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Day in the Life of...
Mark Mathre,
Environmental Health Specialist 1
Mark Mathre, Environmental Health Specialist is another member of the Health Department who fits our theme of providing his expertise, talents and services to the county for a long time, 20 years to be exact.
Mathre graduated from the University of Iowa with a bachelor's degree in Business Administration. Fresh out of college, Mathre saw an opening at the Health Department for an Environmental Health Specialist and has been here ever since.
Throughout his 20 years at the Health Department, Mathre has been involved in every aspect of the Environmental Health Service Section. His job responsibilities have included inspecting food establishments, tattoo and tanning salons, body piercing, pools, well water testing and septic systems. Currently, Mathre is responsible for inspecting tanning salons, body piercing and tattoo establishments and septic systems in our county. He is also responsible for maintaining regional transient non-community (TNC) water supplies inspections in 16 counties throughout the state of Iowa. TNC inspections are conducted to ensure the drinking water is safe at facilities where the public may have exposure to the water. The facilities that may be inspected include restaurants, parks, churches and other public use establishments that are not connected to a community water supply or found in the city. During the inspections, Mathre checks facility records, well equipment, distribution systems, maintenance and possible contamination sources that may affect the safety of the water supply. The greatest benefit of Mathre's position is his ability to work in many different aspects of Environment Health. "I like the fact that every day my job may consist of different responsibilities and tasks," he stated.
Another large role in Mathre's position at the Health Department is working with homeowners and septic system contractors. "When new systems are created, I work with the homeowners and septic system installers to determine the soil types and locations where the system can be located," he said. "I then work with the installer to make sure the new system is designed to meet the needs of the house or other structure on the property."
Since 1993, Mathre has seen a multitude of changes at the Health Department. "When I first started here (the Health Department), my office was located in the basement of the courthouse and shared it with three other employees," he stated. With all the changes he has seen at the Health Department, the one thing that remains consistent is the great staff. "I work with a great group of people," Mathre notes. "The staff here is always willing to lend a hand or provide an ear to bounce an idea off of." What remains a challenge is the ever changing world of public health. "Programs and services are always changing. It's difficult to stay informed on all the changes," he said. Mathre also believes the programs and services at the Health Department will keep expanding and growing. "I believe our Health Promotion service will play an active role with keeping the members of our community healthy and fit," he said.
Mark Mathre has played a valuable role at the Health Department for the past 20 years and will continue to do so!
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The Truth about Bedbugs
Once in a while, you may hear a story where someone found a bedbug in their hotel room or even their own bed. Whether the story is fact or fiction, a majority of us are confused on what a bedbug is and what it looks like. Hopefully this article helps clarify myths and misconceptions about bedbugs.
A young bedbug is normally a light tan color and approximately the size of a poppy seed. Adult bedbugs are flat, rust colored and have an oval body type. Adult bedbugs are normally the size of an apple seed.
Bedbugs receive their name because they are mostly active when we are sleeping. They will find and locate a body part that is exposed and inject a mild anesthetic and anticoagulant, and suck up a small amount of blood. Bedbugs need blood to survive and grow eggs. A female bedbug can lay five to seven eggs a week. Eggs take about 10 days to hatch. Bed bugs are fully developed between two to four months when provided a regular blood meal and can live as long as a year.
The good news is we almost never feel the actual bite; it's the after effects that aren't so great. Bedbug bites can be itchy and irritating. Some individuals do not react to a bedbug bite. For those who do, the bite may appear with minutes or days where the skin was exposed. The bites will normally heal in several days but may itch for weeks. Although a physician cannot determine if a bite is from a bedbug, it may be necessary to consult a physician for a topical ointment to relieve itching symptoms.
Bedbugs make their way into homes by latching onto used furniture, luggage, clothing and even through connecting pipes and wiring within larger buildings, apartment complexes and hotels. They can be found in mattress seams, sheets, pillow cases, upholstered furniture, cracks and crevices in the furniture, wall baseboards, headboards and even picture frames. You can prevent bedbugs from entering your home by:
- Do not bring bed frames, mattresses, box springs or upholstered furniture found on the street or a dumpster into your home.
- Check all previously used and/or rented furniture for bedbugs.
- If you are traveling and staying in a hotel, inspect the bed and furniture prior to bringing any of your belongings into a room. Keep your suitcases off the floor and inspect your luggage before you leave.
- If you think you have been in a home or hotel that may have bedbugs, immediately wash your garments on the hottest setting and then store them in a sealed plastic bag.
- Seal cracks and crevices in your home with caulk even if you do not have bedbugs. This will prevent them from entering your house.
If your home does in fact have bedbugs, professional exterminators are often needed to eliminate them.We recommend calling several service providers for bidding and letters of reference.
Hopefully, this has helped to clear up some misconceptions concerning bedbugs. For more information about bedbugs, please visit www.cghealth.com
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Happy 2013!
It's time to put those New Year's resolutions to good use. If one of your resolutions was to exercise more frequently or to live healthier, the Live Healthy Iowa 10 Week Wellness Challenge is the challenge for you! The 10 week challenge is a simple and affordable challenge encouraging Iowans to make healthy choices. Over the course of the 10 weeks, teams (2-10 people) compete in friendly competition tracking activity minutes and/or weight loss through the Live Healthy Iowa website.
For $20, participants receive:
- Training T-shirt
- Weekly motivational emails
- Personal online tracking page
- Unlimited access to recipes, workouts and health information
- Chance to win incentives and prizes
- One year magazine subscription
Live Healthy Iowa's 10 Week Wellness Challenge works well for businesses, communities and organizations wishing to start a wellness program or to simply enhance an existing wellness program. The challenge starts January 28, 2013! To register for the challenge, visit www.livehealthyiowa.org .
In this month's edition of the Public Health Communicator, we include an article highlighting January as National Radon Action Month by our Healthy Homes Coordinator, Erik Gustafson. Frequently, we receive inquires about bedbugs, so this month, we also feature an article discussing myths and misconceptions about bedbugs. Our Cerro Gordo ISTEP (Iowa Students for Tobacco Education and Prevention) students have helped to design and create a YouTube video looking at the dangerous cycle of smoking. Check it out below! As always, we feature the "Day in the Life of" column and the Wellness Corner.
Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to stay up-to-date on all the current information surrounding the Health Department. Make sure to check out the left side of our newsletter, which features our Quick Response (QR) Code. Scan it with your smartphone to get directly to our website.
For more information about our services, visit our website at www.cghealth.com.
Best wishes,
Nola Aigner
Public Information Officer
Cerro Gordo County Department of Public Health
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January is National Radon Action Month. During January, the Department of Public Health along with the folks at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) do our best to promote and educate about the dangers and prevention of radon exposure in homes and businesses. Radon is a colorless, odorless, tasteless gas that makes its way into structures through even the smallest cracks and crevasses of any part of the foundation that is in contact with soil. Radon is found in all types of structures from the oldest home with a dirt floor basement to modular homes set on top of a poured concrete slab to downtown businesses. It wants to find the quickest way to get out of the ground and generally speaking that way tends to be into structures. The scary thing about radon is that it is radioactive. Over time, exposure to radon leads to lung cancer. With 21,000 deaths per year being linked to radon related lung cancer, it is the second leading cause of lung cancer behind smoking.
Thankfully, there are 3 simple steps to protect the health of the occupants in a home or business when dealing with radon. Step 1 is to test the home or business. Past radon tests in Cerro Gordo County have shown that radon is extremely abundant in our area causing 49% of test kits returning with elevated levels. Radon test kits are simple to use and inexpensive. They can be purchased at many local retailers or from the Department of Public Health. The kits at the department are $5. For that $5 you will receive a radon test kit, the kit itself is paid mailer so no postage will need to be purchased, and the lab fees are covered. Five dollars gets you peace of mind and results mailed back to you after roughly 2 weeks. If your test kit comes back with no detectable level of radon, you're done (but be sure to test every 2 years or so as conditions in structures can change). If the test comes back with detectable levels, then it is time for step 2 and that is to re-test the structure.
Retesting gives the indication of an average over time. Testing during the winter months is best as the kits need to have closed home conditions for the entirety of the test. If this test is to come back with detectable levels as well then it is time for step 3.
Step 3 is to assess your options. Radon is measured in picocuries per liter (pCi/L) which is a unit of measure determining how much radiation is detected in a set volume of air. The EPA has set a national action level of 4 pCi/L meaning that if your kit comes back at 4 pCi/L or higher you should call a professional radon mitigation specialist to install a radon mitigation system in the home. Even if the kit comes back below 4 pCi/L, the EPA and the health department still strongly suggest that you consider having the home mitigated. More and more research is showing that long term exposure to even low levels can lead to lung cancer.
Test. Fix. Save a life. It is these simple 3 steps that can lead to more smiles and more birthdays.
For more information on testing, mitigating, or just general questions regarding radon please call 641-421-9339 or visit our website at cghealth.com.
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The Dangerous Cycle of Smoking
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Wellness Corner
7 Steps to Becoming Physically Active
Whether you've decided to start being physically active now or you would like to be physically active on a more consistent basis, congratulations! You have taken an important step by focusing on future goals. Now, it's time to take action.
1. Develop Support- Share your commitment to becoming physically active with those around you. When seeking the support of others, help them understand your reasons for change so they can help you. Make use of the support networks that exist around you, such as friends or co-workers who are willing to help you remain motivated.
2. Find the Time - With some creative thinking, you'll find ways to squeeze a little more time out of your busy schedule. Adding short bouts of physical activity throughout the day really works. Walk down the hall instead of using the telephone or e-mail. Park farther from the door. Could you get up earlier to take a brisk walk? Climb up and down the stairs for 20 minutes during lunch?
3. Make Change a Priority- Perhaps you've already made small changes in your level of activity that you can build on or maybe you will be starting fresh. Either way, adding physical activity into your lifestyle is now at the top of your priority list. You can be confident that you are on the road to success.
4. Create a Plan of Action - The next step is to set some achievable goals and create a plan of action. For example, if you chose physical activity after work as the area to work on for the week, a specific goal might be walking the dog after work four days a week.
5. Monitor Your Progress- It is also important to monitor your progress. Self-monitoring can help you meet your goals by increasing your awareness of the changes you have or have not made. It is also important to build on your goals. For example, if your first weekly goal is to walk the dog 30 minutes twice a week, build on this goal the following week. So, by the end of week two, your goal will be to walk the dog 30 minutes twice a week plus perhaps gardening on Sundays.
6. Reward Yourself- You deserve a medal! You set and achieved some specific goals. Reward yourself with a gift.
7. Use Long-Term Vision- Keep in mind as you are progressing that health professionals recommend at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity at least five days per week.
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Help us promote Public Health services. Forward this electronic newsletter to your friends, family, co-workers and associates. Thank you for choosing the Cerro Gordo County Department of Public Health! Our Mission Statement: The Cerro Gordo County Department of Public Health works to optimize the health of all people in Cerro Gordo County. Our Vision Statement:
We will be the leader in making Cerro Gordo County the healthiest
county in Iowa.
Our Value Statement:
We believe in human dignity, respect for individual choices, promotion for wellness and personal safety, protection of the environment, prevention of disease and access to quality health services.
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