Have a Safe Climb!

HAVE A SAFE CLIMB SAFE!

            Ladder safety is important, I never thought about this until I visited a Staples store on Bruce. B. Downs. What caught my attention was a board that was placed on all the ladders which explained the significance of ladder safety and provided instructions on how to cautiously use it. It is a great measure in terms of Public Health safety. That’s when I realized that although we might not give much thought to this but any fall could actually result in serious injuries. This is not only bad for the person falling but also for others who might be under/near the person who falls. What one should consider before using a ladder is its duty rating: its’ length and the maximum amount of weight it is capable of carrying. This is and should be mentioned in the instruction label on the ladder for the benefit of all. From the public health point of view, some basic rules to keep in mind while using ladders include:

1. Top of the ladder step should never be used as a step. 

2. Always face the ladder while ascending or descending. 

3. Use one hand at all times to grasp a side of the ladder, no matter how heavy/light the object you are carrying. It is for your best to not carry an object that might cause you to lose balance. 

4. Ladders should not be moved/extended at any point of time while in use and the person using it should not overextend or lean sideways. 

5. Do not start work unless the safety lock or personal fall arrest system is in place. 

6. Be sure that the surface of every step on the ladder and the soles of your shoes are dry at all times to avoid slipping.

National Suicide Prevention Hotline

There are two major components in the field of Public Health: prevention and promotion. Public health advocates prevent the public from harm and/or sickness and promote healthy living. Since emotional support is extremely important to an individuals overall health, our group chose to focus on the promotion of mental health. We placed our sticker on the National Suicide Hotline informational advertisement on the back of a James A. Haley Veteran’s Hospital Mobile Outreach Clinic. The clinic is currently located in the rear of the James A Haley Veteran’s Hospital.

Although the advertisement is located on the back of the Mobile Outreach Clinic, it is not exclusively directed to veterans but to all members of the public in need of help. The hotline is available twenty-four hours a day and seven days a week.  They offer a wide range of support from talking, texting, and online chatting. There are crisis counselors that are bilingual, able to support veterans, able to support minors as young as three years old, and able to support friends and family.    

In 2010, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention placed suicide as the 10th highest cause of preventable premature deaths. Part of suicide’s high ranking is because it affects people from all genders, ages, races, and/or social economic status.  Over the past few years, there have been many strides in the promotion of preventing suicide such as World Suicide Prevention Day, which is September 9th and coincides with National Suicide Prevention week, whish is from September 9th thru 15th.

For more information about the National Suicide Hotline:
1-800 273-TALK(8255)
http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/

Location of Mobile Outreach Clinic as of 9/22/12:

James A Haley VA Hospital

!300 Bruce B Downs Boulevard

Tampa Florida 

(813) 972 2000

Reference List:

The American Foundation of Suicide Prevention. (2010). Facts and Figures. Retrieved From

http://www.afsp.org/index.cfm?page_id=04EA1254-BD31-1FA3-C549D77E6CA6AA37

By: Nicholas, Toni, Shakira, and Vi

Truck Safety...Oh yeah it's Public Health!

Our group placed the public health sticker on the truck safety sign for the Cardinal Health Company located on McKinley Drive, Tampa. Cardinal Health is a company that strives to promote better, safer healthcare delivery to hospitals, pharmacies, and clinics. Cardinal Health put the truck safety sign up before the entrance to the gate, so when the trucks pull up it is a constant reminder of the safety rules they must uphold. We chose this location because McKinley Drive has a high traffic volume. Many accidents can occur if safety rules are not met, especially when it comes to safely operate heavy machinery, like trucks. Since Cardinal Health is an active transportation service, there will be countless trucks frequently coming and going. It is important that the truck drivers accurately and efficiently enter the premises so as not to hold up any ongoing traffic. This represents a major public health issue because it is a form of primary prevention. This particular company has this sign up to remind the drivers to follow the stated actions: 1) Set parking brake, 2) Turn off engine, and 3) Chock the wheels. Moreover, when it comes to larger corporations, such as Cardinal Health, safety rules are a necessary implementation. It is an important issue because it ensures the safety of both truck drivers and any personnel who work with the trucks. The sign helps truck drivers to be informed or reminded on how to safely secure the trucks. For example, if the brakes were not properly secured, then it the truck would move without any supervision; which might lead to a detrimental accident. To prevent any hazards or unnecessary accidents with operating heavy machinery, the sign reminds truck drivers how to both accurately and efficiently secure the truck when they arrive.

-Jelise Singh

-Re'Shawna Funderburk

-Jamiera Franklin

-Ivan Salazar

A Pesky Problem

     My fellow classmates and I had a hard time on deciding on something different from the ordinary when composing our blog post. After coming up with many ideas, I remembered that the exterminators were coming to my apartment right after class. So with that idea at hand, we posted our public health sticker on the exterminator van.
     Pest control is a very important part of public health. In my apartment, we had an intense roach and spider infestation. They crawled through the pipes, drains, dirt and then all over our groceries and clothes. Not only did this affect our living situation at our apartment, but also everywhere else we went and stayed. The roaches and spiders traveled with us in our laundry bags and school bags and started infesting my car or my parent’s home. Since roaches can survive up to 3 months without food, they multiplied in the places we spread them in. 
Not only are they everywhere, but they leave their droppings behind, especially on the packaging of our food. This affected would affect our food safety to a point that we had to throw a lot of it away. Pests are pretty much everywhere, but if the levels get too high in an indoor, enclosed area, it must be controlled or it will affect my health and possibly anyone else whom I associate with. 
     Pest infestation is not looked at being a serious issue, but it’s an issue that can seem to be easily prevented; however, it can be rather difficult due to the extent of the infestation. When dealing with pest it is can result in many serious health conditions. Pest not only can leave behind infectious diseases but they could also leave behind waste. The waste can be a detriment to one’s health because of the living environment which may not be suitable for a human.
     With the extensive knowledge through Public Health we tend to overlook things such as infestations because our primary focus is usually dealing with STI’ and other infectious diseases in the world that pest control is not as serious when in all actuality it can be just as important. Our group decided to open the eyes to our fellow peers that some situations that we think is small maybe just as important as the next public health issue.

Group members:

Pratikshya Maharana

Julia Sexton

Sheridan Seguban

Sonya Cameron

Public Health VS. The Medical Care System

We placed our “This is public health” sticker on the Tampa campus of Florida Hospital, one of an eight hospital system in the state of Florida. The photo shows a smoking ban on the Florida hospital campus, and was located near one of the backside entries to the hospital. We chose this location to emphasize the relationship between public health measures and the medical system. In essence, the study of public health focuses on prevention of disease and promotion of health. On the other hand, the medical system focuses on treatment of illness and disease. While public health and medical care have contrary approaches most times, both are necessary to maintain the health of a society. We must educate individuals on how to lead healthy lifestyles as well as take care of those who, for reasons, perhaps socioeconomic, financial situations, personal circumstances, were unable to and thus fall to the mercy of the medical system. The juxtaposition of those still healthy enough to prevent illness compared to those who are already ill is evident in the No-Smoking sign posted. The sign asks those healthy enough to still make their own health choices to please not smoke on the Florida Hospital campus, in order to prevent further health injury to existing hospital patients. Perhaps most interesting about the posted sign was that the campus only became tobacco free in July of 2011, a little over one year ago. This brings into question the true importance the government, and society place on public health measures. The hospital was opened in 1968, so why did it take so long to make a simple initiative to further protect the health of the hospital patients? Nuances like this make evident that despite the longer term effects of public health measures, American society still tends to adhere to the medical care system, which provides only short term benefits and equally costly, if not more, in comparison with public health measures. 

Smoke-Free Campus

Our group decided to post our public health sticker on a sign at the Florida Hospital across the street from USF. We chose a No smoking sign that was on the premises. We chose a hospital because it contributes a great amount to public health in the community. The sign we found was on the outside the building. This lets people know right away that the hospital does not permit smoking what so ever and that to smoke you must be somewhere off the property. The reason that we felt this would be a good place to put our sticker is because it is very important for individuals not to be exposed to cigarette smoke. It is very dangerous and can hurt many individuals. IN the US 1 in 13 men will contract lung cancer and 1 out of 16 will get it as well in their life time. As far as second hand smoke it can be just as dangerous as a person smoking themselves. This can cause lung cancer, which is the main cause of death between men and women ,and possibly even more damage to a child. Who may not have the able to speak up. This sign can also promote people to cut back on smoking as a whole. For workers and family member and even patients this can affect many people. As many people know is nothing healthy about cigarettes and hopefully this will stop people from smoking as often and in public. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Keri Armbruster, Michelle Nurmohamed, Kelbe Jahnke, Gerard Mulles

Flashing lights to the resuce..

Emergency medical care (EMS) includes the planning and coordination of care between scenes of an accident to the arrival to a hospital. Every ambulance service and advanced life support first response service shall establish or participate in a quality improvement program, which shall be an ongoing system to monitor and evaluate the quality and appropriateness of the medical care provided by the ambulance service or advanced life support first response service and which shall pursue opportunities to improve patient care and to resolve identified problems. The quality improvement program may be conducted independently or in collaboration with other services, with the appropriate regional council, with an EMS program agency, with an hospital or with another suitable organization approved by the department.

            In any city having a population of one million or more, whenever an individual transported by ambulance from one facility to a second facility and the destination is changed. It shall be the responsibility of the senior ambulance dispatcher to inform the facility of origin by telephone of the ultimate destination immediately upon arrival. (Department of Health, n.d.)

            We decided to use an ambulance as our public health due to the fact that it can potentially save hundreds if not thousands of life in the course of that one ambulance. The improvement and maintenance of a statewide system for conducting transfers of critically ill or injured patients between general hospital and other health care facilities are essential public health services. The Department of Public Health is a regulator focused on health outcomes, maintaining a balance between assuring quality and administrative burden on the personnel, facilities and programs regulated (Connecticut, n.d.)

Kelvin Lozaro, Jackielyn Cabrera, Derrick Koppuzha

"When you Flush, Think of us!"

          Our public health sticker was placed at the Tampa office of Jones Edmunds, a consulting firm based in Florida that specializes in professional services dealing with engineering and environmental science. Commonly overlooked by the public, their services include water and waste-water treatment, pumping and distribution, as well as electrical and solid waste utilities.  The Jones Edmunds Company focuses on improving the quality of life for human populations at large by providing environmental solutions to water and waste. This company provides solutions through the application of engineering and science. Jones Edmunds designs water and waste-water, treatment, pumping, and distribution systems that allow communities to have consistent and reliable waste-water treatment and clean water sources. Often we do not think about what happens to the water after the toilet is flushed, but to maintain the sanitation and health of a community there must be a destination to service the water, such services provided by the company are often taken for granted.  However, the health of a community is highly impacted by the quality of water sources and sanitation services made available by such companies as Jones Edmunds. Clean water sources are free of harmful microorganisms that cause illness and disease, such that is not available in all communities.  The company also provides services for solid waste design and construction. Proper disposal of wastes is pertinent to the health of a community to prevent the spread of infection and disease. If such services were not available the community would be filled with uncontainable garbage, polluting the air and environment. As discussed in class, sanitation accounts for the majority of the increase in life expectancy in the past 30 years. Jones Edmunds has a public health based mission to improve quality of life by providing valuable waste and water sanitation services to the community. 

 

Flu Shots are Public Health!

Flu Shots are Public Health!

Flu shots are a great example of public health in action! We all went to the Walgreens Pharmacy on Bruce B. Downs to put our sticker on one of their signs advertising for flu shots. These signs can be seen all over the Tampa area at local pharmacies. Flu shots are a great example of public health for several reasons. As discussed in class, public health is the focus on population health through the prevention of disease and the promotion of health. While medical care is focused on individual care and treatment, public health targets the whole population and works on preventing illness. Flu shots are an example of public health because flu shots prevent the flu. By preventing the flu, it also helps prevent the complications that come with the flu such as pneumonia. These shots are especially important to at risk populations such as young children and older adults. By offering flu shots at local pharmacies, people do not have to go visit their doctor to receive the shot. It is more convenient and cheaper for people and therefore more people will probably get them. With more people getting the shot, it reduces the spread of the flu to people who didn’t receive the shot. This helps reduce the spread of the virus through the population. Public health focuses on primary and secondary prevention methods. The flu shot is an example of primary prevention. Getting the flu shot is very affordable and accessible and helps prevents doctor visits and further complications. 

Rachel Dupler, Natalie Landry, Joseph Barbera, Stefan Chen 

SHOPPING CART SAFETY

With cold and flu season right around the corner, it is becoming easier and easier to become sick. Day after day we all venture to the grocery store, Target, or Walmart to buy things we need. Little do we realize, that we are exposed to viruses and bacteria, which are present on the shopping carts. Imagine touching a shopping cart, which has the flu virus. You then touch an item in the produce section of the store and the cycle continues!! Imagine having a baby sit in that nasty cart?!! The disease can shift from person to person and cause a disease that could have been prevented to begin with.

We chose to go to Sweetbay Supermarket because we get our every day needs from there, and we found it great that they practice promotion of public health. As soon as you walk into the grocery store, they have hand sanitizer and hand wipes right on the wall by the shopping carts. You can quickly wipe down the cart that has been used by many people before you and prevent yourself from getting sick. On top of that, if your hands are clean, the next person who uses the cart won't be contaminated. You won't touch an apple with dirty hands and put it back.

We put our sticker directly on the hand wipes to encourage people to reduce contamination and migration of the cold and flu virus on top of skin diseases. If more people use the wipes and hand sanitizer, the spread of bacterial and viral transmission can drastically decrease. Hopefully next time you go into your nearest grocery store, you'll sanitize your hands and cart. Otherwise, you're shopping at your own risk! SAVE THE APPLES!!!

This is public health at Evo's

I like public health blog about Evo's I like how it promotes smart and healthy eating habits. The organic food is a very smart choice of food because its all natral and no chemical substances have been injected into the meats. You can gain all the natural nutrition from the food and not have to be paranoid about the grease or fat, or to many carbs or high cholestoral. It promotes to the public a healthy lifestyle and just a better choice and upgrade from the norm. This was a very good decision for public health add to be posted.

Women's Care Clinic

We placed our sticker on the Women’s Care Florida clinic to emphasize the importance of preventative health in our community. A women’s care center is important in that it deals with multiple issues regarding women’s health. Centers such as these allow for better access to health care, as it functions as a safe haven for women and works against any health disparities women may face in co-ed clinics.

The essence of public health is the prevention of diseases and promotion of good health. It is clear that many of the illnesses or diseases that individuals in our community have contracted could have been prevented if the proper procedures were taken. Routine screening procedures are paramount for every individual in order to avoid diagnosing a condition when it has already become fairly serious or life threatening. This clinic mainly offers methods of primary prevention, which is a type of prevention taken before any exposure to a disease. Such methods offered include such procedures as HPV, Hep A and B, influenza, pneumonia, and shingles immunizations. It also offers mammogram screenings as well.

            Not only does this clinic offer methods of prevention, it also promotes good health as a continuum of the prevention. The Women’s Care Florida clinic does so by providing patients with nutritional plans that encourage healthy lifestyles and prevent a number of diet-related diseases. This type of prevention is extremely important because obesity and other related diseases are very prevalent in our society today. Thus, the prevention of such illnesses by screening methods and nutritional plans make this clinic an excellent example of public health in our community.

Gas Station? Marked for Safety!

Not many people are aware of the issues of public health and or safety within their community. Little do they know, everywhere you go, theres always a chance where an incident of catching a disease and/or being in danger. Public safety is a very important part of public health, and certain objects in an area are essential in most public places. For our "This is Public Health" project, our group, Chelsea Leahy, Vincent Escuyos, and Judy Nguyen, decided we should have our sticker at a local gas station off of Fletcher Avenue. "Where is public health here?" Vincent asked. The three of us then spotted a fire extinguisher and thought, this is consider public health because it has the potential to protect someone in case of a fire from the gasoline. As you can see, the fire extinguisher was place in an area where it is easily seen and can be easily accessed. Chances of a fire or any flammable event may occur whenever people over pump their tanks, leaving leaks of gasoline on their car and/or the floor ground. With the addition to Florida's heat, a fire may occur quickly. Thus, a fire extinguisher is the first line of defense in case a small fire happens at a gas station. Furthermore, ambulances might take a while to come and regular water will have no effect to treating chemical fire, therefore having the extinguisher can be very useful. By having fire extinguishers at every gas pump, the safety of the people in that are increases dramatically if there were ever to be a fire. Also, each station has directions in how to use the equipment properly. With that being said, Public Health is marked ready for safety and protection at these local gas stations near the University of South Florida. 

Stop and Strap On To Public Health

                                                                                               

               

                                Public Health is often hard to explain to those who have no clue of what it represents. However, it is all around us and is at every corner we turn... literally. One important aspect of Public Health is signage that enforces important laws and regulations that everyday citizens may seem to forget. When my group ventured out to find our piece of Public Health, we came across a bus station. Our first instinct was, duh of course, A BUS! However, all the drivers looked angry at the world. We then thought to take a picture of a bus stop in place of the bus, but there were suspicious locals sitting at the bus stop who may have ran away with our phones instead of taking the picture. Almost out of hope, we ran into a “Buckle Up” sign in conjunction to a “Stop” sign. Hallelujah!!! The “Buckle Up” sign represents Public Health because it reminds people to wear their seat belts. The "Stop" sign represents public health in that it prevents traffic accidents. We thought this worked perfectly all together because it provides viewers with a way to critically think about what public health really is. It shows that not just doctors can be involved in public health but also every citizen, too.  After all, Public Health is a community effort to improve the overall health of a population. Not only physically, but it also works as an emotional effort to reach out to those in need and mentally stimulate the mind to think outside the box and find efforts to prevent diseases and promote health. We decided to keep our sticker on the sign not only so we can drive by and say “Yea, I put that there!”, but to also show that person that stops at that sign that they are saving lives and that Public Health is just a stop away.

                       

This is public health at Evos!

In today’s world, public health is all around us. From where we go and how we get there, the different things we come in contact with and even the food we eat. Prevention measures in each of these areas are being taken each day to promote and educate about public health measures and its benefits if people follow the public health approach. Our group decided to take on the food area of public health and wanted to spread awareness about healthy eating habits and how some company choose to serve better food options to their customers and spread awareness and education about why it is healthier to have better food choices. Going around our Tampa area it was not hard to find Evos, a company that focuses on healthier fast food. As that may not sound like a true statement, it is! Evos serves food that is half the fat of regular fast food and uses naturally grown products and all other ingredients are organic. The company allows the public to get some of their favorite traditional American food in a way that is not so health conscious and with natural ingredients; processed ingredients are nowhere to be found in their food. Around t surrounding area of the restaurant, the company has put up posters promoting not only their restaurant but also posters educating the public and their customers about healthy eating. They do so in a way that makes healthy eating “not so bad” and invites the public in to try healthy food. The hope is that not the only the customer will be satisfied with their services but that they will find satisfaction in healthy eating all the time.