Put Your Hands Together
Scientists estimate that people are not washing their hands often or well enough and may transmit up to 80% of all infections by their hands. From doorknobs to animals to food, harmful germs can live on almost everything. Handwashing may be your single most important act to help stop the spread of infection and stay healthy. According to the CDC, the best way to avoid communicable diseases like the seasonal and H1N1 flu is to wash your hands often and properly. CDC-TV has a video, "Put You Hands Together" that gives excellent information about the importance of handwashing. Follow the link below to watch this video.
www.cdc.gov/CDCTV/HandsTogether/
Unnatural Causes...is inequality making us sick?
As reported in California Newsreel, the producer of the documentary Unnatural Causes…is inequality making us sick?, the documentary is a medical detective story out to solve the mystery of what’s stalking and killing us before our time, especially those of us who are less affluent and darker-skinned. Our investigators keep peeling back the onion, broadening their inquiry beyond the immediate, physical causes of death to the deeper, underlying causes that lurk in our neighborhoods, our jobs and even back in history. The perpetrators of poor health are not individuals but rather societal and institutional forces.
Beyond describing what is making us sick, the documentary is also a story of hope and possibility, of communities organizing to gain control over their destinies - and their health. The good news is that if bad health comes from policy decisions that we as a society have made, then we can make other decisions. Some countries already have and they are living longer, fuller lives as a result.
Interested in learning more about Unnatural Causes…is inequality making us sick?...Click the YouTube clip.
http://www.youtube.com/user/unnaturalcausesdoc
Ten Things to Know About Health
Quality of Life Report Cards
The Healthy Rowan Quality of Life Report Card for 2008 is presented by the members of Healthy Rowan!, our state-certified Healthy Carolinians Task Force. You may also read the 2002 , 2004 ,2006 and 2007 Report Cards for comparisons.
Smoke Free Rowan
Smoke Free Rowan encourages local businesses and organizations to voluntarily adopt an indoor smoke-free policy. The benefits of an indoor smoke-free environment are many. Over 40% of restaurants in Rowan county are smoke-free. Click here to learn more about joining Smoke Free Rowan.
Rowan County Data and Population Profile
Rowan County Data includes statistical data prepared by North Carolina State Center for Health Statistics. Click here to access maintained community data and health status information. Click here to read the Rowan County 2006 Population Profile.
Rowan County Needs Assessment
The Rowan County 2006 Health & Human Service Needs Assessment was undertaken to increase an understanding of Rowan County's health and human service needs and to develop an agenda for addressing those needs over the subsequent 5 years.
Rowan County Strategic Plan
The 2007-2008 Rowan County Strategic Plan demonstrates the Rowan County Health Department’s commitment to a healthy community and describes our local public health priorities and our agency’s planned approach for mitigating these problems over the next two years.
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
10 Tips to Promote Infant Safe Sleep are offered as guidelines to help reduce the risk of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) and prevent accidental infant death. La Fundación Comienzo Sano de Carolina del Norte y la Campaña Estatal contra Muerte de Cuna de N.C. ofrece los siguientes consejos para ayudar a reducir el riesgo de SIDS (Muerte Súbita del Infante) y a prevenir muerte infantil accidental: 10 consejos para promover Sueño Seguro Infantil .
Birth Defects
Per the March of Dimes, about 120,000 babies (1 in 33) in the United States are born each year with birth defects. A birth defect is an abnormality of structure, function or metabolism (body chemistry) present at birth that results in physical or mental disabilities or death. Several thousand different birth defects have been identified. Birth defects are the leading cause of death in the first year of life. For more information, visit the Web site of the National Birth Defects Prevention Network.
Pertussis
Learn about Pertussis, a highly communicable, vaccine-preventable disease that lasts for many weeks and is typically found in children with convulsive spasms of severe coughing, whooping, and post-cough vomiting. It is important that if your child has symptoms they are seen by a doctor, properly diagnosed and promptly treated.