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Lake County Health Update 
December 2014   

 

 

This community e-newsletter is produced by the Lake County Health Department/Community Health Center 

 

Featured Video 

 

 Healthy Lake County

           

By watching this four-minute Healthy Lake County video, you can learn:  

  • How to join a local, volunteer emergency response team
  • Where to go if you suspect your child has a developmental delay
  • Where you can find the latest, local restaurant inspection reports.  

Dec. 10 Open House Set for Program's New Location 

Veterans, their friends and families, as well as the general public are invited to an open house held by the Lake-McHenry Veterans and Family Services program on Wednesday, December 10, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. The free event will take place at the program's new location, 100 S. Atkinson Road, Suite #203 in Grayslake, Illinois. Managed by the Lake County Health Department, the program was formerly located on Grand Avenue in Lake Villa. Click here for more information.

 

Water Sample Kits at 15 Local Jurisdictions

The Lake County Health  Department/Community Health Center, working in partnership with townships and villages, is offering private well owners a convenient way to have their drinking water tested. 

Private well owners are encouraged to test their water on an annual basis. Click here for more information. 

 

   

Crisis Care Line Available

Do you have an overwhelming feeling of depression, thoughts of suicide,  poor concentration or are you feeling out of control?  

When these problems come on suddenly, or take a turn for the worse, and interfere with every day life, this can be considered a crisis. Sometimes just talking to a caring professional can make a difference. If you are experiencing a crisis, call the Health Department's 24-hour crisis care line at: (847) 377-8088. For information on other services available, visit our Behavior Health Services web page.

 

 

Preventing Falls All Year

Slippery sidewalks and icy streets make us all a little more aware of avoiding falls in winter. However, seniors need to take heed indoors and outdoors all years long to prevent falls, which can lead to hospitalization and nursing home care. Click here for some falls prevention resources.   

 

Give the Gift of Emergency Preparedness 

Do you have someone difficult to buy for this holiday season? Think about giving the gift of emergency preparedness. Click here for some ideas.  

 

 

Find tips and emergency response protocols for winter storms, power outages and extreme cold at www.AlertLakeCounty.com or follow @AlertLakeCounty on Twitter for emergency alerts.
Tony Beltran
Dear Lake County Residents:

The Lake County Health Department is training police officers throughout the county on how to use the drug Naloxone to reverse opioid overdose.
  
Opioid overdose is a fast growing concern in our county, where there were 56 opioid related deaths last year. Equipping officers with Naloxone is a significant step forward toward saving lives from opioid overdoses.
  
The training effort is part of the Lake County Opioid Initiative which received generous donations of $1.4 million in auto-injectable Naloxone from Kaleo Pharma in Richmond, Virginia; $70,000 in intramuscular Naloxone from Hospira in Lake Forest and a supply of retractable syringes from Medline Industries in Mundelein. Click here to read more.  
  
Sincerely,  

Tony Beltran
Executive Director
Lake County Health Department/
Community Health Center

Get the Flu Vaccine in December

To reduce the risk of illness, public health departments shot_preparation.jpg and healthcare organizations across the state, including the Lake County Health Department/Community Health Center, are encouraging residents to get a flu shot during Vaccinate Illinois Week, December 7 through the 13.
 

Enroll in Health Insurance at Zion School Event, Dec. 13

The Zion-Benton School District and Enroll Lake County! are teaming up to provide the community with information about new health coverage options and free enrollment assistance during the new enrollment period for the Health Insurance Marketplace. They are offering a special enrollment event at West Elementary School, 2412 Jethro Avenue in Zion, Illinois, on Saturday, December 13, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Click here for more information.
World AIDS Day Event Held to End the Stigma of HIV/AIDS
Attendees were invited to participate in a candlelighting ceremony.

More than 150 people attended the Health Department's World AIDS Day event on Dec. 1 at Waukegan High School's Trapp Auditorium.


Through inspirational music from local entertainers and words of support, the event focused on erasing the stigma often associated with HIV/AIDS.
  
The Health Department's partners in planning the event included Lake County State's Attorney Mike Nerheim's office, State Rep. Rita Mayfield's office, Ascension Health/Alexian Brothers The Harbor, Catholic
Jason Hart spoke as a member of the Lake County Stand Against Stigma Coalition.
Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago-Lake County Services, YWCA Lake County, Angles-North Shore Youth Health Service, First Congregational United Church of Christ, Waukegan Public Schools and the Waukegan Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.
  
Any individual or organization interested in participating in the Lake County Stand Against Stigma Coalition is invited to contact the Health Department's STI /HIV Prevention program at (847) 377-8450.
Health Department Assists with Countywide Tire Recycling Event
The Health Department collaborated with the Illinois EPA, the Solid Waste Agency of Lake County, Lake County Farm Bureau, and Clarke, Inc. to host a used tire recycling event in October that resulted in collecting 56 tons of tires at the Lake County DOT in Libertyville.  

 

Almost every Lake County municipality and township participated. Residents and businesses were also encouraged to bring in tires.

 

Left out, tires that fill with rain water can become a breeding site for mosquitoes including the Culex species which can transmit West Nile Virus and other diseases. Several tires dropped off were, in fact, found to harbor mosquito larvae. The event is one way the Health Department is working to reduce mosquito-transmitted infectious diseases in Lake County. Funds from the Illinois Department of Public Health also contributed to the tire disposal.

 

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