Green Team reports on recycling, energy-saving highlights

In April, 76 staff members completed the 2015 Green Team quality improvement survey. The Green Team wanted to share highlights from the survey to show how all of us have changed in our “Green Practices” over the past year:

• The building temperature at 650 Newtown Pike is still a concern — many of you noted it tends to continue to be uncomfortably cool in all seasons.

• Fewer of you are turning off your computer units; we hope that you are turning off your monitors at the end of the day to help save electricity.

• Fewer of you are printing off documents to review (only 25 percent of respondents), but when you do print, you print double-sided!

• Around 90 percent replied that you were recycling paper and that you had plenty of access to Shred-it and recycling containers, including personal recycling containers at your desk.

• Several of you noted that you check to be sure that the lights are turned off behind you, at work and at home! Please note that bathroom lights are left on for a reason: they’re connected to the exhaust fans and automatic deodorizer sprayers, so please keep them on to keep the restrooms fresh!

• You’re recycling more cans, bottles and other containers at work and at home. Be sure to look for the signs noting the blue recycling containers for plastic bottles and aluminum cans at work!

The Green Team applauds your efforts to help the health department save money and resources and improve our “green footprint.” We’ll be wrapping up our Green quality improvement project soon. However, if you’d like to get involved in keeping the Health Department green, contact Tara Mason at ext. 2347.

Health department offering back-to-school immunizations

As Fayette County students prepare to head back to school, the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department is making sure they have plenty of opportunities to get their required vaccinations.

To beat the back-to-school rush, the health department will be offering low-cost immunizations by appointment 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday-Thursday from July 20 through Aug. 20 at the Public Health Clinic at 650 Newtown Pike. To schedule an appointment or for more information about the immunizations, please call (859) 288-2483.

Participants must live in Fayette County, be 18 years or younger and be uninsured or underinsured. Medicaid is accepted. Immunization records must be brought to the appointment, and physicals will not be provided.

“Getting children all the required vaccines is one of the most important things parents can do to protect their children’s health – and that of classmates and the community,” said Kevin Hall, LFCHD spokesman. “Childhood vaccines protect against a number of serious diseases, including polio, measles and whooping cough. August is also National Immunization Awareness Month, so there’s no better time to become educated about the important role vaccinations play in public health.”

When children are not vaccinated, they are at increased risk and can spread diseases to others in their classrooms and community – including babies who are too young to be fully vaccinated, and people with weakened immune systems due to cancer or other health conditions.

School-age children need vaccines. Fayette County students who are new to the school district or are entering kindergarten are required to bring a Kentucky immunization certificate in order to enroll. Sixth-grade students are also required to have certain boosters and must bring an up-to-date immunization certificate. Please call the health department’s school health division at (859) 288-2314 for more information.

Welcome new employees!

Please take a moment to welcome the newest employees of the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department.

Rick Cunliffe
Facilities Specialist (Maintenance & Facilities)

PBS documentary looks at vaccines

The following is a link to a PBS documentary shared by a staff member about vaccines: The Vaccine War.

If you’re interested in watching it, please talk to your supervisors about how it can be used as a Public Health Core Competency Goal!

LFCHD currently topping worksite wellness challenge

The Lexington-Fayette County Health Department is currently in first place in the Bluegrass Wellness at Work activity challenge!

There’s still time for us to get even more points as we try to secure the top prize, so take some time to log in and record your activity: Bluegrass Wellness at Work. Remember: this isn’t only for exercise. If you do housework, it counts. If you are out inspecting restaurants all day, it counts. There are several ways to take part, so check it out and get involved!

Here is information Ruben Perez sent earlier about the program. Be sure to contact him at ext. 2410 if you have any questions:
ANY EMPLOYEE THAT PARTICPATES IN THE AGENCY CHALLENGE COULD WIN A FITBIT CHARGE HR.

The employee with the most points entered by AUGUST 7 will win the Fitbit Charge HR.
HOW? Simply print your total points page. Print and sign your name and submit by August 7 COB.

You do not need to be part of the wellness program to participate. Read below to enter the challenge.

Last year, you helped us be recognized as one of the healthiest places to work in the Bluegrass, and to take home the Diamond Award for Innovations in Worksite Wellness from its second Bluegrass Wellness at Work (BWW) program. Help us again this year!

We’re ready and set to compete again in this year’s Agency Fitness Challenge where we will compete against other agencies in the bluegrass. Here is how it works.

Agency Fitness Challenge
A six-week fitness challenge to encourage employees to get moving. Earn a point each time you complete fifteen (15) minutes of exercise of any type; challenge starts on June 20 and ends August 8, with recognitions to be given August 16 at TBA. Awards will be given to winners of the Fitness Challenge in the small (>25 employees), medium (25-99 employees) and large (100+ employees) business categories.

How can I help win the big award?
Keep track of your ACTIVITY over the next seven weeks; give yourself 1 point for every 15 minutes you activity during or outside of work.
You can count exercise/points accumulated June 20-August 8

How do I log my points?
To streamline the participation in the challenge, Bluegrass Wellness at Work has created a basic app so all participants can track their own activity. The app is available for iOS via the iTunes store, Android via Google Play and also accessible directly from a desktop, laptop or mobile browser at https://bluegrasswellnessatwork.org/app

Log into the app and add your points at your convenience: your USER NAME will be your work email address, and your PASSWORD will be Summer2015.

You will not be able to enter the app or the website to log in points until June 20th.
Once inside your app. On the left hand side click the add activity icon. Click on the date you completed your activity on the calendar. Type your activity starting time and select the duration and activity from the drop down menu. Then click save and you are done

PLEASE NOTE: YOU DO NOT CURRENTLY HAVE TO BE ENROLLED IN LFCHD’S WORKSITE WELLNESS PROGRAM IN ORDER TO LOG POINTS IN THE BWW CHALLENGE.

Safety Committee offers tips for Fourth of July

Submitted by Sara Gabbard on behalf of the Safety Committee

Summer means picnics, barbecues, parades, backyard grills, bonfires and fireworks … and can also mean an increase in injuries from all of the aforementioned activities. The National Safety Council advises the best way to safely enjoy the Fourth of July is by watching public fireworks display conducted by professionals. However, if you cannot contain yourself .and just have to light up a few fireworks on your own (if legal where you live), please follow these important safety tips:

• Never allow young children to handle fireworks.
• Older children should use fireworks only under close adult supervision.
• Light fireworks outdoors in a clear area away from onlookers, houses and flammable materials.
• Light one device at a time; maintain a safe distance after lighting.
• Do not allow any running or horseplay while fireworks are begin used.
• Never ignite devices in a container.
• Do not try to re-light or handle malfunctioning fireworks; douse and soak them with water and discard them safely.
• Keep a bucket of water nearby to fully extinguish fireworks that don’t go off or in case of fire.

Working in the dark

A brief power outage didn’t stop our clerks from registering patients in the Public Health Clinic! Thanks, Nancy Rivera, for sharing this picture. We were able to use it on our Facebook and Twitter pages to encourage the community to call us for an appointment in the clinic.