, how long they want to exercise, how hard they want to exercise, and when. The emphasis is placed simply on planning a weekly schedule and establishing a frequency of exercising seven days a week.  Employees will have the opportunity to win personal prizes and businesses will compete against each other to win recognition for increasing physical activity at the worksite.

Check out the website for more details. 

Creating Healthy Worksites, a NYSDOH grant funded program to deliver best practice worksite wellness to St. Lawrence County businesses, their employees and by extension, their families, is available to interested businesses, now!    This program offers inspiration for local businesses to create an environment that embraces and promotes healthy choices, increased physical activity, reduced risk factors for chronic diseases, reduction in health care costs for employees and employers by empowering the people of St. Lawrence County to eat well, incorporate play into their lives, stimulate intuitive best choices that encourage a soundness of mind and body.  An attractive byproduct of incorporating such opportunity for awareness and personal empowerment into the work environment is that these changes increase productivity and create a positive, supportive interaction between and among members of the workforce.  People will be excited to come to work, because they are a valued, key component to their company's success.

Let WorkWell Investments, a division of the Health Initiative, demonstrate how incremental adjustments in your workplace can contribute to a happier, healthier, more productive workforce that adds attraction value to both your company's internal and external images.  Contact Kimberly DesChamp, Creating Healthy Worksites Project Coordinator, at the Health Initiative for more information:  (315) 261-4760 x233 or by email:  kim@gethealthyslc.org.

WorkWell Investments  

Were you aware that NYS Labor Law requires your workplace to make reasonable accomodations for employees who choose to breastfeed?  This law, passed in 2007 requires all businesses in NYS regardless of size to allow unpaid or paid break time for employees to express their breast milk, and also requires businesses to provide adequate space for these employees to express and store their milk (must not be a restroom).  If your workplace is interested in learning more about this law, or to find more ways to ensure your employees come back to work from maternity leave and are prepared to work while nursing, call Anne Marie Snell to learn more about our programs!

The Youth Development Programs have a very busy summer planned for the youth of St. Lawrence County. Teens HELP will be offering an opportunity for youth to become trained in Reducing the Risk, an evidence based curriculum aimed at helping teens improve communication skills and knowledge of how to prevent teen pregnancy, STI's and HIV/AIDS. After completing our weekly training sessions during the summer these youth will officially be Peer Educators and will be out in the community educating their friends, family and the community at large through a number of events. The best part about becoming a Peer Educator for Teens HELP is youth are not only helping their community be safe and healthy but they also earn great experience and a little bit of money too. Peer Educators will be paid a stipend of $8.50 per hour for approximately 6-10 hours of work per month this summer. Teens HELP is certainly not all work and no play, while learning the curriculum teens can expect interactive activities, games and an opportunity to visit the rock climbing wall at SUNY Potsdam! If you know a teen who would be interested in participating in our Teens HELP Teen Leadership Council please call 261-4760 ext. 227 or 234 or email kellie@gethealthyslc.org or Kelly@gethealthyslc.org.  

Swimming is a terrific form of exercise, regardless of the time of year.  But in the summer, it has the additional benefit of being combined with a barbeque, a family get together, or a fun day on the beach.  So slather on some sunscreen, grab a towel and some friends or the family, and head for the coast, lake, or pool for a few laps, some splashing, and maybe some practice diving or making cannonballs!  Make the most of the short but beautiful summer that we enjoy here in the North Country!