Monthly Highlights February 2017 What's happening at Forsyth County Department of PUblic Health

In this Issue:

BeHealthy School Kids Makes Positive Progress

National Children's Dental Health Month

Cleveland Avenue Dental Center Accepting New Patients...Including You!

Congratulations to Jazzmane McRae, MSN, RN

Congratulations to Lynn Stone on Her Retirement

Staff Recognitions

BeHealthy School Kids Makes Positive Progress

Jasmine McNeill, BeHealthy School Kids Coordinator, presented a progress report of her result findings and conscience efforts to improve the nutrition intake and physical activity of young children among twelve Winston-Salem, Forsyth County schools to the Wellness Policy Committee on January 18.

This school year's primary focus is on the importance of fruits and vegetables, to which Ms. McNeill entitled “All about Fruits and Vegetables" campaign. With help from the OrganWise Guys, characters of human organs with names such as Sir Rebrum (the brain) and Peri Stolic (the intestine), Ms. McNeill was able to interpret the importance of healthy eating and its effects on our body systems to elementary aged children. Ms. McNeill also included in her curriculum the USDA’s MyPlate recommendations for a well-balanced diet, bulletin boards for school hallways intended to advertise awareness about healthy eating and daily exercise, cafeteria visits, and a fruits and vegetable shopping game promoting physical activity.

After this tremendous effort to make a difference in the way children eat and incorporate exercise into their lives, Jasmine McNeill seemingly accomplished successful results. A pre and post test specified for each grade level, kindergarten through fifth grade, was given to the children before and after learning the BeHealthy curriculum. Post-test results showed that the majority of schools had a much higher percentage of correct answers once BeHealthy curriculum was taught. Ms. McNeill made a point to showcase first and fifth-grade results during her presentation. For example, Speas and Griffith Elementary Schools showed about a thirty percent increase in knowledge amongst their first and fifth graders.

Congratulations to Ms. Jasmine McNeill on her progress towards enhancing the lives of children using creative and inspiring efforts. It was apparent during her presentation just how passionate Ms. McNeill is about the BeHealthy School Kids program, and we wish her continued success.

National Children's Dental Health Month

February is National Children's Dental Health Month (NCDHM)! Children with their “little white choppers” fill the hallways of our schools each day. In recognition of NCDHM, help your child arrive to school ready to learn. It is not too late to schedule an appointment with your dentist. According to the Center for Disease Control, untreated tooth decay remains the number one chronic disease among children 5 -17 years of age. Yet, it can be easily prevented by incorporating a few healthy habits.

A healthy diet that limits sugar is one change that will make a huge impact in reducing your child's risk for tooth decay. Daily brushing and flossing should be a family routine. Brushing in the morning and before bedtime are important steps to reducing the germs in the mouth that are needed to create a cavity. When buying toothpaste, always choose a fluoride toothpaste with a ADA seal of approval. Fluoride strengthens enamel, the outer layer of the tooth, and helps to defend the tooth from tooth decay. No healthy dental regimen is complete without including regular dental visits for exams, professional dental cleaning, and addressing any restorative needs. Remember to ask your dentist about dental sealants, a plastic coating that protects the surface of teeth you cannot reach with your toothbrush or floss.

Children are unable to perform at their best when distracted by pain associated to tooth decay. Taking care of your child's teeth before problems occur is the best approach to having healthy teeth that may last a lifetime.

Please call (336)703-3204. Our community dental hygienists with the Preventive Dental Health Program are ready to help you gain access to available dental resources. Call Cleveland Avenue Dental Center at (336)703-3090 to schedule an appointment. Medicaid, Health Choice, Ameritas Dental Insurance, cash, and credit/debit payments are accepted.

Cleveland Avenue Dental Center is Accepting New Patients...Including You!

The dental center encourages Forsyth County employees and their families to take advantage of their services! Call today to make an appointment.

Payment Information: Ameritas, Medicaid, NC Health Choice insurances, along with cash and credit/debit

Congratulations to Jazzmane McRae, MSN, RN!

Jazzmane graduated with her Masters of Science in Nursing with a concentration in Community Public Health Nursing from UNC Charlotte in December 2016. Many congratulations to Jazzmane on this great accomplishment!

Congratulations to Lynn Stone on Her Retirement!

Lynn Stone, affectionately known as one of the "Lead Ladies", bid farewell to colleagues at a retirement reception on Thursday, January 26. Lynn's public health career in environmental health spanned 25 years and was split equally between Rockingham and Forsyth County. She is a graduate of Salem College and worked as a med tech for 14 years at Morehead Memorial Hospital in Eden before joining public health. She looks forward to spending more time on horseback and traveling with her husband Tim to ALL of NC State's football games. Hopefully she will make time for an occasional visit to check in on all of us who miss her already. Congratulations on a job well done!

Staff Recognized as Going Above and Beyond to Serve our Clients in the Month of January:

Alexa Jordan, Public Health Nurse III

Andrea Caldwell, Public Health Nurse III

Ayushi Shah, Sr. Nutritionist

Betty Fredricks, Sr. Office Assistant

Bevely Nelson, Public Health Nurse III

Brandon Shaffer, Environmental Health Specialist

Brenda Antunez, Office Assistant

Brian Mattews, Nutritionist

Charlene Fields, Public Health Nurse III

Charles Cahill, Environmental Health Specialist

Sun Min Lee, Dentist

Emily Smith, Dentist Director

Erica Littlefield, Dental Assistant

Gail Melton, Human Services Technician

Helena How, Office Assistant

Hope Grigsby, Nutritionist

Jamie Rose, Public Health Nurse II

Janice Payne, WIC Peer Counselor

Jimmy Mchone Jr, Environmental Health Specialist I

Katherine Rucker, Office Assistant

Katrina Clark-Gwen, Human Services Technician

Madelin de la Cruz, Sr. Office Assistant

Margaret Speas, Sr. Physician Assistant

Mary Atkins, Public Health Nurse III

Mike Merrell II, Envionmental Health Specialist I

Nancy Schuh, Sr. Office Assistant

Pamela Burch, Public Health Nurse II

Rebecca Barry, Nutritionist

Robin Burton, Licensed Practical Nurse

Rodasha Scott, Nutritionist

Susan Rife, Nutritionist

Tammy Michel, Dental Hygienist

The End

The QI Council knows that many of us are so busy in our own service areas, we don't always know about the great things that are happening across the health department. The Monthly Highlights are a way to bridge this gap and we hope to better connect all of our staff.

We need your help with stories to share each month in the Monthly Highlights. Anyone can submit something to be shared! You can send anything from a wedding or new baby announcement to an exciting event that happened in your department.

Email Holley Hooks at hookshk@forsyth.cc to have your announcements included in next month's Highlights.

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