Eat! Play! Lettuce Park!

Check This Out>>>It's Public Health! 

If you haven't been to Lettuce Park, then you NEED to take a trip there this SUMMER !

Our group decided to place the "This is Public Health Sticker" in Lettuce Lake Park upon a yellow sign warning parents that their child needs to be wearing a helmet if riding a bicycle. 

The location that we chose to place our public health sticker was Lettuce Lake Park on Fletcher towards I-75. Instead of picking one aspect, we chose the entirety of the park to represent public health. We chose this location because there are many aspects of the park that contribute to public health. Parks are very green: many parks have an abundance of trees and are home to a variety of wildlife. There are also trails for people to exercise on and walk their pets and playgrounds for kids. Lettuce Lake Park also has many water fountains to promote the drinking of water. Lettuce Lake Park, like all other parks, in general, provides a relaxing atmosphere for both kids and adults and is available to everyone of any socioeconomic status. 

For our public health blog we decided to go to Lettuce Park, we put our public health sticker next to a sign that said “Florida State law requires all children less than 16 years of age wear bicycle helmets.  Our sticker that was put on the sign represents a public health issue which is children safety and the issue of getting more children to be active. This sign, promotes outdoor activities for younger children and promotes safety. Looking into promoting more outdoor activities this sign represent children being more active and if children are more active than it can result in a better health outcome and a reduction of certain diseases.

This is an important issue because parks offer physical activities opportunities that promote exercise. This will help in reducing obesity. Also, parks provide people with a sense of nature.

You don't know what you're missing, until you've been to Lettuce Park!

It own by Hillsborough County and it $2.00 admission!

BY: Reanna Brown, Thelisha Aluc, Nisha Patel, Hanh Van Tran, and Schellsie Beaubrun

What’s More Urgent Than Urgent Care?

After contemplating where an ideal place would be to represent what we thought was public health, we decided to make a quick visit to the MedExpress Urgent care center. Not only is this establishment in an area where there are tons of families, it is close to the USF Tampa campus which would give college students an opportunity to take preventative measures as well.  As we know, it is important in public health to be preventative, and being able to visit a place like this is a perfect place to allow individuals to be just that. If you choose to visit a MedExpress you will come to find out that they have many different procedures that they can perform. They are available for something as simple as a sports physical to being able to take x-rays if it may be necessary. An annual sports physical allows the athletes to not only participate in their sport of choice but it also allows them to know if everything in their body is functioning the way it should be. This could also be considered preventative, considering the physician is making sure that your body is up to par. They also distribute vaccinations, including the vaccine to prevent chicken pox and the flu shot; these vaccinations allow individuals to attempt to prevent disease as their life progresses. MedExpress Urgent care center is an excellent source for patient treatment and preventive care, as well as an alternative to an emergency room or hospital setting in non-life-threatening situations.

By: Kayleigh Devereux and Amanda Lawrence

Promotion of Public Health: Medicare Benefits & Staying Healthy!

Promotion, one of the four P's of public health, is an important step to informing the public to living healthier lives. As apart of the new health care reform law, Medicare Part B and Part D is an expansion of the current program, and benefits many needing prescription drugs. Here at a local Walgreens, they have displayed important information regarding these benefits, including the ad that Medicare Part D members can save up to 75%! Public health is promoting the changes that many Medicare patients should be aware of, and people using Medicare are able to save more on prescription drugs at their local pharmacies. Inside the clinic they offer many helpful ways to stay healthy and informed. All of the brochures are free to the public, and informed pharmacists are available for additional information. There are also different brochures set out about HIV/AIDS and other transmitted diseases. The brochures go over about how to get tested and some therapy you can receive for having both condition and ways of preventing the spread of diseases. Also, public health is making it known to society that there are ways to save on prescription drugs for those who have a hard time affording them, and to be more aware of the STI’s affecting many people. There is also a promotion for a “walk with Walgreens.” Walgreens is spreading awareness for the products they are offering, as well as the help they are giving to the community.  Promotion and prevention are seen thoroughly in the displays to educate the public of all the ways to stay healthy and safe.

By: Shanalee, Kelsey, Jennifer, Elena, Cristina

Donating Blood Saves Lives Too

The location we chose that we believed constitutes public health was the Florida Blood Services. In our photo, you see two members of the group donating blood. We placed the sticker on the table/cabinet that is in between the two chairs where the procedure takes place. I bet you’re wondering how giving blood is related to Public Health. Well, the way that Florida Blood Services contributes to public health is it acts as a secondary prevention and tertiary prevention. Donating blood is a secondary prevention because it’s a way of screening for various STI’s, diseases, etc. They take samples of your blood to test your blood type, hemoglobin, iron level, blood pressure, HIV, syphilis, cholesterol, and gonorrhea. It also acts as a tertiary prevention because the blood that the volunteer donates is packaged and can be used as a treatment for cancer patients, blood transfusions, newborn infants with low iron levels, and also for people who are in any trauma, like scenes of car accidents. What people don’t know is a simple visit to donate your blood can results in saving your life and someone else. You can get information on your health whether it is a STI or high cholesterol levels; this could have been something you would have never known without a visit to the Florida Blood Services.  And your blood could be the reason for helping a patient stay alive. Have you ever heard of people losing too much blood during surgery or at a scene of an accident? Or people who can find someone with the same blood type for a blood transfusion?  Getting people to donate blood will lessen these incidents, that’s why the Florida Blood Services is important and can make changes in public health.

By: Quianna Chavis, Sam Crabtree, and Natalia Meza

Keep Tampa Clean

As our group was thinking about where we can place our sticker, we had the idea to roam around the downtown Tampa are, being that the downtown area is heavy populated area with pedestrian traffic it would make a great place for our “this is public health” tag. Since so many people walk around the area every day, placing our sticker there would mean that it would be seen by thousands of people every day. Meanwhile, it would be a great way to make Public Health awareness. Our group chose to place our “This is public health” sticker on a “Keep Tampa Clean” solar-powered trash compactor, located on Twiggs and Tampa Street. Solar-powered trash compactors are one of the new technologies than compact the trash that goes in it into small cubes meaning that it can intake a lot more trash than the usual trashcans, there are no messes, and it takes let time to clean up. Not only that but it being solar powered it also helps the environment in our community by not using unnecessary energy. This represents a public health issue in the matter of promoting good health for the general population. Without trash cans alone, in the main streets of our cities, trash would collect creating an unhealthy environment. Being that this trash can in particular is a solar powered one means that it is doing its job to keep our city clean whilst helping the environment in the process. This issue is important because trash cans can be considered a luxury to some societies; in our society we take advantage of the fact that there is a collection agency for our trash around almost every corner. This issue is in the hands of public health, cleaning up the streets was one of the first steps public health took to keep everyone healthier and happier. 

By: Digna Baster, Mallory Danley, Stephen Nieves

Pool Rules

We chose to take our "This is Public Health" picture at The Fall's apartment pool area. We thought that a pool rules sign would be a good explanation of the types of regulations and warnings that public health enforces, plus swimming is a great way to exercise. We want everyone to realize that the rules set in place are not just for insurance purposes. There is a lot of potential danger that can happen at a pool. The common no running rule protects against possible slip and falls. If one were to slip and hit their head becoming unconscious they could fall into the water and drown. The other most common rule no diving warns people that diving into shallow water can potentially break your neck or knock you unconscious, which could lead to drowning. Children are also supposed to be accompanied by an adult to lesson their chance of an accident. No glass by the pool prevents broken bottles and cuts. This is an issue in public health because it reminds the general public to be safe while they are relaxing by the pool. Small children are a big problem around pools and need to be paid attention to very closely. Public health sees pools as a great place to have fun exercising. Swimming is great cardio and when most people swim they do not even realize that they are exercising as hard as they are. With that being said we felt that these rules and regulations are just one other way that public health tries to keep the general public safe.

By: Juan Bobe, Jeevan Joseph, Niles Malec, and Scott Speizer

Fitness Center at Avalon Heights

 

 We chose to take our “this is public health” picture at a fitness center at Avalon Heights apartment complex because it prevents obesity and is convenient for students. Access to the fitness center is included with rent which eliminates membership fees, and being on the property makes working out easier for residents. Having a fitness center near your residence also eliminates excuses related to driving like not wanting to drive far, to use gas, or to spend time in traffic. In addition, if the gym is located in your apartment complex you can just walk there, which contributes more to your health. The gym is open 24 hours a day, making it more accessible even with conflicting school and work schedules. Working out at fitness centers help to prevent the steadily increasing public health issue of obesity and promotes physical activity. Since today obesity has become a growing problem in America, it is important for students to start developing healthy lifestyle habits, like regularly going to the gym. Even though genetic factors contribute to whether or not someone may be obese, working out on a regular basis can help an individual still be healthy, and that’s what fitness centers like this one can do. By having 24 hour access to a gym located right in their apartment complex, students will have a greater chance of developing these healthy habits. More apartment complexes are starting to have gyms on their property which could prevent a sedentary lifestyle. Small public health measures like these are making huge impacts and attributing to longer, healthier lives for American citizens.
By: Valerie, Bettyna, Patricia, and Chelsie