March/April 2010 

Training Offered on Use of Community Health Rankings

Twitter Chat Focuses on Workplace Wellness

ODH Announces Healthy Worksite Awards

Cardiovascular Health Initiative Focuses On Lifestyle Behaviors

Childhood Obesity, Chronic Health Conditions on the Rise

Study Finds 1/5 Teens Have Abnormally High Cholesterol

PBO Provides Free Vision Training Courses

Ohio Lead Poisoning Prevention Conference June 1-3

Hospital Highlights – Health and Wellness Ideas Worth Sharing

Training Offered on Use of Community Health Rankings
To facilitate the use of County Health Rankings, the Health Policy Institute of Ohio (HPIO) is organizing regional workshops where local leaders will come together and develop strategies to improve the health of their communities. Participants will have the opportunity to seek input from higher-ranking counties sharing similar demographics. All workshops will take place from 1 – 3 p.m. and are scheduled for: 

·         March 8 in Akron 

·         March 10 in Bowling Green 

·         March 11 in Athens

The Ohio County Health Rankings report was released last month and is the first time the public can view this health information. Communities can view what factors affect their health and compare counties within their state. Researchers used five measures to assess the level of overall health by county:

·         The rate of people dying before age 75. 

·         The percent of people who report being in fair or poor health.

·         The number of days people report being in poor physical health. 

·         The number of days people report being in poor mental health. 

·         The rate of low-birth-weight infants.

The report then looks at factors affecting people’s health within four categories, including health behavior, clinical care, social and economic factors, and physical environment. The rankings are a collaboration between the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute.

For more information on the workshops, contact Nick Wiselogel at 614.545.0758 or nwiselogel@hpio.net.

 

Twitter Chat Focuses on Workplace Wellness
CoHealth, a wellness knowledge co-op of the social networks Twitter and Ning, hosts a Twitter chat every third Wednesday of the month from noon -1  p.m. CoHealth is a social network for those committed to the connection between employee health and business results. The chat is run by Greg Matthews of Humana and Fran Melmed at Free-Range Communication. To join the conversation, go to your Twitter account and use the hashtag #co_health. The monthly chat provides a platform for discussing and determining formal and informal approaches to wellness, sharing resources and experiences, and learning through application.

ODH Announces Healthy Worksite Awards
Nearly a dozen Ohio hospitals were honored by the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) with a Healthy Ohio-Healthy Worksite Award, which recognizes Ohio employers that demonstrate a commitment to employee health. These organizations incorporated comprehensive worksite health promotions and wellness programs. The award acknowledges efforts to facilitate and encourage employee health, enhance productivity and ensure a healthy work environment. In addition to the 11 Ohio hospitals receiving the award, 17 hospitals earned honorable mentions.

Cardiovascular Health Initiative Focuses On Lifestyle Behaviors

The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) will help the American Heart Association achieve its national goal to improve the cardiovascular health of Americans by 20 percent, while reducing deaths from cardiovascular diseases and stroke by 20 percent by 2020. ODH’s Burden of Heart Disease report identifies modifiable risk factors to help prevent heart disease, including high blood pressure, diabetes, elevated blood cholesterol, physical inactivity, obesity and cigarette smoking.

Childhood Obesity, Chronic Health Conditions on the Rise

The rate of chronic health conditions among U.S. children doubled from 1994 to 2006 according to a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Researchers examined the prevalence of chronic conditions such as obesity, asthma and behavior/learning problems in three consecutive groups of children. More than 51 percent of the third group of 8 to 14 year olds reported a chronic condition at some point during the six-year study period, up from 28 percent in the first group. The study concluded that chronic conditions in childhood are common, highlighting the benefits of continuous, comprehensive health services for all children to adjust the treatment of chronic conditions and prevent onset of new conditions.

Study Finds 1/5 Teens Have Abnormally High Cholesterol
A survey of Americans ages 12-19 found more than 20 percent had at least one abnormal blood fat level. Among obese adolescents, that number was 43 percent. This boosts their risk of heart disease and demonstrates the seriousness of the current childhood obesity epidemic. Other studies found that obesity among teenagers accompanies an increase in health problems in adulthood, such as high blood pressure, diabetes and arthritis. The study was published in the Jan. 22 edition of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. View a Columbus Dispatch article.

PBO Provides Free Vision Training Courses
Prevent Blindness Ohio (PBO) is offering free adult vision screening training March 26 from 12:30-4:30 p.m. in Dayton. Participants will be nationally certified to provide vision screenings for three years and are eligible to receive free vision screening equipment. To register, complete and mail the application form. After completing the Adult Vision Screening Training program, participants will be able to:

• Perform near and distance visual acuity screenings.
• Perform a visual field test to help detect changes in peripheral vision.
• Set up a screening area.
• Educate people about “aging eye” diseases and disorders.
• Describe Adult Vision Screening Guidelines published by Prevent Blindness America.

PBO is also providing free preschool vision training throughout Ohio on the following dates:

• Cincinnati, March 30, 1 – 5 p.m.
• Cleveland, March 11, 1 – 5 p.m.
• Columbus, March 15, 1 – 5 p.m.
• Dayton, March 18, 12:30 – 4:30 p.m.
• Newark, March 24, 12:30 – 4:30 p.m.
• Toledo, March 26, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.

The program provides certification and instruction on how to perform visual acuity screenings on children, detailed information on childhood eye diseases and disorders, a Preschool Vision Screening Guide for Healthcare Professionals and other information. Online and paper registrations are available. For more information on either training, contact Dean Sanders at deans@pbohio.org or 937.223.8766.

Ohio Lead Poisoning Prevention Conference June 1-3
The 2010 Ohio Lead and Healthy Homes Conference will be held June 1-3 at the Kalahari Resort and Conference Center in Sandusky. The conference is aimed at public health professionals, medical professionals, educators and advocates involved with health and the healthy home. Topics for discussion include:

• Lead poisoning prevention
• Injury prevention
• Indoor air quality
• Mold
• Funding Sources

Registration will be available online April 1 at www.odh.ohio.gov. For more information, contact Melody Sexton at melody.sexton@odh.ohio.gov or 614.728.9453.

Hospital Highlights – Health and Wellness Ideas Worth Sharing

ProMedica Health System, Toledo, gave high school students the opportunity to create a children’s exercise program to win its Fields of Green $5,000 college scholarship. Teens from 11 high schools gathered on Jan. 30 to participate in the program. ProMedica selected 10 finalist teams from 60 entries to be judged on an exercise program aimed at elementary school children. Each team came up with a budget, a method for program evaluation and a creative slogan. Two students from Notre Dame Academy in Toledo and a student from St. John’s Jesuit High School in Toledo were the first-place winners. The winning programs will be implemented in several elementary schools in northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan this spring. View a ProMedica news release.

The Christ Hospital, Cincinnati, partnered with local restaurants to clearly identify dining options that meet guidelines set by the American Heart Association. Items that meet these guidelines will be marked with The Christ Hospital tower symbol on the menu. Restaurants participating in the partnership submit selected recipes to the hospital for confidential analysis using Nutribase software. In order for the meal to be deemed healthy, it must meet the following criteria (based on 2,000 daily calories):
 

• Less than 650 calories
• Less than 20 grams total fat
• Less than seven grams saturated fat
• Less than 800 mg sodium
• Less than 100 mg cholesterol

View a Cincinnati Enquirer article.

Parma Community General Hospital is no longer hiring smokers as of March 1. Job applicants will have to take a nicotine test as part of the pre-employment physical exam. A job offer will be withdrawn from any candidate who tests positive for nicotine. Quit-smoking resources will be made available to the candidate, who may be reconsidered in 90 days if a retest is negative. The policy does not apply to the current workforce. View a Cleveland Plain Dealer article.

MedCentral Health System hospitals in Mansfield and Shelby will no longer hire anyone who uses any form of tobacco as of April 1. The initiative is part of a wellness plan that began forming last July. View a Mansfield News Journal article.

Summa Health System, Akron, implemented a nicotine-free hiring policy beginning in 2010. All prospective hires must agree to a urine test to confirm they do not use tobacco products. If applicants tests positive for nicotine and then quit smoking, they may reapply for employment after 90 days. Current employees are not affected by the new policy.

For a list of all Ohio hospitals that are tobacco-free, view OHA’s Web site. For information on becoming a tobacco-free hospital, contact Stacey Conrad at staceyc@ohanet.org or 614.221.7614, or view OHA’s tobacco-free resources.

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