San Juan Basin Health News Briefs

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DURANGO, Colo. – San Juan Basin Health Department has issued the following news briefs for November and December.

Girls Circle in Bayfield and Durango Begin

Girls Circles are structured support groups for adolescent girls that promote resiliency, confidence & connection while addressing risky behaviors in a safe space. A Bayfield Girls Circle will be beginning on November 12^th.  Open to girls in 6^th, 7^th and 8^th grades, the Circle will meet every Wednesday from 3:30-5pm in the Art Room at Bayfield Elementary School. A new Girls Circle starts in Durango on Tuesday November 11 at 4:30 at Durango Joe’s on College Drive. Both are free!! Please contact Kendra at 247-5702 ext. 225 for more information.

 

Friday Flu Clinics Continue

San Juan Basin Health Department’s Durango office will continue offering Friday Flu Clinics from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. through Friday, November 21. Children age 9 and older are also welcome. These clinics will be held at San Juan Basin Health Department (281 Sawyer Drive, Bodo Park). Flu shots are $25 or free for those who have Medicare, Part B or Rocky Mountain Health Plan. Flu Mist is available for $35 for individuals under 50 years of age. For more information, call 247-5702 or visit www.sjbhd.org. Top Ten Flu FAQs: http://www.sjbhd.org/en/top-flu-faqs

 

Restaurant Inspection Reports Online

San Juan Basin Health’s Restaurant Inspection reports are now on our website. Just go to: http://www.sjbhd.org/en/food-safety and scroll down to “For Consumers” and click on “Recent Retail Food Establishment Inspections Findings.”

 

Lasso Tobacco Coalition Meeting – November 13

The Lasso Tobacco Coalition is meeting on Thursday, November 13^th from 11:30 to 1:00 at San Juan Basin Health Department’s downstairs conference room. The public is invited to attend. This meeting will focus on youth prevention and cessation efforts. For more information or to RSVP, please contact 247-5702 ext. 227.

 

Great American Smoke Out – Thursday November 20^th

The annual Great American Smoke Out takes place on Thursday, November 20th. This is a great opportunity for individuals to give up smoking for a day…or a lifetime. If you’d like to give it a try and would like some resources or free coaching, call Caleb at 247-5702, ext. 236. You can also call the Colorado Quitline at 1-800-QUIT-NOW for free nicotine replacement therapy and personal coaching. Colorado has a website that offers a free program tailored to you, great tools, and support network.

 

November is National Family Caregiver Month

San Juan Basin Health would like to thank all of the Family Caregivers in our community and recognize the tremendous work they do.  Contact Dawn Simard at 247-5702 ext 240 for information on how we can assist Caregivers over 60 or those under 60 caring for family members or friends over 60.  Here are ideas of how you can recognize a caregiver:

• Offer a few hours of respite time to a family caregiver so they can spend time with friends, or simply relax.
  
• Send a card of appreciation or a bouquet of flowers to brighten up a caregiver’s day.
  
• Help a caregiver decorate their home for the holidays or offer to address envelopes for their holiday cards.
  
• Offer comic relief!  Give a family caregiver your favorite funny movie to view, or provide them with a book on tape.
  
• Encourage the Caregiver to attend the local Caregiver Support group at the Senior Center.  Call 259-0122 for more information.

 

Media Literacy in our Schools – Thursday, December  11^th

San Juan Basin Health Department and Durango School District 9R are partnering to bring a nationally recognized expert on Media Literacy to our community December 11-12th. An engaging and entertaining presenter, Peter DeBenedittis, Ph.D. speaks to more than 50,000 students and trains 10,000 teachers and health prevention activists each year. Media literacy is the ability to “”read”” television and mass media. Media literacy education teaches people to access, analyze, evaluate and produce media. Children who understand the motivations and production techniques of media are less likely to adopt the destructive attitudes and behaviors that are depicted in the media.

 

DeBenneditis will particularly focus on analyzing influences of alcohol and tobacco messages in the media during three presentations:  a workshop for 9R middle school teachers; an assembly presentation for 6th grade students; and an evening public presentation on Thursday, December 11^th at 6 p.m. at Escalante Middle School’s cafeteria for parents, students, community members and health advocates. Attendees of the public presentation on December 11^th at 6 p.m. at Escalante Middle School will have the opportunity of winning a door prize of a $100 Gift Card. For more information, call 247-5702, ext. 1605.

 

Grant Received to Get Adolescents Immunized

San Juan Basin Health’s Immunization program was awarded a grant to provide our community with clinics at school sites focusing on getting youth ages 11 to 18 immunized with the Tetanus, Diphtheria and Pertussis combination vaccine. This booster shot provides added protection against: Tetanus (lockjaw) — a nerve disease caused by toxin-producing bacteria that can contaminate a wound; Diphtheria — a serious infection of the throat that can block the airway and cause severe breathing difficulty and; Pertussis (whooping cough) — one of the most common respiratory infections among American teens, according to the CDC. Causing severe coughing spells that can last for weeks or months, the highly contagious disease is on the rise, with more than 25,000 cases in 2005.  

 

Employment Opportunities

Please check our website www.sjbhd.org for up-to-date job opportunities.

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