Health Information

Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death for children in the US. Buckling up properly is the best way to save lives and reduce injuries.

Parents and caregivers can keep children safe by:

• Knowing how to use car seats, booster seats, and seat belts.
• Using them on every trip, no matter how short.
• Setting a good example by always using a seat belt themselves.

Visit the following links for specific information on car seat safety stages:
  - Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services
  - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

From www.distraction.gov   

Reproductive health is an important part of a person’s overall health status. This list of options is provided for your convenience.

Click Here to see STD Testing Locations and HPV Vaccine Availability. Please contact the clinic site for details, to schedule an appointment, and pricing.

La salud reproductivo es un parte importante para la salud de un persona. Esta lista de opicones se proporciona para su convenincia.

Haga clic aquí para ver localizacións para ser se pruebas de ETS y la disponibilidad de la vacuna hpv. por favor, póngase en contacto con el sitio de la clínica para obtener más detalles, para ser una cita y precios.

 Updated 2/26/2018

Because people spend so much time in their homes, making multi-unit housing smoke free plays an important role in reducing exposure to secondhand smoke. While residents of multi-unit housing can prohibit smoking in their own units, adopting a 100 percent smokefree policy for a building or property will ensure that secondhand smoke does not threaten the lives and health of tenants.

Tobacco costs the U.S. more than $193 billion each year in health care costs and lost productivity and kills more than 443,000 people annually.

The Elkhorn Logan Valley Public Health Department (ELVPHD) strongly supports safe, healthy air for all and applauds local property owners and managers who have made their properties smoke-free.

Smokefree policies are a win-win proposition for multi-unit housing residents, owners, and property managers. The American Lung Association encourages multi-unit housing owners/property managers to go smokefree for the health of tenants as well as for the cost savings to their bottom line. For more information about smoke free housing in Elkhorn Logan Valley Public Health Department’s service are please contact us at 402-529-2233.

Breast Feeding Resource Directory

ELVPHD has numerous resources that deal with drugs and alcohol. Click here to learn more from SAMHSA about the latest findings about drugs and alcohol.  

Your dental health is more than a pretty smile – it can also be an indicator of larger health issues.
 
By being proactive in your dental hygiene, you may avoid oral conditions like cavities. Cavities are permanent damage to the tooth and are often a result of the combination of poor dental hygiene and the consumption of sugary drinks and snacks. Cavities are especially common among children, teenagers and older adults.

Prevention

To protect your oral health, it is best to practice routine care, including:

1. Brushing twice daily with a soft-bristled toothbrush. Do not brush too hard as it irritates your gums
2. Using toothpaste that includes fluoride
3. Replacing your toothbrush every three to four months
4. Flossing daily making sure to spend time flossing around each tooth
5. Eating a healthy diet and limiting snacks between meals
6. Scheduling regular dental check-ups

 
If you come across signs of oral disease, contact your dentist as soon as possible. Your dentist can catch things you miss, so regular check-ups are your best way to ensure total dental health.

Every Woman Matters (EWM) is a program designed to help women between the ages of 40 and 74 meet basic healthcare needs. If you are a woman with limited or no health insurance, with low or medium income, you may qualify for EWM services.

Services

Every Woman Matters provides for the following services:

1. Pelvic exam with Pap test
2. Clinical breast exam
3. Teaching breast self-exam
4. Mammogram
5. Blood pressure check “according to guidelines”
6. Some blood tests done according to guidelines
7. Colon cancer screening for women and men 50 years of age and older
8. Follow-up tests including cervical and breast biopsies and other tests to diagnose breast and cervical cancer

Who qualifies?

Women aged 40 – 74 who meet income eligibility guidelines.
 
 
For more information on the Every Woman Matters program, please visit their website at: http://dhhs.ne.gov/publichealth/EWM/Pages/Home.aspx

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, you can improve and maintain your health by exercising regularly. Mixing various types of exercise can keep your activity interesting and working out with others can help keep you motivated.

Adults need at least:

• 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity (i.e., brisk walking) on two or more days a week and 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity (i.e., jogging or running) on two or more days a week.
• 150 minutes of muscle-strengthening activities on two or more days a week and 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity (i.e., jogging or running) on two or more days a week. These strengthening exercises should work all major muscle groups (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders and arms).
• An equal mix of moderate- and vigorous-intensity aerobic activity and muscle-strengthening activities on two or more days a week that work all major muscle groups (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders and arms).

All of this exercise may seem intimidating at first, but you can get the same results by splitting up time into 10-minute increments (at minimum). By going for a 10-minute walk, three times a day, five days a week, you will still get a total of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity.

Exercise can be beneficial not only for outward, physical appearance but for internal health. By exercising regularly, you can reduce your risk for many chronic diseases.

Children and teens ages 6 to 17 should have one hour or more of physical activity each day. There are easy and fun ways to help your kids reach this goal.

Be sure your kids’ activities are age-appropriate. They should stay well-hydrated, not overexert themselves, and use proper safety equipment that fits them well.

Kids’ physical activity each day should consist of moderate- to vigorous-intensity aerobic activity, such as brisk walking, bike riding or rollerblading. At least three days a week should include vigorous-intensity aerobic activity.

Muscle strengthening activities should be incorporated into your kids’ physical activity at least 3 days a week. Younger children can accomplish this through gymnastics or climbing, while teens can do more structured muscle strengthening such as weight lifting.

Bone strengthening activities should also be incorporated into your kids’ physical activity at least 3 days a week. This can be accomplished through jump rope, running or high activity sports.

When spring rolls around, it is the perfect time to tackle some remodeling projects. If your home was built before the 1970s, you should consider having its lead content level tested before you start chipping away at the paint.

Lead poisoning results from absorbing a high amount of lead by breathing or swallowing a substance with lead in it, such as food, dust, paint, or water. Lead is often absorbed in small amounts over a long period of time. Children are most at risk for lead poisoning, which can create irreversible problems in their growth and development. Adults may also suffer from serious health problems, including high blood pressure and damage to the brain, nervous system, stomach and kidneys.

Children can be exposed to lead at home or places they visit regularly. Lead-based paint, contaminated dust or soil, and toys or jewelry with high lead content made in other countries, all present dangers. Adults may be exposed to lead where they work or through hobbies such as welding or pottery making.

Signs and Symptoms

Lead poisoning may not immediately present symptoms because the effects are subtle or mimic other conditions. Symptoms in children include slightly lower intelligence and size levels than children their age who do not suffer from lead poisoning. They may also have behavior problems such as irritability or aggressiveness, hyperactivity, learning difficulties, tiredness, and not wanting to eat. Adults may also show behavioral symptoms such as irritability, mood and personality changes, problems sleeping, difficulty concentrating, and memory loss. High levels of lead can affect the central nervous system, causing poor coordination, weakness in hands and feet, and headaches. Severe symptoms include convulsions, paralysis, and coma.

Prevention

Lead poisoning can be prevented by keeping people, especially children, out of buildings that contain lead-based paint and having the lead removed or sealed away.

1. First find out how many calories you need for a day. By visiting www.ChooseMyPlate.gov you can enter information that will produce a calorie count specific to you and your body.
    
2. Enjoy your food, but eat less. Eating too fast or when your attention is elsewhere often leads to eating too many calories in one sitting. Pay attention to your body and stop eating when you feel full.
    
3. Avoid overconsumption by watching your portions. By using smaller plates, bowls and glasses, you are less likely to overeat.
    
4. Eat more vegetables, fruits, whole grains and fat-free or 1% milk and dairy products. These foods would serve as great foundations to healthy meals and snacks.
    
5. Make half your plate fruits and vegetables. Choose from red, orange and dark-green vegetables like tomatoes, sweet potatoes and broccoli. Add fruit to meals as part of the main or side dishes or even as dessert.
    
6. Switch to fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk instead of whole milk. They have the same amount of calcium and other essential nutrients.
    
7. Make half your grains whole-grains. Avoid foods which label its leading ingredients as “enriched bleach flour.”
    
8. Cut back on foods high in solid fats, added sugars and salt.
    
9. Compare sodium in foods and select canned foods labeled “low sodium,” “reduced sodium,” or “no salt added.”
    
10. Drink water instead of sugary drinks like soda, energy drinks and sports drinks to cut back on sugar and caloric intake.

There are excellent ways to learn more about the calories, fat gram, carbohydrates and proteins in your food. Try logging each of your meals for two to three days and see how many, and what kinds of, calories you usually consume. By recording current eating habits and intake, you can strategically adjust future food consumption.

Your child should be eating five or more servings of fruits and vegetables each day. Most are full of nutrients and low in calories and fat while also being full of water and fiber, which makes them healthy and filling.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture measures a serving size as equal to a ½-cup of chopped-up fruit or vegetables or a full cup of leafy vegetables. Making fruits and vegetables easy to access will encourage kids to eat more, even as a snack at home. Offering different options at each meal, asking your kids to chose the fruit and vegetables, and letting them be involved in the preparation can also help.

“Making fruits and vegetables easy to access will encourage kids to eat more, even as a snack at home.”

There are a number of ways to help your children stay healthy. By serving lean meats, fish, eggs, beans, and nuts, you are providing your children with a good source of protein. To add more fiber to their diets, buy whole-grain breads and cereals.

Nutrition can also be aided by healthy preparation. You can limit fat intake by avoiding deep-fried foods. Instead try broiling, grilling, roasting, and steaming foods. Along the same line, going out to eat fast food should be used as a special treat instead of a regular occurrence.

When it comes to hydration, avoid sugary drinks like soda, sports drinks, and lemonade. Encourage kids to drink more water.

“Kids snack a lot, so having a healthy array of choices available may help curb unhealthy diets.”

Kids snack a lot, so having a healthy array of choices available may help curb unhealthy diets. Snacks like fruits and vegetables, low-fat yogurt, peanut butter and celery, or whole-grain crackers and cheese are great options.

Your kids will eat what they see you eating, so it is important to set a healthy example by preparing and serving well-balanced meals. When your child is full, it is time to stop eating. If they feel forced to finish their plate, they may be denying their internal signals that tell them they are full. This will help them to not overeat when they are older.

It is especially important for pregnant women to be mindful of what they eat because everything is passed along to the baby. In addition to healthy eating, women should also take a daily prenatal vitamin to increase levels of folic acid, iron and calcium that can be lacking in a mother’s diet.

There are many factors in day-to-day life that can be unhealthy to a growing baby. Pregnant women should limit their intake of caffeine, which means cutting back on coffee, caffeinated tea and energy drinks. Smoking during pregnancy poses a risk to the fetus. There is absolutely no safe level of smoking while pregnant or around small children. Cigarette smoke is full of poisons and cancer-causing substances that can lead to low birth weight, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), allergies or asthma, still birth and miscarriage.

Just as smoking is harmful to your baby, drinking alcohol while pregnant can also lead to complications. Alcohol consumption during pregnancy has been shown to cause physical defects, learning disabilities, emotional problems and Fetal Alcohol Syndrome in children. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome causes a variety of problems such as poor coordination, abnormal facial features, growth problems and issues with the central nervous system.

There are a number of common sense actions to take during pregnancy. Avoid people who are sick because any weakness in the immune system in the mother may affect the baby. You are also limited in the type of medication you can take while pregnant, so you might not be able to treat cold or flu symptoms. Stress can negatively affect both mother and baby, as well, sometimes being so severe that a miscarriage is triggered.