Don’t Forget - New Meningococcal Vaccine Required for the Upcoming School Year
August is National Immunization Awareness Month. Parents can do a number of things to ensure a healthy future for their child. One of the most important actions parents can take is to make sure their children are up to date on their vaccines. Following the recommended immunization schedule provides the best protection from serious, and sometimes deadly, diseases.
Getting vaccinated according to the recommended immunization schedule is one of the most important things a parent can do to protect their child’s health. Diseases can quickly spread among groups of children who aren’t vaccinated. Whether it’s a baby starting at a new child care facility, a toddler heading to preschool, a student going back to elementary, middle or high school – or even a college freshman – parents should check their child’s vaccination records.
Child care facilities, preschool programs, schools and colleges are prone to outbreaks of infectious diseases. Children in these settings can easily spread illnesses to one another due to poor hand washing, not covering their coughs, and other factors such as interacting in crowded environments.
Ohio Law
A new law in Ohio requires a vaccination against meningitis for students entering the 7th and 12th grades. The requirement starts with the 2016-2017 school year.
Ohio 7th Graders
meningococcal (serogroups A, C, W and Y) vaccine
Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis) vaccine
Ohio 12th Graders
second dose of meningococcal vaccine
must be administered on or after the 16th birthday (If the first dose of meningococcal vaccine was administered after the 16th birthday, a second dose is not required.)
About Meningoccal Disease
most commonly affects adolescents and young adults
can cause death within hours (can be fatal in 24 to 48 hours)
can be prevented by vaccination
symptoms are similar to flu
transmissible through contact with nasal secretions or the saliva of an infected person
How to Prevent
vaccination
cover sneezes & coughs
don’t share eating utensils, drinking glasses or straws, or water bottles
vaccination
Parents and guardians can learn more about meningococcal disease by talking to a healthcare provider or local health department about immunization and other ways to prevent this terrible and deadly disease. You can also learn more by visiting the National Meningitis Association at www.nmaus.org.
In celebration on National Health Center Week 2016, OACHC is launching afriendly competition to determine the Ultimate Health Center Champions. All of Ohio's Community Health Centers will be competing in three separate divisions; Heavyweight, Welterweight & Featherweight. One winner in each weight class will be recognized based on the total number of votes received in that class. There will also be a "Winner by Decision" that receives the most votes overall. Voters will be able to vote once a day per email address when the contest officially opens, so be sure to start voting on August 1st and keep coming back! Please see contest rules for more details.
The contest starts August 1st and will end August 15th. Check back at www.ohiochc.org/CHAMPS to learn more!
Become the Voice for Ohio's Community Health Centers
Sign up to be a Health Center Advocate today! Whether Community Health Center staff, patient, board member, or supporter, we need YOU as a Health Center Advocate! Keep informed on key developments and be notified when important Health Center policy issues are being considered by our state and federal policymakers. Raise your voice today and keep our Health Centers strong and our communities healthy!
Join the Movement
Campaign for America's Health Centers started an awesome challenge! They are trying to get 100,000 Health Center Advocates across the nation and we want to help spread the word and get as many advocates as possible!
This challenge kicked of officially on May 11th, but it's not too late to help the cause! You have until the end of August to become a health center advocate and to get others to join the movement too.
Setting off your own fireworks or being near someone who is lighting fireworks is extremely dangerous. You can become a victim of severe burns, loss of limbs or worse, as a result of firework malfunctions or carelessness. Your safest choice to enjoy fireworks this long weekend would be to watch fireworks set off by professionals.
Here is a list of locations and events in Ohio that are providing awesome firework shows for your enjoyment:
In honor of National HIV Testing Day, Monday June 27th, OACHC encourages you to spread awareness on the importance of getting tested for HIV. HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is the virus that causes AIDS.
How Can You Know if You Are HIV Positive?
The only way to know if you have HIV is to get tested. Many people with HIV don’t have any symptoms. In the United States, 1 in 8 people living with HIV don’t know they have it.
Even if you don’t feel sick, getting early treatment for HIV is important. Early treatment can help you live a longer, healthier life. Treatment can also make it less likely that you will pass HIV on to other people.
Am I at risk for HIV?
HIV is spread through some of the body’s fluids, like blood, semen, vaginal fluids, and breast milk. HIV is passed from one person to another by:
Having sex (vaginal, anal, or oral) without a condom or dental dam with a person who has HIV
Sharing needles with someone who has HIV
Breastfeeding, pregnancy, or childbirth if the mother has HIV
Getting a transfusion of blood that’s infected with HIV (very rare in the United States)
The enhanced integration of oral health and primary care is a goal for many health agencies, associations and policy makers. The Ohio Association of Community Health Centers (OACHC) is striving to meet this goal through a partnership with the Ohio Dental Association (ODA), and with funding assistance from the Ohio Dental Association Foundation, to incorporate blood pressure screening across all FQHC dental centers. This exciting initiative is slated to begin July 1, 2016.
As a partner in patient-centered care, screening patients during an oral health visit for hypertension is an important service that is both innovative and efficient. In the OACHC-ODA initiative, while preparing a patient to be seen by the dentist, a dental assistant will take a patient’s blood pressure right in the dental chair. Seamlessly, the assistant will offer health education and can even make a warm referral to a health center physician as necessary.
Like most health center initiatives, the blood pressure screening dental project boasts a quality improvement facet. Health center dental practices will collect data including the numbers of health centers participating, patients screened and how many referrals are made for further screening and treatment. The QI results will be shared to showcase the promotion of overall health during dental visits.
Prior to the collaboration, one of the barriers to screening for hypertension was a lack of blood pressure monitoring devices in each dental operatory. The financial support of this initiative provides funding for the monitors, educational handouts and comprehensive training that will be provided to each of the 33 dental centers across Ohio.
This collaboration illustrates the commitment of Ohio’s Community Health Centers to provide comprehensive care, amplifying the dentist’s role as a health professional who sees the importance of addressing patients’ total health during their oral health visit.
Please contact OACHC’s Oral Health Program Manager, Susan Lawson for more information.
Injuries are a leading cause of disability for people of all ages — and they are the leading cause of death for Americans ages 1 to 44. The good news is everyone can get involved to help prevent injuries.
This June, we encourage you to learn more about important safety issues like prescription painkiller abuse, transportation safety, and slips, trips, and falls.
Prescription painkiller abuse: Prescription painkiller overdoses are a growing problem in the United States, especially among women. About 18 women die every day from a prescription painkiller overdose — more than 4 times as many as back in 1999.
Transportation safety: Doing other activities while driving — like texting or eating — distracts you and increases your chance of crashing. Almost 1 in 5 crashes (17%) that injured someone involved distracted driving.
Slips, trips, and falls: One in 3 older adults falls each year. Many falls lead to broken bones and other health problems.
