December, 2004
Inside this issue---
Local flu clinics draw crowd - page 1
2004 Holiday Gift Drive - page 1
Staff Development Day provides educational experience - page 2
Grant awarded to Nutrition Services - page 3
January Health Observances - page 3
Years of Service Awards Presented - pages 4-7
Plan ahead for a safe holiday meal - page 8
Healthy holiday eating - page 8
Last month, HCA and several local hospitals partnered together to distribute approximately 24,760 doses of flu vaccine that HCA had received from the California State Department of Health Services (SDHS) to provide for the vaccination of high risk groups of individuals in the County.
HCA allocated approximately 1,700 doses of vaccine for each of 14-scheduled flu shot clinics throughout the County, including one held at HCA's 17th Street Clinic Facility in Santa Ana on November 11, during the Veteran's Day holiday.
In light of the vaccine shortage, each free flu shot clinic drew large crowds and long lines, as those eager to receive a flu shot arrived early to make sure they had a chance to receive one of the doses available at the site.
Many came prepared with lawn chairs and reading material, and socialized with others in line to make the time pass. Some flu clinics also began earlier to accommodate the long lines of folks. A handful of clinics exhausted their available supply of vaccine earlier than the scheduled end time as many individuals became aware of the free flu shots through attention from the media.
At HCA's clinic held on Veteran's Day, approximately 2,342 people were vaccinated, with ages ranging from a 2-week old infant to a 105-year old woman. Infants and toddlers who qualified were vaccinated using the Vaccine for Children supply, while the largest eligible category of individuals vaccinated, people 65 years of age or older, received the newly allocated doses.
Thank you to all HCA staff who planned and participated during the Agency's Veteran's Holiday Influenza Vaccination Clinic at 17th Street. The success of the clinic was a collaborative effort of Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health (MCAH) Community Programs, MCAH and Dental Clinics, and the Bioterrorism Preparedness and Planning Program.
Special thanks to the following hospitals for partnering with HCA to help distribute the flu vaccine to high-risk groups of individuals in the community: Anaheim Memorial Medial Center, Fountain Valley Regional Hospital, Hoag Hospital, Huntington Beach Hospital, Irvine Regional Hospital & Medical Center, Los Alamitos Medical Center, Mission Hospital, Placentia-Linda Hospital, San Clemente Hospital & Medical Center, South Coast Medical Center, St. Joseph Hospital, St. Jude Heritage Medical Center, and UCI Medical Center (mobile unit).
It's that time of year again! The 2004 Operation Santa Claus and Senior Santa & Friends annual gift drive is well underway. County employee participation in these projects has granted many holiday wishes for children in Orangewood Children's Home, in foster care, and other children and clients served by the Social Services Agency, Health Care Agency, Probation Department and Housing and Community Services.
Last year, more than 42,000 toys for children and 1,136 gifts for the elderly and disabled were distributed. To take part in this year's holiday gift drive, below is a listing of several opportunities and contribution activities.
Angel Tags for the Tree
Unsure of an item to donate to children or seniors this year? Look for Angel tags hanging on several Christmas trees and holiday displays located throughout various County buildings and locations for some gift giving ideas. Pull a tag, purchase the item and bring it unwrapped, to a designated drop-off box, also located in County buildings.
Gifts for Seniors
Cash donations and gift cards are needed for seniors, which help to
purchase special request items such as
HCA's Specialized Public Health Nursing (SPHN) Program held an annual, one-day off-site staff development day on November 9 at the Renaissance at Huntington Terrace in Huntington Beach. The event was educational and productive, as well as social and fun for all Public Health staff attendees.
The multi-level training day, organized and orchestrated by the SPHN Off-Site Planning Committee, included various team building exercises, instructive activities and informational presentations.
Team-building exercises planned throughout the day included one activity where participants were asked to complete puzzles by sharing pieces without the benefit of verbal communication or body language. The activity was useful for exploring collaborative completion of projects, rather than an individual goal of accomplishing tasks demonstrating how that can enhance the quality and quantity of services provided to clients.
Bill Liu, a Pharmacist with Older Adult Services, provided a presentation on "Herbal Remedies and Nutritional Supplements," and offered substantive information about the most popular herbal remedies and nutritional supplements currently advertised on TV and other media sources, for use when counseling clients.
Other informative activities included a presentation about managing stress on the job, given by Susy Urquiza and Carol Allen from Employee Support Systems, and three Specialized Public Health Nurses offered their personal techniques for handling daily stress, which included visualization, yoga and workstation exercises.
Michelle Schuck with Nutrition Services addressed overcoming barriers to good nutrition, presented information on a healthy diet and weight control, and offered tips on how to improve the diet of children and deal with childhood obesity. Debbie Morton of HCA's Bioterrorism Planning Unit also provided an update to attendees on the Bioterrorism and Rapid Response Team.
The day long event drew to a close with a presentation from Sally Wurth, SPHN Program Manager who reviewed the Public Health Nursing Practice Model and solicited input from the nurses about how this model could be implemented in Orange County.
Thank you to SPHN Committee members: Kathy Schwable, Debbie Seeley, Linda DePriest, Judy Ogan, Mahdere Negesh, Debbie Chitty and Kathy Stockton for organizing such a successful event, which left everyone feeling like they belong to a large team that they can depend on.
In light of the recent flu vaccine shortage, triggered in October 2004 when Chiron Corporation had their license suspended by British regulators, SDHS was able to purchase additional vaccine from Aventis-Pasteur and allocated the vaccine to local health departments throughout the State.
For more information about this year's flu season, and tips on
staying healthy, visit HCA's flu webpage at
www.ochealthinfo.com/public/flu/index.htm.
walkers and other medical equipment. Gift cards offer clients the opportunity to purchase items including medication and clothing. For more information, call the Senior Santa line at (714) 825-3111.
Holiday Volunteering
Assist with gift distribution at the Operation Santa Claus Holiday Store located in Santa Ana during the month of December. To volunteer or for more information, call Jane Dawson at (714) 834-7440 or e-mail at Jane.Dawson@ocgov.com.
To drop off items for the 2004 holiday gift drive, look for an Operation Santa Claus/Senior Santa & Friends drop-off box in your building. Boxes will also be located in all County libraries and Fire Authority stations. Item donations may also be dropped off at the Holiday Store, located at 1505 E. Warner Ave. in Santa Ana, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. Call (714) 825-3159 for more information.
Gift cards and/or checks made payable to Operation Santa Claus or Senior Santa & Friends can be mailed to:
Operation Santa Claus
P.O. Box 22006
Santa Ana, CA 92702
—Author Unknown
Among 11 regions throughout the State, HCA was chosen as the Orange County region awardee and was recommend for funding along with 10 other agencies.
As part of the program, Nutrition Services will implement several regional "5 a Day" campaigns; provide training, coordination and communication support among community projects focusing on nutrition education, food security, physical activity and obesity aimed at low-income families; and create and maintain a pro-active community collaborative to implement initiatives that make it easier for low-income communities to adopt healthy eating and physical activity lifestyles in their community.
For more information about the State Grant, visit the California Department of Health Services website at www.dhs.ca.gov/ps/cdic/cpns/funding/rfa or to learn more about the Nutrition Services program call (714) 834-7877 or visit www.ochealthinfo.com/public/nutrition.
World AIDS Day 2004 was commemorated around the globe on December 1. This year's theme, "Have you heard me today?" calls for action against social or cultural issues that can make women and girls vulnerable and unable to protect themselves against risks, including sexually transmitted HIV infection.
Globally, women account for nearly half of adults living with HIV. However, in some African countries, HIV prevalence is nearly five times greater among young women than men. In the United States, women in racial/ethnic minority populations are especially vulnerable.
In 2002, surveys of U.S. adults indicated that one in ten had been tested for HIV during the previous year. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that one fourth of the approximately 900,000 persons living with HIV in the United States do not know that they are infected, are not receiving treatments, and might unknowingly transmit HIV to others.
Between 1981 and 2003, there have been 6,429 AIDS cases reported in Orange County, representing 4.8% of California's cases, and ranking fifth among 58 California counties. Of these, 3,099 are currently living.
Each year, World AIDS Day aims to arm people with the facts, how to prevent being infected, and how to live with the disease. For more information regarding HIV/AIDS programs and services, visit the following Web sites:
· HCA's HIV Planning and Coordination Program— www.ochealthinfo.com/public/hiv
· HCA HIV/AIDS statistical information, including the 2002 and 2003 HIV/AIDS Surveillance Report — www.ochealthinfo.com/public/hiv/downloads.htm
· Office of AIDS—www.dhs.ca.gov/AIDS
· Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention— www.cdc.gov/hiv/dhap.htm
· U.S. Department of Health and Human Services— www.omhrc.gov/hivaidsobservances/
· World AIDS Day—www.worldaidsday.org
· National Institutes of
Health—http://worldaidsday.nih.gov/worldaidsday/december1.htm
Cervical Health Awareness Month
National Birth Defects Prevention Month
National Glaucoma Awareness Month
National Volunteer Blood Donor Month
Thyroid Awareness Month
Healthy Weight Week 16-22
What's UP is a newsletter for employees of the County of Orange, CA, Health Care Agency.
Editors Tricia Landquist Landquist
Howard Sutter
Anne Fialcowitz
Your Input
Phone (714) 834-6644
E-mail TLandquist@ochca.com
FAX (714) 834-7644
Pony Bldg. 38-S, 4th Floor
HCA employees were recognized for their dedicated years of service and outstanding contributions to the Agency at the quarterly Employee Recognition Awards Ceremony held at the Hall of Administration on November 18. LMC Team Excellence Award winners and the Code of Conduct Review Committee were also acknowledged at the ceremony and were presented with certificates of excellence. The following is a list of service awards presented:
5 Years of Service 45
10 Years of Service 34
15 Years of Service 24
20 Years of Service 8
25 Years of Service 9
30 Years of Service 5
30 years
The weather is chilly and holiday decorating and shopping have already begun. Along with these festivities, planning and preparing a holiday meal for family and friends may be the next item on that long list of things to do.
But before beginning that holiday feast, consumers must take precautionary steps when preparing favorite holiday food items to help prevent foodborne illness. Items such as poultry, dressings, gravy, milk, eggs, and fish can provide excellent media for bacteria to thrive.
Holidays also present further challenges, as people tend to prepare more food than usual, leaving leftovers to be eaten later.
Bacteria such as Salmonella, Campylobacter, and E. coli are the primary causes of foodborne illness in the United States. These types of bacteria grow rapidly on foods that are moist, rich in protein, and held at temperatures between 41 degrees Fahrenheit and 135 degrees Fahrenheit. According to the Centers for Disease Control, most foodborne illness can be avoided by following simple food safety rules at home.
To help keep any type of foodborne illness from spoiling a holiday meal, follow the simple food preparation guidelines offered by HCA's Food Protection Program:
Preparing:
· Start with the basics by washing hands with warm, soapy water for at least 20 seconds before, during, and after handling food.
· Make sure to use separate utensils, cutting boards, and serving dishes for raw and cooked foods. Thoroughly wash them with hot, soapy water before reusing.
· Thaw frozen turkey in its original wrapping inside the refrigerator on the bottom shelf. Make sure that other foods are above the thawing turkey to prevent contamination. Thawing a moderate sized turkey in this manner may take one to three days. If time does not permit a gradual thaw, place the frozen unwrapped turkey in a clean shallow container, and allow cool running water to flow across the surface with sufficient velocity to flush loose particles down the drain.
· Set the oven temperature at 325 degrees Fahrenheit or higher.
· Use a meat thermometer to make sure the meat and poultry are cooked all the way through. Place the thermometer within the thickest section of the meat or poultry.
· Cook the whole turkey to an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit. The giblets and stuffing should be cooked separately until they also reach at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit. The recommended cooking time for your turkey can be obtained from instructions on the poultry wrapper, a cookbook, or you can call the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Meat and Poultry Hotline at (800) 535-4555.
Serving:
· When entertaining, set out small amounts at a time and replace with fresh platters (rather than adding fresh food to a dish with food already on it).
· Don't let the turkey, dressing, or gravy sit at room temperature for more than two hours. These foods are particularly high in protein and moisture and should be kept above 135 degrees Fahrenheit or below 41 degrees Fahrenheit at all times.
· Keep food cold on the buffet table by nesting dishes in bowls of ice.
Storing:
· Refrigerate leftovers promptly and store separately in shallow containers within two hours of cooking.
· Use leftover turkey and stuffing within three to four days and gravy within one to two days. Or, freeze them for longer storage.
· Reheat leftovers to at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit prior to serving.
The Orange County Health Care Agency's Food Protection Program
participates in the inspection of retail and wholesale food facilities to
prevent foodborne illness. It also promotes the safe and sanitary preparation and
service of foods and protects consumers from adulterated, mislabeled, or
fraudulently advertised food products. For more information about the program, call
(714) 433-6000 or visit www.ocfoodinfo.com.
During this holiday season, families gather to embrace their heritage, share traditions, enjoy traditional foods like turkey, casseroles, pies, stuffing and ham - and usually stuff themselves full. This season, the American Dietetic Association recommends experimenting with ingredients that can help you create the same great tastes, without the guilt and provides the following suggestions and tips to help you enjoy a happy and healthy holiday.
As you plan your grocery shopping list for your holiday meal this year, look for ingredients that will make family favorite recipes not only tasty, but good for you too.
When packing your shopping cart, plan to include plenty of fresh vegetables like potatoes, winter squash, broccoli, carrots and green beans. Apples, cranberries and pears combine easily for a tasty salad, fruit crisp or topping for the turkey. Use whole grain bread and wild rice for stuffing or as a side dish.
· Use non-fat yogurt or fat free sour cream for dips, sauces and pie toppings. Non-fat yogurt works best in dishes that don't require heating.
· Use egg substitutes in place of whole eggs
· Try evaporated skim milk instead of whole milk
· Use low-sodium, fat free chicken broth in mashed potatoes
· Top casseroles with almonds instead of fried onion rings
· Check cookbooks and cooking magazines for updated health-conscious versions of your family's favorite holiday recipes.
To enjoy your meal and prevent overindulgence, eat slowly, savor each bite and engage in mealtime conversations. Take time to eat slowly, allowing your stomach to get full.
It's important to also engage in regular physical activity throughout the holiday season, and beyond. Get the entire family involved _ walk, bike, play a game of catch, roller blade or golf. Good physical activity habits can teach kids that family exercise is as important as family meals.
For more informational tips on eating healthy and being physically active, visit the American Dietetic Association's website at www.eatright.org or the California Project Leaders Encouraging Activity and Nutrition (LEAN) website at www.californiaprojectlean.org.
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