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IPHA AmeriCorps Members will be celebrating National Public Health Week (NPHW) in their host site communities by implementing activities related to APHA’s NPHW 2017 themes of Build a Nation of Safe, Healthy Communities; Give Everyone a Choice of Safe, Healthy Food; Prepare for the Health Effects of Climate Change; Make the Healthy Choice the Easy Choice; and Provide Quality Health Care for Everyone.
Below is a list of NPHW 2017 activities being conducted by the IPHA AmeriCorps Members during the week of April 3-9, 2017.
3/29-4/7
Hygiene Products Donation Drive
Location: North Mac School District- Girard
IPHA AmeriCorps Member will be collecting donations of both feminine hygiene products and personal hygiene products for students of North Mac School District that have difficulty accessing these items.
4/3-4/7
Exercise & Healthy Eating Displays
Location: Erie Family Health Center- Waukegan
IPHA AmeriCorps Member will create 2 displays that will be located in the Erie Family Health Center- Waukegan waiting room.
One display will focus on exercise, including the health benefits of walking and where to “wauk” in Waukegan. Maps of local forest preserves and paths will be available, as well as information about free indoor walking hours at the park district and tips for safe walking in neighborhoods and on sidewalks. APHA's steps challenge will also be promoted.
The second display will focus on healthy eating and will include information on healthy snack and drink alternatives to some of the common, unhealthy snacks we normally reach for. Each day, healthy snacks will be available for patients to sample while they are waiting for their appointments.
NPHW Lobby Display
Location: St. Clair County Health Department- Belleville
IPHA AmeriCorps Member will create a poster display for the lobby area of St. Clair County Health Department that focuses on the NPHW themes and the services offered at the Health Department related to those themes.
Ogle County Health Department Step Challenge
Location: Ogle County Health Department- Oregon
Starting on Monday, April 3rd, every member of the Ogle County Health Department will wear a pedometer that the IPHA AmeriCorps Member will assist on setting up and will track the amount of steps that are taken each day. At the end of the week, the member will tally up everyone’s number of steps walked and the person with the highest amount of steps will win a gift card.
Anal Dysplasia Educational Pamphlet Development
Location: Howard Brown Health and Erie Family Health Center- Chicago
IPHA AmeriCorps Members are developing a patient-friendly educational pamphlet about anal dysplasia that includes testing and treatment information.
4/3
Community Outreach & Awareness for Health Education/Wellness
Location: Various locations throughout Waukegan
IPHA AmeriCorps Member will spend the day visiting organizations throughout Waukegan to promote the free health education and wellness classes offered at Erie Family Health Center. The targeted locations include Waukegan Public Library, Lewis Fresh Market, Park Place Senior Center, Love INC.
Healthy Snack Distribution
Location: St. Clair County Health Department- Belleville
IPHA AmeriCorps Member will be handing out healthy snacks and the nutrition facts of each item to demonstrate how simple it is to choose healthy foods over not so healthy foods. The member will be distributing the snacks to WIC clients. Each snack is a part of the WIC package that the mothers receive from the WIC Department.
4/4
Healthy Hydration Station
Location: Whole Foods Englewood- Chicago
IPHA AmeriCorps Member will be at the store educating the local population (which has some of the city’s highest obesity rates) on the dangers of sugary drinks. A “healthy hydration” booth will be set up providing infused water and unsweetened tea, along with materials surrounding the dangers of high sugar intake, especially via sugary beverages.
4/4 & 4/5
Emergency Preparedness Information Table
Location: Dixon Public Library
IPHA AmeriCorps Member will be providing handouts with information about emergency preparedness for individuals, with some information tailored to families with young children. Information about how to prepare and develop a personal emergency plan and kit will also be provided.
4/5
“Cooking with Kids” Workshop
Location: Orozco Elementary- Chicago
IPHA AmeriCorps Member will be administering a 90 minute workshop with parents and/or teachers from the school, focused on ways parents and/or teachers engage themselves and their children in healthful, economic, time-efficient home cooking. The session will include both traditional classroom instruction and hands-on cooking.
Low Cost or Free Exercise Options in Chicago
Location: Erie Family Health Center- Chicago
IPHA AmeriCorps Member will be presenting to the Consumer Advisory Council – a panel made up of Erie LHL patients who give feedback on how to improve the program. The member will be discussing the importance of exercising and low cost or free options in Chicago.
Healthy Eating Presentation
Location: Alexian Brothers Housing and Health Alliance- Bonaventure House- Chicago
IPHA AmeriCorps Member will be presenting to a group of past residents about how to have a healthy diet when getting food from a food pantry, as well as how to make healthy decisions in the grocery store.
4/6
“Cooking with Kids” Workshop
Location: Jordan Elementary- Chicago
IPHA AmeriCorps Member will be administering a 90 minute workshop with parents and/or teachers from the school, focused on ways parents and/or teachers engage themselves and their children in healthful, economic, time-efficient home cooking. The session will include both traditional classroom instruction and hands-on cooking.
Safe Families Informational Table
Location: Blackburn College- Carlinville
IPHA AmeriCorps Member will be handing out information about domestic violence and the resources that Safe Families provides if someone is in need of those services.
Schuyler County Health Department Open House
Location: Schuyler County Health Department- Rushville
Schuyler County Health Department will be hosting an open house with free health screenings (blood pressure, BMI, oxygen levels), healthy snacks, drawings for free cholesterol screening, information about our exercise challenge, and information about health department programs.
Food Insecurity Resource Awareness
Location: The Night Ministry- Chicago
IPHA AmeriCorps Members will distribute a resource sheet of Chicago soup kitchens and food pantries to those struggling with poverty or homelessness during a project through The Night Ministry.
Emergency Preparedness Table
Location: Sauk Valley Community College- Dixon
IPHA AmeriCorps Member will be providing handouts with information about emergency preparedness for individuals. Information about how to prepare and develop a personal emergency plan and kit will also be provided.
Gardening Education
Location: St. Agnes Catholic School- Chicago Heights
IPHA AmeriCorps Member will be presenting to a couple of the classes about community gardening and its’ environmental and nutritional benefits. Each student will have the opportunity to plant their own seed in a small plastic potter with dirt. The member will review how to care for the plant, how to watch it grow, and how to start their own community garden.
Condom and HIV and STI Testing Resource Distribution
Location: Chicago
IPHA AmeriCorps Members will be passing out condoms and a resource sheet that contains locations in Chicago that offer free HIV and STI testing.
4/7
Play.Learn.Connect Event
Location: McCleery Elementary- Aurora
IPHA AmeriCorps Members will have a booth at the Play.Learn.Connect event where they will provide information and education about healthy eating to Aurora families attending the event. The booth will focus on the Rethink your Drink initiative and the 5,4,3,2,1 GO! Program.
4/8
“Compañeros en Salud” (Partners in Health) Health Conference
Location: Prisco Community Center- Aurora
IPHA AmeriCorps Members will have a booth at the conference focusing on radon awareness and home testing, the effects of tobacco use and cessation resources, and mental health information.
Teaching Children About Asthma Triggers
Location: Alivio Medical Center- Chicago
IPHA AmeriCorps Member will be using various interactive games and activities to teach children about asthma triggers.
4/9
SNAP Benefits Promotion
Location: Various local businesses throughout Park Forest & Richton Park
IPHA AmeriCorps Member will be creating information cards about SNAP benefits that detail what they are, how they work, and how you use them. The cards will also detail statistics to debunk common myths such as who gets SNAP, who uses SNAP, employment/unemployment information, and disability information. The member will visit various local businesses to distribute the cards to the owners/managers, talk to them about SNAP, and provide a SNAP flyer to put in the store window.
4/9-5/3
Schuyler County 30-Day Exercise Challenge
Location: Schuyler County Health Department- Rushville
IPHA AmeriCorps Member is encouraging everyone in Schuyler County to create a healthy exercise habit that lasts throughout the Summer by initiating a 30 day exercise challenge. The goal of this challenge is 600 exercise minutes over 4 weeks, which breaks down to 150 exercise minutes per week.
The member will be encouraging Schuyler County residents to take family walks, schedule walking meetings at work, or walk their children to school. The member will post motivational tips throughout the challenge on the Schuyler County Health Department Facebook page.
