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Children's Health System of Care
Please Respond to Two Important Surveys about Young Children In Your Community
Family Survey
We are conducting a survey and your feedback and opinions would be greatly appreciated. We are asking parents, grandparents, foster parents, guardians and others who care for young children ages birth to 8 years old (in Bay, Gadsden, Leon and Washington Counties) to answer these questions.
This survey is an important part of the Northwest Florida Early Childhood Consortium’s Community Readiness Assessment and Planning grant from Federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Agency (SAMHSA). Family responses to this survey will be used to help us and other community groups to evaluate and improve the quality of services and supports for young children and their families in the area of social, emotional and behavioral development.
All responses and answers to this survey questionnaire will remain anonymous and completely confidential and will be reported only in group form and will not identify individuals.
Please take a few minutes to complete this survey. It is a simple way that you can give back to the community and make our area an even better place for children to live.
Here is a link to the survey:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=Vjt_2fhUTGp_2foL3MXDqLuC6w_3d_3d
Thanks for your participation! Your feedback and opinions are valuable and greatly appreciated.
Community Survey
We need your help with a survey about the health and well-being of young children ages 0-8 years old and their families. The results of this survey will be used to help improve the quality of young children’s mental health programs and services in your local community.
This survey is part of an exciting new Children's Health System of Care expansion planning grant from the Federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Agency (SAMHSA). The Florida Department of Children and Families has identified Leon, Gadsden, Bay and Washington counties as program expansion sites to enhance children's social, emotional and behavioral development. The project will also include a survey of families caring for children ages 0-8 years old and community needs assessment regarding services and supports for young children in the area of social, emotional, and behavioral development.
Your opinions and answers are of great value. Please take a few minutes to complete this survey. It is a simple way that you can give back to the community and make our area an even better place for children to live.
Thank you for your support!
Here is a link to the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/CMNBRY7
Thanks for your participation! If you have any questions or would like to send this survey to additional stakeholders, please send us an e-mail at NWFLSystemofCare@gmail.com.
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TICKS WAKING UP TO SPREAD DISEASE
--Leon County Health Department urges precautions now--
Tallahassee—Ticks love our springs and summers and return to the business of spreading diseases during our beautiful weather. Because it is the start of the active seasons for disease-carrying ticks in Florida, we need to take precautions to protect ourselves and our pets. Florida ticks carry diseases such as Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever and Ehrlichiosis. It can take a month or more to show symptoms of one of these diseases, so be alert if you are exposed to a tick.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), typical symptoms include fever, chills, aches, pains and rashes. Tickborne diseases can result in mild symptoms treatable at home or severe infections requiring hospitalization. Although easily treated with antibiotics, these diseases can be difficult for physicians to diagnose. However, early recognition and treatment of the infection decreases the risk of serious complications. So see your doctor immediately if you have been bitten by a tick and experience any of the symptoms described here.
“Ticks are more active during the spring and summer,” said Homer J. Rice, RS, MPH, PhD, Administrator of the Leon County Health Department. “When we are out enjoying nature in the warm weather, we are more likely to be exposed to feeding ticks. Though rare, cases of tick-borne disease have been detected in Florida through our surveillance systems, so please take the precautions recommended below now.”
Tick-borne Disease Precautions
--Avoidance is the best way to keep from getting ill--
- Apply repellent to discourage ticks from biting. EPA registered repellants containing 20% DEET (N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide) can provide some protection. Repellents with permethrin can be used on clothing, shoes, tents and gear (but not on skin).
- Read label directions carefully when applying repellent.
- Some repellents are not suitable for children. DEET is not recommended for use on children younger than 2 months old.
- Wear white or light-colored clothing to cover your skin as much as possible, so you can see any ticks crawling on your clothes. Tuck your pant legs into your socks so that ticks cannot crawl up the inside of your pants.
- Walk in the center of a trail or path to avoid touching tall grasses and other plants that are tick hang-outs.
- Check your body and your child’s body for ticks after spending time outside (for example, in your backyard, a park, the woods) where ticks are likely to be. Look carefully at your feet and legs, as some ticks are small enough to crawl into shoes and through socks. It takes a number of hours after a bite for a tick to be able to transmit disease, so checking carefully for and removing ticks quickly can prevent illness.
- Shower within two hours of coming indoors to reduce risk of tick bites.
- Check your pets for ticks. Talk to your veterinarian about products that keep ticks off your pets. Follow package directions.
- Landscape your yard to reduce the number of ticks present. To see how you can control ticks in your yard visit www.cdc.gov.
Removing Ticks:
If you find a tick on you or your pet, remove it right away with a pair of fine-tipped tweezers:
- Grasp the tick as close to the surface of the skin as possible.
- Pull upward with a steady, even motion without squeezing or crushing the tick.
- After removing and disposing of the tick, clean the bite site and wash hands well with soap and hot water.
- Avoid folklore remedies such as "painting" the tick with nail polish or petroleum jelly, or using heat to make the tick detach from the skin. Your goal is to remove the tick as quickly as possible--not waiting for it to detach.
Most tick bites do not result in illness, so treatment is not recommended unless a person becomes ill. If you do develop an illness with a fever or rash within one month of being bitten by a tick or after spending time in tick habitat, seek medical care right away and tell your health care provider you may have been exposed to ticks. Delays in treatment can result in more serious illness.
For more information on tick-borne illnesses and current surveillance information, visit www.doh.state.fl.us/Environment/medicine/arboviral/Tick_Borne_Diseases/Tick_Index.htm or call the Leon County Health Department at 850-8190.
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Black Wings: American Dreams of Flight
February 2 - April 22, 2012 - Admission and parking are free!
Museum of Florida History, R. A. Gray Building, 500 South Bronough Street, Downtown Tallahassee
850.245.6400 or www.museumoffloridahistory.com for more information.
From the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service and made possible by the support of the MetLife Foundation.
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A Hope to Dream
For every mattress sold at your Tallahassee Ashley Furniture HomeStore, $5 is being donated to provide mattress sets to local children in need. Our goal is to give away 500 mattresses by the end of the year.
We need your help to accomplish our mission by referring a child for consideration to receive a mattress set. Our efforts can only be successful if caring individuals refer the children in need.
We invite you to review the program online and refer a child in need of a new mattress set. To request additional applications please send an email to: AHopeToDream@ashleyfurniture.com or use the online application at www.ahopetodream.com
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Community Baby Shower
Click here to watch WCTV's "In the Spotlight" featuring the Community Baby Shower
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Healthy Kids Day - New Farmers' Market Initiative at the YMCA
http://www.clipsyndicate.com/video/playlist/19093/2383561?title=wtxl_full_feed&wpid=9716
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We Give Books - United Way of Florida Campaign
Read a book online today and help put books into young people's hands across Florida.
When you select the United Way of Florida's Children's Week campaign and read online, you'll help We Give Books distribute brand-new books to children in need across the state.
Each year, the United Way of Florida and more than 80 partners put a spotlight on issues that affect young people and their families during Florida's Children's Week. A primary focus is literacy: dozens of community and family reading celebrations across the state culminate with a week of exciting events at the State Capitol in Tallahassee - all to raise awareness about the importance of early childhood literacy and other vital children's issues.
This year, the We Give Books ReadMobile Tour is joining many of these community reading events to promote the importance of reading through fun, educational activities hosted with United Way partners. At each stop across the state, the We Give Books team coordinates engaging literacy events for children aged 3 through 7.
Then, the ReadMobile Tour concludes on the steps of the State Capitol building with reading events, literacy awareness activities, and the Legislative Reading Corner, where state leaders read with young children all day long.
The Children's Week campaign at We Give Books is an integral part of the United Way of Florida's efforts to increase literacy and awareness for children aged 1 through 7 across Florida. With your online reading support, the Pearson Foundation and We Give Books are committed to donating 5,000 brand-new books to children throughout the state as the exclusive Literacy Partner of Children's Week. Every time you read a book at We Give Books, you will put a brand-new hardcover or paperback book in the hands of a young person who attends a Children's Week event. The United Way of Florida will also reach out to the wider community of families and children, all with the goal of increasing literacy rates among young children.
Many of these children may never before have had a book to call their own, and the impact of taking home a story to read with family members can be profound. Your efforts will make a difference for young people throughout Florida as they discover the joy of reading during Children's Week and embark on a lifetime of learning.
Go to www.wegivebooks.org/united-way-of-florida for more information.
Click here to read a book online!
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National Sleep Awareness Week --- March 7--13, 2011
March 4, 2011
March 7--13, 2011, is National Sleep Awareness Week. Sleep impairment is linked as a contributing factor to motor vehicle crashes, industrial disasters, and medical and other occupational errors (1). Persons experiencing sleep insufficiency are more likely to have chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, depression, or obesity (2,3). In 2008, approximately 28% of surveyed adults in the United States reported frequent insufficient sleep (≥14 days in the past 30 days) (4), which has been associated with fair/poor general health, frequent mental and physical distress, depressive symptoms, anxiety, and pain (3). Sleep insufficiency and poor sleep quality also can result from sleep disorders such as chronic insomnia, restless legs syndrome, sleep apnea, or narcolepsy (1).
The National Sleep Foundation suggests that healthy adults need 7--9 hours of sleep per day, and school-age children might require 10--11 hours of sleep (5). Additional information regarding the public health importance of sleep is available at http://www.cdc.gov/sleep. Information regarding sleep health and safety is available from the National Sleep Foundation at http://www.sleepfoundation.org.
References
- Institute of Medicine. Sleep disorders and sleep deprivation: an unmet public health problem. Washington, DC: National Academies Press; 2006.
- Buxton OM, Marcelli E. Short and long sleep are positively associated with obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease among adults in the United States. Soc Sci Med 2010;71:1027--36.
- Strine TW, Chapman DP. Associations of frequent sleep insufficiency with health-related quality of life and health behaviors. Sleep Med 2005;6:23--7.
- CDC. Perceived insufficient rest or sleep among adults---United States, 2008. MMWR 2009;58:1175--9.
- National Sleep Foundation. How much sleep do we really need? Washington, DC: National Sleep Foundation; 2010. Available at http://www.sleepfoundation.org/article/how-sleep-works/how-much-sleep-do-we-really-need. Accessed February 22, 2011.
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ZERO TO THREE Video Promotes Early Language and Literacy Development
Source: ZERO TO THREE Policy Center - Retrieved August 27, 2010
The ZERO TO THREE Policy Center has released a new video illustrating how early language and literacy development contributes to a child’s success throughout life. The video can be viewed online and can be shown to policymakers, advocates, community partners, and others. A Window to the World: Promoting Early Language and Literacy Development is available at http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid4250110001?bctid=587336352001
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July 20, 2010
TeenTruth.org Fosters Positive Youth Development
Tallahassee-based Wahi Media and the Florida Department of Health launched an interactive, web-based initiative to encourage young people across Florida to make positive choices by providing the information they need to make the right decisions. TeenTruth.org utilizes a new approach—interactive drama—to educate Florida’s youth in a way that extends the relevancy, reach, and retention of the information for teens.
Wahi stands for Web Automated Human Interaction. Wahi partnered with the Florida DOH’s Office of Positive Youth Development to provide over 90 minutes of content for TeenTruth.org. Each viewer navigates through the wahi much like an online “choose your own adventure” book. Each time the viewer interacts with the wahi, it responds and leads the viewer down the next branch.
The wahi also educates parents on the realities of teen life by simulating "real life" examples of good child/parent relationships and challenging ones, as well as encouraging parents to help their teens to make positive choices. The wahi targets community members, informing them on the realities of teen life and urging them to mentor kids and be empathetic to the challenges they face.
Go to www.TeenTruth.org to view the wahi.
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