Fire Escape Plans: Could Your Family Get Out in Two Minutes?
Fire
drills. You’ve probably done these at work; your kids do these at
school. But data show that we’re more likely to encounter a fire at home
than at work or school, yet only about 1 out of 3 adults say they have
created AND practiced a home fire escape plan. Why don’t we practice our
fire escape plans at home like we do at work or school?
The holidays pose many fire hazards so it’s the perfect time to get serious about your home fire escape plan.
Why
is practice so important? Years ago, people had more time to get out of
burning buildings, but with changes to the way homes are built and
what’s inside them, houses burn much more quickly than they used to.
Experts recommend that every person in the house be able to exit in two
minutes or less. That’s not a lot of time. In the event of a real fire,
your child will likely be scared and confused, so practicing helps your
child remember what to do when emotions are running high. Practice will
help everyone in the family for the same reason.
Here are some tips to remember:
Decide
on a plan. The National Fire Protection Association, the Red Cross, and
Make Safe Happen all have resources to help you design a plan.
Before
your drill, walk through the plan with your family. Show them the
routes out of each room. Make a note of any equipment you need to buy,
such as smoke alarms or fire escape ladders. Test windows and doors to
make sure they open.
Start
with untimed drills during the day. As your family becomes more
comfortable with their escape routes, try practicing at different times
during the day and at night.
Pretend
it’s a real fire: stay low by crouching or crawling, test doors for
heat with the back of your hand, and set up fire escape ladders if
needed.
Aim to get everyone to the meeting spot outside the house in two minutes or less.
By now most people have heard that children need to wear helmets when they ride bikes and that parents must avoid giving toys with small or sharp objects to their young children. You might be surprised, however, by which toys lead to the greatest number of deaths, injuries, and recalls. Just because a toy is on the market, does not mean that it is safe for your child. You may think your child is mature or smart enough to play with toys from an older age group, but age guidelines are there for a reason.To be sure your child’s toys are safe and age appropriate, the Consumer Product Safety Commission lists recalls on its website at www.cpsc.gov/en/Recalls/. Sometimes the toys themselves are not the only hazard. The toy’s packaging or storage containers can also pose a risk to your child. In addition to staying up to-date with recalls, be sure to look out for these unexpected hazards.
Balloons: Balloons may be bright and cheery decorations for parties, but they are the leading product that causes suffocation death to children. Supervise your children when they are around balloons and keep un-inflated or broken balloons out of reach of children. For more information, see http://www.stlouischildrens.org/articles/wellness/the-dangers-latex-balloons-goodfun-gone-wrong
Button batteries: These small coin-sized batteries are in many products around our homes, even in toys and electronic storybooks. When swallowed, they can cause serious damage or death within 2 hours. Keep devices with button batteries out of reach of your children and make sure battery compartments are secure. Learn more about button battery-related injuries at www.thebatterycontrolled.com.
Plastic film: Plastic film coverings that are used to protect toys from getting scratched are a choking hazard for children. This danger is easy to overlook when thinking about toy safety because it is part of the packaging, not the toy. Remove any plastic film before letting your child play with a product. http://www.cpsc.gov//PageFiles/122502/5220.pdf
Toy Chest Lids:Containers used for toy storage can actually pose a risk to children as well. Children can be hit by the lid which could lead to death or permanent brain damage.The lid can also fall and trap the child inside, causing fatal suffocation. Lookat your child’s toy chest lid. If it is freely falling and hinged remove the lid completely. You can find out more prevention tips at http://www.kidsindanger.org/product-hazards/toy-chests
The holidays can bring stress in to your life as it is a big lifestyle change each year. There are more people, there is more cooking to be done, more cleaning, more money spending you name it! You may feel like you are being spread too thin. Here are some ways to cope with the stress of the holidays this year. • Practice your organizational skills—Keep track of all the things you need to get done by making a list or jotting things down. • "No, thank you"—No your limitations and practice saying "no" to things if they aren't a priority for you. • Think twice before you swipe—Before you get a spending hangover, think "Do I need to get this?". Set a budget and if you hit your max, don't get it. • Assign duties—A lot of family members would be glad to help you out. But, if you don't ask for help they may not know you need it and are overwhelmed. Give away tasks that you don't have to do yourself. • Time management—It's ok to rearrange what were past traditions. We all have friends and family we would like to see and sometimes it seems difficult to see them all. Set aside times to visit with people but also set time for yourself. It's your holiday also, so enjoy it.
When you see your fellow
man friends with more facial hair than usual, you may be compelled to
ask "What's with the beard/moustache?". The idea is that in return the
bearded/mustachioed man will explain to you he is raising awareness for
men's health issues, he will likely be a participant of a team,
organization or just by himself on the Movember challenge or No-Shave November challenge to raise the
most money for organizations helping raise awareness to cancer and men's health issues.
There are a lot of things cooking at once, it's crowded and now the pot is boiling over! Always be aware of your surrounding and try not to burn yourself this year and save a trip to the doctor. Here are some burn prevention tips!
Slice the turkey not your finger
Cuts
Help to lessen the risk of cutting yourself or others this holiday season. Many utensils you are using are sharp and it would be a "bah humbug" moment if you touched the wrong end of the blade. Here are some Careful Cutting: Knife Safety Tips!
Your Place-card Shouldn't be Next to the Toilet
Food Poisoning
Boy, would food poisoning put a damper on your holidays. If you are preparing the food, make sure you do so safely. Here are some tips on avoiding you or your guests getting food poisoning:
Most everyone loves the glow of holiday lights and decorations. It's easy to go overboard to make your house the brightest of them all. Just remember to to take in account your safety, especially if you are trying to reach places high up. Check out these Holiday Decorating Safety Tips.
November in the US is very commonly associated with the start of the holiday season and Thanksgiving day. When you think of Thanksgiving, you think of food, food, naps and more food. Did you know that November is also National Diabetes Awareness month? If you or a loved one is diabetic, you recognize the potential struggle of finding something to eat that is diabetic friendly on this food holiday. We have found some awesome diabetic recipes for you to try!
Many people are also struggling during the holiday season to enjoy the copious amounts of food due to allergies and intolerance. Here are some recipes that are gluten-free and lactose-free.
Diabetes is one of the leading causes of disability and death in the United States. One in 11 Americans have diabetes — that’s more than 29 million people. And another 86 million adults in the United States are at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
If you are overweight, have high blood pressure, or are age 45 or older, you are at higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes. The good news is that making healthy changes can greatly lower your risk.
Know your ABCs and keep track with this record: A - the A1C test B - Blood pressure C - Cholesterol s - Stop Smoking
Avoiding dangerous situations is as simple as making sure your home is safe, accessible, and does not pose a risk of falling. Check out this Safe at Home Checklist to identify home safety, fall hazards and accessibility issues. When you are living at home, don't adjust your lifestyle to fit the home, adjust your home to fit your lifestyle. Here are some home modifications and universal designs for elder-friendly living. Another easy adjustment to your home are shower grab bars. Shower grab bars make it easy and safe to get in and out of the shower or tub, no matter your age. To help reduce the risk of falls learn how to install shower grab bars at home.
All kids enjoy trick or treating. However, some kids might miss out on the treat portion of the festivities due to their food allergies. The Teal Pumpkin project encourages people participating in Trick or Treat to place a teal pumpkin on their porch to show those kids with allergies that there is a safe treat for them to enjoy! Help all kids have a great Halloween by providing toys or non-food treats.
Did you know that 1/4 of students report being bullied (Bullying Statistics)? Join OACHC and Unite Together Against Bullying. On October 19th OACHC will be helping to spread knowledge and awareness about Bullying by wearing Orange for Unity Day. Join us and post your pictures on Facebook and Twitter using the #UnityDay2016 , #YoureNotAlone and #StopBullying365 hashtags.
This month is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. You might have already noticed athletes, celebrities and people on the street wearing a lot of pink, lately. Make sure this month to do your part by not only wearing pink, but by helping people understand the importance of detecting cancer early. We would like everyone to know how to do self checks, get regularly women's wellness visits and learn the signs and symptoms of breast cancer.
Did you know 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer at some point in their lives? Women and Men should know the signs and symptoms of breast cancer so they can get treatment as early as possible. Women over 40 should discuss with their doctor about getting mammograms to help detect cancer. You should also talk to your doctor if you have a family history of cancer, as well.
OACHC's 2016 UDS Training will be held November 30th at Quest Business Center in Columbus, Ohio. We are pleased to announce that Art Stickgold will be our presenter again this year, as well! Register Now!
Training
The Uniform Data System (UDS) in-person training is a full day program covering the preparation of the 2016 UDS Report. The training addresses each of the report’s tables, including a discussion of the changes that have been made and the definitions necessary to complete the Report. The UDS training is aimed at those who are responsible for gathering and reporting the data elements included in the UDS Report, as well as management and clinical staff who need to understand the definitions and concepts used, and those who use the data in their program management and quality improvement activities.
Review and Submission Process Deadlines and Dates
Health Center Program grantees, look-alikes, and certain health centers funded under the HRSA’s Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW) will submit their UDS Report by February 15th. These clinics will then work with a UDS reviewer to correct any potential data errors, so that the UDS reports may be finalized by March 31st. Once finalized, BPHC and BHW will not permit further corrections or amendments.
Changes for CY 2016 UDS Reporting
2016 Changes
Table 3A/3B/4
Patients are to be reported according to their sex at birth on Table 3A Patients will also be reported by sexual orientation and by gender identity (SOGI) on Table 3B. Reporting of public housing count has been further clarified on Table 4.
Table 5/5A/8A
New lines have been added to Tables 5 and 8A to report staff and costs: Reporting of tenure data for dental therapists has been added to Table 5A.
Table 6A
All Table 6A diagnosis codes for selected diagnoses and services rendered are revised from ICD‐9 to ICD‐10 codes.
Table 6B/7
To support Department‐wide standardization of data collection and reduce health center reporting burden, the specifications for the clinical measures in Tables 6B and 7 listed below have been revised to align with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ electronic‐specified Clinical Quality Measures (e‐ CQMs). The quality of care measures are aligned with e‐CQMs for Eligible Professionals June 2015 eReporting update for the 2016 reporting period. (While there are other updates available, they are not to be used for the 2016 reporting.)
Childhood Immunization Status has been revised to align with CMS117v4
Cervical Cancer Screening has been revised to align with CMS124v4
Weight Assessment and Counseling for Nutrition and Physical Activity for Children and Adolescents has been revised to align with CMS155v4
Preventive Care and Screening: Body Mass Index (BMI) Screening and Follow‐Up has been revised to align with CMS69v4
Preventive Care and Screening: Tobacco Use: Screening and Cessation Intervention has been revised to align with CMS138v4
Use of Appropriate Medications for Asthma has been revised to align with CMS126v4
Ischemic Vascular Disease (IVD): Use of Aspirin or Another Antithrombotic has been revised to align with CMS164v4
Colorectal Cancer Screening has been revised to align with CMS130v4
Preventive Care and Screening: Screening for Clinical Depression and Follow‐Up has been revised to align with CMS2v5
Dental Sealants for Children between 6‐9 Years has been revised to align with CMS277v0
Controlling High Blood Pressure has been revised to align with CMS165v4
Diabetes: Hemoglobin A1c Poor Control has been revised to align with CMS122v4
HIT Form
The Health Information and Technology (HIT) Form has been revised to include health center telehealth capacity and use and to capture medication‐assisted treatment (MAT).
Did you know that 1 in 5 children in the United States are overweight or obese? Childhood obesity puts kids at risk for health problems such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, certain cancers and obesity as an adult.
The good news is that childhood obesity can be prevented. In honor of National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, here are some tips on how to help children make healthy changes:
Get active outside: Walk around the neighborhood, go on a bike ride, or play basketball at the park.
Limit screen time: Keep screen time (time spent on the computer, watching TV, or playing video games) to 2 hours or less a day.
Make healthy meals: Buy and serve more vegetables, fruits, and whole-grain foods.
Get your Zzzzzs: Make sure your child gets the correct amount of sleep each night to encourage a healthy weight, energy balance.
Taking small steps as a family can help your child stay at a healthy weight.
It's the 27th year of Recovery Month, which shines the spotlight on the individuals and organizations that make recovery and treatment of mental and/or substance abuse disorders possible. It is also a time to raise awareness and understanding of mental and substance abuse disorders.
