The county health department has a slate of activities happening this week.
Along with encouragement of healthy eating as part of the National Public Health Week campaign, the county health department is also hosting an emergency preparedness forum and attempting to tighten smoke-free laws before the city council.
On Monday night, representatives with the health department, First 5 San Benito County and other organizations will make the case once again for a smoking ban in local daycare facilities before the Hollister City Council. Those groups were scheduled to address the council at 6:30 p.m. Monday about the success of the voluntary smoke-free policy in 103 licensed family daycare homes in San Benito County. They are again pushing for a 24-hour ban against smoking in those buildings.
Council members in November 2011 rejected a proposed ordinance from the San Benito County Public Health Department that would have banned smoking from licensed home daycare buildings 24 hours a day. At the time, council members cited the lack of ability to enforce the rules.
On Tuesday, the health department is hosting an emergency preparedness forum at Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital. It is set for 9 a.m. to noon in the Great Room on the second floor of the support services building.
“Our whole message is continuity of operations,” Perez said, “which means plan before we have a public health emergency. Don’t wait until we have one to start planning.”
Throughout the week, meanwhile, the agency is taking part in National Public Health Week, which runs through Sunday. The theme this year is “Public Health: Start Here.” Each day of this week will have a public health focus, according to the county health department.
“Every year we try to present something in our commuity that is of the public health nature,” said Samela Perez, public health officer for the county. “This year we focused on nutrition.”
The following is the statement from public health summarizing activities for National Public Health Week:
Public Health Services (PHS) will be kicking off their first healthy eating demonstration under their newly awarded SNAP-ED grant. This event, in partnership with Monterey County’s SNAP-ED program will be held at Hollister Supermarket on Thursday, April 10, 2014. “We plan to set the pace for our community to eat healthier for a better life!” said Erika Vallin, Health Educator with PHS.
Eating less, eating healthier and exercising regularly can go a long way toward helping San Benito residents lessen their risk from death that could have been prevented, such as a heart disease, cancer and stroke. Even the smallest preventive changes and initiatives can make a big difference in living healthier lives.
The food and physical activity choices you make every day affect your health—how you feel today, tomorrow, and in the future. Science-based dietary guidelines highlight how to make smart choices from every food group, get the most nutrition out of your calories, and find your balance between food and physical activity. The best way to give your body the balanced nutrition it needs is by eating a variety of nutrient-packed foods every day and staying within your daily calorie needs. A healthy eating plan is one that:
– Emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products.
– Includes lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts.
– Is low in saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, salt, and added sugar.
– Regular physical activity is important for your overall health and fitness, and helps you manage your body weight. Here are a few physical activity recommendations that pave the way to a healthier you:
– Do a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity, that raises your heart rate, every week.
– Do muscle strengthening activities on two or more days a week.
– Increasing the intensity or the amount of time that you are physically active can have even greater health benefits and may be needed to manage body weight.
– Children and teenagers should be physically active for at least 60 minutes every day.
Small changes can help yourself, your family and your community. Taking action to promote active living and healthy eating is more than just common sense—it works. For more information and/or to set up a nutritional presentation for your audience, please contact the Erika Vallin at (831) 637-5367.x
